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- In Conversation With Martha Bolton and Linda Hope Authors of Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War ll
In Conversation With Martha Bolton and Linda Hope Authors of Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War ll
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 7, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Norm Goldman
Reviewer & Author Interviewer, Norm Goldman. Norm is the Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com.
He has been reviewing books for the past twenty years after retiring from the legal profession.
To read more about Norm Follow Here
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guests Martha Bolton and Linda Hope authors of Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War ll.
Martha is a prolific author of 88 books, an Emmy
nominee (Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics, 1988), a Dove
Award nominee (Children's Musical, 1999), and a "with"
author on three New York Times bestselling books.
She
was nominated for a Writers' Guild Award for her work on the
Emmy-winning Bob Hope--The First Ninety Years.
She
was Bob's first full-time female staff writer, and wrote for his
television specials (over 30 hours of prime time programming and
fifteen years of his personal appearances and special events). As a
staff writer for Bob Hope, She had the opportunity to write scripted
lines for a virtual Who's Who in entertainment, sports, and
politics.
She also wrote for Phyllis Diller for many years,
and her series of books for those over fifty include, Didn't My
Skin Used to Fit?, Cooking with Hot Flashes, and The Whole
World is Changing and I'm Too Hot to Care.
She has
also written for many Christian comedians such as Mark Lowry
(including parodies and co-writing his Piper the Hyper Mouse series),
Chonda Pierce, Jeff Allen, and numerous others.
Martha's
stage work includes writing the script for The Confession,
based on Beverly Lewis' best-selling Confession trilogy;
co-writing both Half-Stitched, based on Wanda Brunstetter's
bestselling book The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club and Our
Christmas Dinner with director/composer Wally Nason; Josiah for
President and BGM's newest musical, The Home Game. Both
Josiah for President and The Home Game have
accompanying novels penned by Martha, and were adapted for the stage
by the Blue Gate Musical's creative team.
Linda is the
eldest daughter of Bob and Dolores Hope. She is the Producer of the
Emmy Award winning TV Special: Bob Hope: The First 90 Years.
She also wrote My Life in Jokes, a collection of jokes
honoring her father's 100th birthday. Linda produced his TV shows for
over 20 years, ran Hope Enterprises and has spent the last two
decades perpetuating her father's legacy.
Good day Martha
and Linda and thanks for taking part in our interview.
Norm:
Linda, how did you become involved with co-authoring Dear
Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War
ll, what purpose do you believe your story serves and what
matters to you about the book?
Linda: I guess you
could say the initial idea began as far back as high school for
myself, when I was given an assignment to write about something that
intrigued me, and I thought about all these banker boxes that I
remembered seeing. I asked Dads assistant, Miss Hughes, what they
were and she said, "Those are history." Years later
when I was producing Dads' shows, we did a tribute to the service men
and women of WWII and those letters became a big part of that effort.
As people read the book, I hope that they come to realize or
re-realize what Bob Hope meant to the American G.I's, especially
during WWII, when communications were very limited.
Norm:
Linda: If you could relive a moment in your life with your
father Bob, which moment would you choose and why?
Linda:
That's an almost impossible question to answer, but the memory that
actually stands out in my mind at the moment for me was when I was
older and met dad at the airport to bring him home. He had heard the
news that Bing Crosby had died and dad became unusually vulnerable -
It was a very tender moment. His life had been so wrapped around not
being vulnerable, especially when he was attending to the wounded or
visiting those in the hospital. He seldom let his guard down like he
did that day and I felt privileged to be part it.
Norm:
Martha, how did you go about co-authoring the book with Linda? Did
you each choose to deal with specific sections? Please summarize your
writing process.
Martha: The origin of this book dates
back to when Bob Hope was still alive. I talked to him about the
possibility of putting some of these letters into a book. He
suggested I meet with Linda and we started working on it. At that
time the letters were at his house. Meanwhile, other projects and
shows came and went, and sadly Bob passed away in 2003.
A few years
ago, Linda emailed me and asked if I was still interested in writing
that book. My answer? Absolutely! I couldn't wait to get back
into it. By this time, the letters had been given to the Library of
Congress, so I would go there to do the remainder of my research. As
the process went along, I would send the manuscript to Linda and she
would make wonderfully helpful comments and suggestions.
She wanted
us to take the reader back to that time in our country's history, and
to underscore the difference in communication back then and
communication now. I like to think we were successful in doing
that.
Norm: Linda and Martha: Did both of you
learn anything from writing the book? If so, what was it?
Linda:
Its not that I learned anything new, but I was reminded again at the
scope of dad's involvement with the men and women he entertained,
both at home and especially abroad and how that relationship really
colored his entire life.
Martha: I already knew that Bob Hope
and the G.I.s had a special connection. You could see it whenever he
would interact with a veteran, either at one of the show tapings or
on location somewhere. But until reading these letters, I had no idea
of the depth of that connection. These men and women in uniform were
his best friends, his buddies, his "sons and daughters," as
he referred to them in letter after letter. I think that is what
impressed me the most.
These are no ordinary fan/celebrity letters.
When the G.I.s wrote to Bob, they shared their hearts, their
requests, and their heartfelt gratitude for all he had done and was
doing. In his personal replies (and he answered as many as he could),
he gave them laughs, news from home, and an abundant supply of
hope.
Norm: Linda and Martha: What did both of you
enjoy most about writing this book?
Linda: In truth,
Martha really wrote the book, doing the yeoman's research and putting
it together. I was basically an editor and helped Sheppard it through
getting done. I, of course, wrote the forward. I found it very moving
to re-read these letters again. Because it had to have been 20 or 25
years or so since we had worked on the 50th anniversary of the end of
World War II and now here we are, having just passed the 75th
anniversary. I was very disappointed that all the tributes that were
planned in 2020 and that the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation had
sponsored last year had to be abandoned, due to covid, because those
older men and women deserve to be applauded and honored for what they
did and they are certainly set an example that a more of us could
still learn from today.
Martha: Getting a first hand look at
Bob's commitment to the troops. His heart comes through in those
letters. After reading this correspondence, you understand why he did
it for fifty years. I also loved the playfulness that went on between
Bob and the G.I.s. For those brief moments when they were writing to
their "buddy", they could joke around and talk about other
things besides war.
Then, there are the letters that pull at your
heart. Those are some of my favorites, too. The whole book takes you
on an emotional journey and leaves you appreciating the sacrifices
made, not only by Bob, but also by every G. I., as well as those at
home.
Norm: Linda and Martha: Where can our readers find
out more about both of you and Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime
Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War ll?
Linda:
Well, you can get the book on Amazon. In fact, I was very excited to
find out that the book has become the #1 New Release in Literary
Letters on Amazon. You can also visit us at the Bob & Dolores
Hope Foundation Website
Martha:
My WEBSITE The book is available at
most bookstores and online book sites, and from the publisher,
University Press of Mississippi.
Norm: Thank you so
much for taking the time to answer my questions. It's been an
absolute pleasure.