Was there a contract between the US Government and Bob Hope? Absent a contract which would spell out the terms of a contracted work made for hire and what the government’s rights would be, I think that Bob donated his performance to the USG. My understanding is that charitable contributions are one of the few types of contracts that are enforceable without a consideration. Whether that would be sufficient to make this a “work of the united states government” and therefore unqualified for copyright protection is beyond me.
