On February 27 Bob Hope got something he has deserved a long time. He, as usual, was presenting the “Oscars” to the Academy Award winners of the year. He has been the M.C. at the annual presentation several times. Thursday night he presented the Best Actress award to Ginger Rogers for her work in “Kitty Foyle,” and the Best Actor award to James Stewart for his work in “The Philadelphia Story.” Bob then made various other presentations and was about to announce the next when Walter Wanger, the president of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, walked up to him and pushed him aside. He said, “You’re doing a fine job, Bob, but I have a special award to present tonight, and since it’s the first time an award of this kind has been given, I feel that I should present it myself.” I don’t know what he said after that, but I do know that he presented an “Oscar” to Bob Hope for his work in benefits and charities of all kinds. It was the first time such an Academy Award has been given and Bob Hope was certainly the right person to receive the first one. In the year 1940 alone he appeared in two hundred and fifty-eight benefits and has often been in as many as six in one week. In the Friday papers it was reported that Bob said, “Somehow I don’t feel a bit funny anymore” and then kissed an “Oscar” on his gold-plated mouth. Lucky Oscar!
I listened to Bob Hope on his regular program four times this month. On February 8 I heard him on a broadcast for Greek Relief and on February 23 he was the Gulf Screen Guild Theatre for the Motion Picture Relief Fund.
After hearing about all the benefits Bob plays, there’s no doubt in my mind as to the fact that he more than deserved that Academy Award he got Thursday. I’ll be he won’t even mention it on his program next week bet I hope he does.
