Courtesy The National WWII Museum

Portland, OR — May 31, 2023 — Bob Hope elicited laughs across all media: through radio waves, on the stage, and on the screen, in both television and film. But none of them mattered more than the humor he injected into American camps across the globe during World War II as the Allies struggled to save the world for democracy. 

Using multimedia elements and captivating storytelling — including objects, films, rare photographs, and an interactive display — So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope highlights how Hope helped lift the human spirit during one of the darkest times in American history. This national touring exhibition is on loan from The National WWII Museum and is on display at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, now through August 18, 2023.

Bob Hope came to the United States as an immigrant with his family in the early 1920s, initially working as a newsboy, butcher’s assistant, shoe salesman, and amateur boxer. Hope went on to eventually shape his art on the vaudeville stage, and by the start of World War II, he was just emerging as one of America’s most popular radio and film stars. When the nation went to war in 1941, Hollywood recognized the need for contributions and responded by entertaining troops, raising funds, and boosting morale. Hope’s work quickly took on new meaning when he took his wartime programs on the road to military camps and bases across the country, inspiring other entertainers to join him.

Exploring Hope’s major tours and travels during World War II, So Ready for Laughter features nearly fifty objects and also includes an original 11-minute documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker John Scheinfeld. Highlights include rare and unpublished photographs of Hope, wartime correspondence between Hope and servicemembers, WWII-era objects engraved to Hope, videos of his traveling wartime troupe, and Hollywood Victory Caravan programs and scrapbooks. Supported by national tour exhibit sponsor the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope tells the story of the entertainer’s unique place in World War II history and beyond.

The Oregon Historical Society’s museum is open seven days a week, Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 12pm–5pm. Admission is $10, with discounts for students, seniors, teachers, and youth. Admission is free every day for OHS members and Multnomah County residents. Learn more and plan your visit at ohs.org/visit.

About the Oregon Historical Society

For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

About the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation

The Bob Hope Legacy honors and preserves the “Spirit of Bob Hope,” underscoring his career as a world class entertainer, comedian, patriot, and humanitarian. The broader Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, which supports the Bob Hope Legacy, was established to provide for and assure the continuation of the philanthropic ideals of Bob and Dolores Hope.

About The National WWII Museum

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world — why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today — so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front.