Wednesday, June 9, 1943

Dear Diary,

I got several pictures of Bob today. Most of them were taken at Dottie Lamour’s wedding. Two showed Bob and Jimmy Cagney trying to out-dance each other at an army camp.

There was an article in one of the magazines about a recent meeting of the Actors Guild, where several stars, including Bob, Kay Kyser, and Jimmy Cagney, played it on some stars who have shirked their duty in regard to the entertainment of the armed forces. To quote part of the article: It isn’t an easy thing,” Bob Hope explained, “to tour the camps, especially if you’re a fellow. I know how it is. On our Alaskan tour, the day after I came so near to death up there that I don’t want to think about it, some boy from the audience heckled, “Yeah, you’d be funnier, fellow, if you were in a uniform.” It hurts. And, what’s more, you can’t explain about age or family or why you’re not in – mostly because the government says No. You gotta take it. But that’s only one fellow amount thousands who will never forget what you’ve tried to do. So please, please, friends, forget self and pride and inconvenience and get out there and do your stuff.