Bob Hope Hospitalized With Gastrointestinal Bleeding

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. —  Entertainer Bob Hope was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Thursday for gastrointestinal bleeding, a condition his doctor said is common in elderly people and not life threatening.

The 97-year old entertainer was given blood transfusions before the bleeding was stabilized, Dr. Gary Annunziata told reporters outside Eisenhower Regional Medical Center, where Hope was in the critical-care ward.

“For his age, he is in very, very good shape and has done very, very well,” Annunziata said.

He said doctors expect Hope to make a full recovery. He gave the comedian’s condition as “critical but very stable.”

Hope was hospitalized Thursday morning after he woke up with stomach pains. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a week, spending perhaps another day in the critical-care section.

The long stay is anticipated because of Hope’s age, Annunziata said.

His wife, Dolores, and his daughter Linda were with him.

“Both Mrs. Hope and daughter Linda are very optimistic and ask that everyone simply keep Bob in their prayers,” said hospital spokeswoman Lea Goodsell.

Hope had returned home to nearby Palm Springs on Tuesday after a trip East to open the Bob Hope Gallery of the Library of Congress. The comedian, who meticulously filed jokes he told over the years, donated them and $3.5 million to the exhibit.

Hope, master of the one-liner, has starred in vaudeville, radio, TV and film. From World War II to the Gulf War, he took his show to military bases around the world to boost the morale of soldiers.