The Golddiggers Perform at Bob Hope Christmas Show Preview

This photograph was taken by National Geographic photographer Joseph J. Scherschel on December 14, 1969, during a preview performance of the Bob Hope Christmas Show in the East Room. Here, a member of the Golddiggers performs during the variety show for President Richard M. Nixon, First Lady Pat Nixon, and over 200 guests. A women's song and dance troupe, the Golddiggers performed for American troops stationed in Vietnam with Bob Hope's variety shows from 1968-1970. Bob Hope's USO-sponsored variety shows entertained American troops around the world for nearly 50 years, and his television specials were an annual tradition for American households for decades. Hope was a recurrent guest at the White House and entertained every president from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.