Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a fantastic piece of Hollywood film history! This suit jacket, which was modified to have the appearance of a WWII US Army Class A uniform jacket, was worn by the legendary comedian, actor and entertainer Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope. Mr. Hope wore this uniform jacket for the 1943 American musical film, “Let’s Face It”.

Let's Face It is a 1943 American musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Harry Tugend, adapted from the musical of the same name. The film stars Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, ZaSu Pitts, Phyllis Povah, Dave Willock, Eve Arden, and Cully Richards. The film was released on August 5, 1943, by Paramount Pictures. A New York Times critic at the time of its release wrote, "Strictly as hot-weather fare, Let's Face It, now at the Paramount, is an acceptable bit of monkeyshines, but not much more. As a vehicle for Bob Hope it is a rather feeble and outdated contraption, and if it weren't for Mr. Hope himself "Let's Face It" would be a very sad affair indeed."

Movie Plot: U.S. Army private Jerry Walker (Bob Hope) is in hot water with his sweetheart, Winnie Porter (Betty Hutton), for putting off their wedding, and with his superiors on the base after crashing a Jeep.

To raise money to pay for the damages and avoid six months of guard duty, Jerry accepts a $300 proposal from three matronly women, Cornelia, Nancy and Maggie, to arrange dates for them with young soldiers. Jerry ropes his pals Barney and Frankie into it, then scrambles when they try to squirm out of it.

Winnie, meantime, figures out Jerry is up to something. She shows up with the girlfriends of Barney and Frankie, after which everybody takes turns trying to make the others jealous. Jerry finally flees, only to end up hooked by a German submarine. He ends up in the brig, but it's a year later and Winnie, now his wife, comes to visit along with their baby.

The uniform jacket costume is in wonderful condition and does show use and wear, just the way we like to find these old Hollywood Costumes. The jacket itself was manufactured by Macintosh Studio Clothes who was also a custom suit/tailor shop. The suitmaker, whose main shop was on 222 Powell St. in San Francisco, opened in 1922. It served as the in-house designer for many of the big Hollywood studios in the 1930s and 1940s.

The jacket still retains its original military style nametag on the interior pocket, which identifies it to having been worn by Bob Hope. The tag reads as follows:

MACINTOSH
“STUDIO” CLOTHES
Trade Mark Reg. U.S. Pat. Office
DESIGNED and TAILORED
at 6518 Hollywood Blvd.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.
BRANCH AT
222. POWELL STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
Mr. Bob Hope
Date Jan ‘43 Ord. No. 92303

A wonderful item ready for further research and display.!

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 10.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 18.5”
Chest width: 22"
Waist width: 20"
Hip width: 24”
Front length: 32.5"

Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE, KC*SG, KSS, was an American comedian, actor, and entertainer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films—54 in which he starred. These included a series of seven "Road to ..." musical comedy films with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner.

In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, Hope appeared in many stage productions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" was his signature tune.

Hope was born in the Eltham district of southeast London. He arrived in the United States with his family at the age of four, and grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. After a brief stint in the late 1910s as a boxer, Hope began his career in show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, before acting on Broadway. Hope began appearing on radio and in films starting in 1934. He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes that were often self-deprecating. He helped establish modern American stand-up comedy.

Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining active duty U.S. military personnel around the world. In 1997, the United States Congress passed a bill that made Hope an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. Hope appeared in numerous television specials for NBC during his career and was one of the first users of cue cards.

Hope retired from public life in 1998 and died on July 27, 2003, at the age of 100.