Simply put, Bob Hope (1903–2003) was the most famous entertainer of the 20th century. For most of his professional career, it seemed as if Hope was everywhere on radio, television, in films, on records, and, of course, his multitude of personal appearances, both at home and with the troops abroad. Of the many roles that he played, the one of ‘recording artist’ was his least successful. Despite having a pleasant voice that came across well on a record, Hope never made it to the Hit Parade. Even his theme song, `Thanks for the Memory´, wasn’t a big seller. As a result, in putting together an album of ‘Hope’s Greatest Hits’, one could not ignore his personal appearances, since that aspect of his career is what made him, more than anything else he did, a legend of American show business. Television journalist Hugh Downs once said, `Bob Hope cuts across every strata of America and reaches everyone with a TV set or a GI dog tag´. But comedian Steve Allen condensed Bob Hope’s status even further `He is a social institution´.