Bob Hope's NBC contract made him more money than most Hollywood studios were paying their entire rosters. John Wayne had been the #1 box office draw in America for 25 consecutive years. Dean Martin was selling out every casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Combined, the four men in that room were worth over $600 million. Ronald Reagan was Governor of California and already had his eye on something much bigger than Sacramento. In 1970, all four of them ended up in the same room. In the video below, Reagan reveals he vetoed a bill the California legislature passed in Bob Hope's honor - then told Hope about it to his face. Reagan walked out as governor and immediately started making jokes about moving boxes. The crowd already knew what he meant. He wasn't being subtle. Everyone in that room understood that Sacramento was just a stop on a much longer road. He told the audience Hope had entertained over 10 million troops. Been seen by 100 million TV viewers. Built a career that spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television without missing a single era. Then he said if you threw in the 27 people who'd actually seen his movies, you had yourself a pretty sizable voting constituency. Then Reagan paused. He told Hope the California state legislature had unanimously passed a bill naming him the state's foremost citizen. He vetoed it. The room lost it. Then came John Wayne. Calling in live from Bend, Oregon, mid-shoot on the True Grit sequel with Katharine Hepburn. He got 15 seconds into his tribute before catching himself - he'd just read out the full movie title, the co-star, the director, and the production company on live television. "Wayne, did I do that?" he asked Dean Martin. "Perfect, pal." Four men at the absolute peak of Hollywood and American politics, in one room, genuinely cracking each other up. You don't see rooms like that anymore.