In July 1979, as a condition of our being allowed to tape a 3-hour Bob Hope TV special within their borders, the Red Chinese government insisted on approving every word of our script beforehand. This was not only unrealistic, but virtually impossible since we made script changes right up until tape began rolling.

Their insistence on a policy of prior approval would be major stumbling block during the entire shoot. Looking back on it, I think the Chinese officials had heard of Hope’s legendary reputation for political jokes, feared they would be in his crosshairs, and decided to make sure they’d be protected from his comedic barbs. (Can’t blame them there --- they were
correct on all counts.)

Our first run-in with the policy occurred when we wrote a sketch that was to be taped in front of the Democracy Wall, newly erected near Tienanmen Square and intended as a vehicle for Chinese citizens to voice their complaints.   It had received a lot of ink in the world press so was a natural subject for parody, or so we thought.

A permit to film at the wall had been requested and granted. The problem was, the actual script was completed just minutes before it was to be shot --- there simply was no time to obtain an additional signature on our permit covering the changes.

You'll hear what happened next in this 4-minute excerpt read by the author from his book, THE LAUGH MAKERS: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers (c) 2009 by Robert L. Mills and published by Bear Manor Media.com in both print and audio versions.