In 1957, at the height of Sal's fame, Bob Hope announced on a TV special that all public schools in the Bronx would be closed the following day in honor of Sal Mineo's birthday. Hope meant this as a joke, but many youngsters in the Bronx took it seriously, and there was record absenteeism in the borough's public schools the following day. Hope ultimately issued a public retraction and urged kids to stay in school.