Bob Hope’s satires over his long career reflected his audience’s changing sensitivities and standards of propriety. When he broadcast a satirical radio sketch in 1949 that portrayed President Truman (1884–1972) and his wife Bess (1885–1982) as hosts of a breakfast radio show, listeners complained of his lack of respect for the presidency. In response, Hope confessed, “Probably we were a little silly in going too far in the liberties of free speech which we Americans enjoy.” In 1970, Hope’s satirical depiction of a takeover of the television network by the women’s liberation movement offended many feminists.

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