Bob Hope - Hope for the Holidays [DVD]

My wife and I love "Christmas movies" and classic "Christmas specials," but shopping for classic TV specials is a tricky matter. There's a standard list of "old Christmas episodes" that seems to be recycled through various DVD companies and sets. The other problem is that some we've bought turn out to be duds: Someone got access to a grainy old bit of video and slapped it on a disk.That's why I'm taking time to recommend this DVD. Obviously, it's aimed at people who remember Bob Hope and enjoy his style of humor. As a Baby Boomer, I realize that Hope has been eclipsed by contemporary comics and generally is remembered as a guy who seemed to support the war in Vietnam. I would point out that Woody Allen personally cites Hope as a comic genius whose classic performances influenced Woody himself.If you're someone with a warm spot for Hope, then you will smile during segments of this DVD. It's an odd mish-mash of a late-in-life TV special Bob and his wife made supposedly filmed "in the Hope home" with various celebrities stopping by. What's great about this disk is that the visitors trigger "flashbacks" in which classic scenes are shown from earlier in Hope's TV career.We always know, when ordering such disks, that we might wind up with something we already own or, sometimes, we risk getting junk. We watched through about a dozen disks this Christmas of classic material -- and this is the one we're choosing to rate with 5 stars.Hope fans? This one is a gem.

For those of you who are old enough to remember what watching TV at Christmas time was like back in the 50's, 60's, 70's and even 80's, this DVD will surely bring back a lot of incredible memories. I can clearly remember waiting patiently each year for Bob Hope's Annual Christmas Special on NBC. This DVD did not disappoint me in anyway. There is footage of various skits with Bob Hope and just about every famous celebrity of that era. Even the bonus material containing a number of bloopers was great to watch.Back in those days, there were only three stations or three networks to watch (ABC, CBS and NBC), but it seemed that there was always something great on TV, no matter what night of the week it was. NBC was lucky enough to have Bob Hope for so many incredible years. I truly have to applaud Bob Hope for entertaining our troops each and every year at Christmas and this DVD has quite a few memorable clips from the 50's through the 80's of Bob in some foreign Country with a great looking gal, parading around on the stage. If you are a fan of Bob Hope, or you'd like to experience just one more of Bob Hope's Annual Christmas Specials, then do NOT pass up this unique opportunity. I assure you that you will NOT be disappointed. As far as the quality is concerned, it's not HD but it's still pretty darn good, even on a 55" screen.I have already watched this DVD two nights in a row and I will probably play it again some night before Christmas this year. This is clearly one of my favorite DVD's of all time.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a Bob Hope fan. I bought this because I'm a fan of Christmas specials, and considering how many that Hope did in his career, this is a very nostalgic presentation.It's packaged as "Hope for the Holidays" but by and large it appears to be a retrospective done in about 1993 (when Hope was 90) called "Bob Hope's Bag Full of Christmas Memories." Rather than Hope's traditional Christmas episode, it's set up like a Christmas party at the Hope's residence with a cavalcade of diverse former stars, most if not all of whom had appeared on previous specials. As we're introduced to guests at the party, we get a look back at when washed-up has beens like Loni Anderson and Barbara Eden (they were washed-up even in 1993) were important players on the Hollywood scene. It's cheesy, hokey, good clean fun.The extras are a nice addition, but are limited to duets of "Silver Bells" with Hope and various female stars, and a blooper reel.If you're Hope fan, this is must-see stuff; if you aren't one, much like me, it's still worth a look if you enjoy Christmas specials.

Now that I am in my 30's, I see everything I once knew and loved being replaced with another generation of performers --- most of whom I don't like or are at best mediocre. So few of today's stars can inspire the same admiration I felt when I was a kid. Even as a young boy I knew there was something significant about Bob Hope. I grew up watching his Christmas specials, but so did my father and grandfather (via the USO shows). Bob was just as much a fixture of the holiday as tinsel on a tree. But after he passed, that all seemed to stop.Fortunately, with this DVD I can now keep a part of that tradition alive. Alongside the annual must-sees like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" I have these wonderful moments of Bob Hope at his holiday best. It has clips and sketches from shows I remember, but also from shows before my time, all of which were laugh-out-loud funny. The extras include bloopers, which should not be missed because it gives a peak at what he was like behind the scenes -- which is as charming and funny as you thought he would be.If you like Bob Hope and miss seeing his Christmas specials, this DVD will give you a dose of the old - but timeless - holiday spirit that you can share with the next generation. My only complaint is it's not long enough. But I wouldn't be satisfied until there was a DVD box set of each individual Christmas special shown in its entirety. Until that happens, I am very happy to have this to watch again and again.

Fun to watch historic Bob Hope moments on TV during his entertaining of troops. Yes, some of the patter setting up the incidents is staged and forced, as during a supposed party at Hope's home. And his TV show segment shows how lame some of that day's entertainment could be. But think of it as a view into the past and don't dwell on performance and/or technical shortcomings. Yes there is some Christmas stuff but it is not a traditional Christmas show. Fun for what it is. Don't overexpect.

If you would like a little trip back to Christmas in the sixties, this one's for you. Arrived on time and in good condition. Great price.

Tad disappointed that it was not a complete show - snippets from shows throughout the years. Still good viewing though.

Loved it brought back a lot of memories. Watched it with my mom, who thoroughly enjoy it.

Excellent

not what i expected