1982 "Star-Studded Spoof of the New TV Season" Part 1 Liz Taylor Dick Burton

Part 1: For this 1982 special, Hope had landed Elizabeth Taylor, known to be addicted to soap operas (Sammy Davis was, too.) and had promised that we'd write her a sketch that would parody her favorite sudser, "General Hospital." We set it in an operating room with Hope as a gastroenterologist who's having a torrid affair with his head surgical nurse, Elizabeth. But the randy Florence Nightingale is concurrently scrubbing instruments for a pair of Hope's fellow residents — Anthony Geary (whose marriage to Genie Francis on General Hospital had recently made headlines) and movie icon, Glenn Ford.

In our original sketch, the "patient" on the table was a bit player with whom, in our story, Liz was also having an affair. During rehearsal, Richard Burton arrived on the set to pick up his wife for lunch. We all looked at him with the same idea. Would he mind lying on the table for a few
minutes? We'd write a few lines for him and, since he hadn't been booked on the show, would surprise an audience who had no inkling he was in town. Burton was a big fan of Hope's and a good sport. He agreed and provided us with a blackout the likes of which writers can only dream.

You can read all about the how Hope worked with his guests and his writers and what happened behind-the-scenes of these classic Bob Hope video clips by reading my book "THE LAUGH MAKERS: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers," chosen a "Top 20" 2009 Year End Pick by Leonard Maltin who says...

"Having spent twenty years writing for the indefatigable Bob Hope, and traveling all over the world, Bob Mills is well qualified to salute the famous corps of gagmen who kept the comedian knee-deep in jokes. These first-hand recollections summon up the final phase of Hope's career—and the end of the trail for an entire brand of show business."
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