Bob Hope

In October 1944, John Ibe was a 23-year-old enlisted man preparing for battle on the aircraft carrier St. Lo near the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific. And then a funny thing happened--Bob Hope showed up. "He gave us a performance that was unforgettable," remembers Ibe, now 80, and head of a family real estate development firm in San Diego. "Some of the guys I was sitting with that day, that was among their last memories."

Two old friends got together to play a little golf Monday: Legendary comedian Bob Hope and leading otologist Dr. Howard House were the stars of a tournament to benefit the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Hope and House, golf buddies for four decades, played a round at the Santa Ana Country Club with about 140 other golfers, then joined more than 200 guests for a post-tournament dinner. The benefit, staged by the Associates of the House Ear Institute of Orange County, netted about $45,000.

Many of the nearly two dozen people waiting outside the new Discovery Shop resale store Friday were waiting to take advantage of the bargains inside, but others crowded around the door to catch a glimpse of "Mr. Toluca Lake"--comedian Bob Hope. Hope and his wife, Dolores, were on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon at the new upscale thrift store on Riverside Drive, the profits from which benefit the American Cancer Society.

Thirty-nine men have taken the oath as President of the United States, and Bob Hope, 85, has lampooned 10 of them. Here's a Hope sampler: On Herbert Hoover: ". . . Isn't this some theater! . . . I was just standing out in front watching the other acts when a lady rushed up to me and said, 'Pardon me, young man, can you help me find the rest room?' . . . And I said, 'Yes, ma'am, it's just around the corner' . . . And she said, 'Don't give me any of that Hoover talk.' " On Franklin D.

It's publisher Walter Annenberg, former ambassador to the Court of St. James's, who's been chosen by the Beverly Hills Education Foundation as the honoree at a tribute dinner March 20 in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Bob Hope will be master of ceremonies so you know there will be quite a few laughs during the evening. Keeping it all in the family, Wallis Annenberg, the ambassador's daughter who writes for his TV Guide, will chair the dinner committee. And working with her will be Mrs.

Bob Hope will be the master of ceremonies. Roger Williams will play the piano. And the Lennon Sisters (remember?) will sing. It's part of the program for the annual benefit dinner hosted by the Associates of the House Ear Institute. At this year's annual event, March 12 in the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom, the Humanitarian Award will go to business tycoon (Grace Lines and more) and philanthropist J. Peter Grace. Mrs.

U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Howard Berman (D-North Hollywood) introduced legislation last week to name the Olive Avenue post office branch for the late comedian and humanitarian Bob Hope. City officials previously recognized the legendary comic, who died July 27 at the age of 100, by renaming a portion of Catalina Street near NBC Studios as Bob Hope Drive.

Bob Hope has come a long way on his wit and grit, in more ways than one. At age 4, the future entertainer came to America as a British immigrant. Soon, a proposed family history center at Ellis Island will be named for the 87-year-old comedian, the Ellis Island Restoration Commission said Thursday. Plans for the Bob Hope Family Heritage Center were disclosed as Hope was winding up yet another Christmas visit with American troops overseas.

Victoria Shaw, the Australian-born actress who came to the United States in the mid-1950s for a series of film roles that included the second wife of Tyrone Power in "The Eddy Duchin Story," has died in her native land. Mark Penfield, a longtime friend, said Miss Shaw, born Jeanette Elphick, was 53 when she died last Wednesday in a hospital near Sydney. She had returned to Australia in 1985 because of failing health and died after a lengthy battle with asthma.

The USO-Greater Los Angeles Area Inc. will hold a grand opening for the Long Beach Bob Hope USO club from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 22. Bob and Delores Hope are scheduled to dedicate the club. Grammy Award-winning artist Lee Greenwood will sing "Always Home," a song he wrote for the USO. Mayor Ernie Kell will present Bob Hope with a key to the city at the reception. USO-Greater Los Angeles Area is part of the worldwide USO network, founded in 1941 to provide civilian support for the U.S. military.