Mt. Carmel ,IL- For decades, “Radio and Bob Hope” went together like “peanut butter and jelly.” Now, those with fond memories of the celebrated comedian will have the chance to relive the experience, and those too young to remember just how revered an entertainer the inimitable Hope was, will get an opportunity for an introduction.
“ON THE AIR,” a tribute to Bob Hope and Radio Stars of the 1940’s, which will be performed on Thursday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m., in the Brubeck Theatre on the campus of Wabash Valley College, was written by the show’s Director, Chuck Carson. He created “ON THE AIR” as an homage to Hope and to honor our veterans. The legendary Hope began entertaining troops in WWII and continued in Korea, Vietnam, and beyond. Carson first met Lynn Roberts while producing a USO-type show honoring Veterans of California’s Central Valley. “He was amazing,” Carson says of Roberts as Hope. “It was like being there with Hope. He’s beyond being an impersonator. He’s an actor who assumes the persona of the celebrity.” Carson wrote a two-actor show designed to tour. He plays an NBC staff announcer and sidekick on a 1940’s radio show similar to Hope’s own show from the period. Roberts plays three other legendary radio star guests, Red Skelton, Jack Benny, and Jimmy Durante. “He plays them so well, that after a performance when we go into the lobby to meet our audience, someone will always come up to Lynn, who is in his Hope costume, and ask him when the other actors, who play Red, Jack, and Jimmy, are coming out,” stated Carson. The vintage commercials are read with a humorous touch, and the recorded jingles of the era bring back great memories for many members of the audience. Kelly Hope, son of the legendary performer, saw Lynn for the first time in an Arizona engagement and stated to the audience, “Gee, it was great seeing my Dad on stage again.”
“ON THE AIR” – A Tribute to Bob Hope is a laugh-loaded, music-filled trip back to the “golden age of movies and radio.”
Wabash Valley College and the Wabash Valley Arts Council are pleased to bring this family-friendly reenactment of a 1940’s radio production which is full of wit, charm, nostalgia, and tummy-tickling humor, to the Brubeck Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and are available by contacting: [email protected], or by calling 618-263-5124. Patron Passes will be honored.
