Bob Hope and American Variety HOME - Exhibition Overview - Object List - Public Programs - Credits - Learn More! Sections: Early Life - Vaudeville - The Bill - Moving On - Bits & Sketches - Motion Pictures Radio - Television - Joke File - On the Road: USO Shows - Public Service - Faces of Bob Hope Joke File dots To comedians, "material" -- their jokes and stories -- has always been precious, worthy of protecting and preserving. On stage, a good vaudeville routine could last years as it was performed on tour across the country. In radio, a year's vaudeville material might be fodder for one week's broadcast. Bob Hope used new material not only for his weekly radio series, but also for the several live charity appearances he made each week. In the beginning of his career, Bob Hope wrote his own material, adapted jokes and comic routines from popular humor publications, or commissioned segments of his vaudeville act from writers. Over the course of his career Bob Hope employed over one hundred writers to create material, including jokes, for his famous topical monologs. For example, for radio programs Hope engaged a number of writers, divided the writers into teams, and required each team to complete an entire script. He then selected the best jokes from each script and pieced them together to create the final script. The jokes included in the final script, as well as jokes not used, were categorized by subject matter and filed in cabinets in a fire- and theft-proof walk-in vault in an office next to his residence in North Hollywood, California. Bob Hope could then consult this "Joke File," his personal cache of comedy, to create monologs for live appearances or television and radio programs. The complete Bob Hope Joke File -- more than 85,000 pages -- has been digitally scanned and indexed according to the categories used by Bob Hope for presentation in the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment. Bob Hope in his joke vault Annie Leibovitz. Bob Hope in his joke vault. Photograph, July 17, 1995. Courtesy of Annie Leibovitz (197) Jokes from Bob Hope's Joke File Jokes from Bob Hope's Joke File December 15, 1953 Typed manuscript with holographic notations Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 (c)Bob Hope Enterprises Bob Hope Collection Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division Bob Hope & His Comedy Writers Hope with Writers Bob Hope with writers, ca. 1946. Copyprint. Bob Hope Collection, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (106b) Hope with Writers Bob Hope with writers, ca. 1950. Photograph. Bob Hope Collection, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (197a) Bob Hope was always candid about his reliance on his comedy writers, and generous with credit to them. The writers whose creativity and wit contributed to the Bob Hope Joke Files are: Paul Abeyta Howard Albrecht Buddy Arnold Bob Arnott Jeffrey Barron Ruth Batchlor Harvey Berger Bryan Blackburn Al Boasberg Martha Bolton Monte Brice Jim Carson Chester Castellaw Stan Davis Jack Donahue Marty Farrell Marvin Fisher Marshall Flaum Fred S. Fox Melvin Frank Doug Gamble Larry Gelbart Kathy Green Lee Hale Jack Haley, Jr. Chris Hart Stan Hart Edmund Hartmann Gig Henry Thurston Howard Charles Isaacs Seaman Jacobs Milt Josefsberg Hal Kanter Bo Kaprall Bob Keane Casey Keller Sheldon Keller Paul Keyes Larry Klein Buz Kohan Mort Lachman Bill Larkin Gail Lawrence Charles Lee James Lipton Wilke Mahoney Packy Markham Larry Marks Robert L. Mills Gordon Mitchell Gene Moss Ira Nickerson Robert O'Brien Norman Panama Ray Parker Stephan Perani Gene Perret Linda Perret Pat Proft Paul Pumpian Martin Ragaway Johnny Rapp Larry Rhine Peter Rich Jack Rose Sy Rose Ed Scharlach Sherwood Schwartz Tom Shadyac Mel Shavelson John Shea Raymond Siller Ben Starr Charles Stewart Strawther & Williger Norman Sullivan James Thurman Mel Tolkin Leon Topple Lloyd Turner Ed Weinberger Sol Weinstein Harvey Weitzman Ken & Mitzie Welch Glenn Wheaton Lester White Steven White dots HOME - Exhibition Overview - Object List - Public Programs - Credits - Learn More! Sections: Early Life - Vaudeville - The Bill - Moving On - Bits & Sketches - Motion Pictures Radio - Television - Joke File - On the Road: USO Shows - Public Service - Faces of Bob Hope Library of Congress Exhibitions - Online Survey - Library of Congress Home Page dots Library of Congress dome Library of Congress Contact Us ( July 22, 2010 ) Legal | External Link Disclaimer