Bob Hope at a war-time stop-over

This page has no particular importance (except perhaps historic). Herein are two scans of Bob Hope from photos taken during World War 2 (either 1942 or 1943).

My mother took these pictures herself. At the time, she worked at a small airline in Youngstown, Ohio. The story is that Hope had returned to the States from one of his shows for the G.I.'s in North Africa. He was on a flight out West to go to the Pacific to do the same thing for the G.I.'s there. But his flight had an unscheduled stopover at the airport. So, my mother, having a camera at hand, asked Hope if he wouldn't mind her taking his picture, and he said go ahead.

I scanned the pictures and then slightly retouched them because of the physical imperfections in the photographs themselves (due to age and rough handling over the decades). The PCA you see in the picture refers to Pennsylvania Central Airlines.

That old airport stairway looks to retain a bit of art deco design, doesn't it?

What about this pose? I'm told it was an impromptu action -- a comedian's choice.