BOB HOPE
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Pals of the Saddle- Bob Hope
Information from IMDb
Date of Birth
29 May 1903, Eltham, London, England, UK
Date of Death
27 July 2003, Toluca Lake, California, USA (pneumonia)
Birth Name
Leslie Townes Hope
Nickname
Old Ski Nose
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Spouse
Dolores Hope (19 February 1934 - 27 July 2003) (his death) 4 children
Grace Louise Troxell (25 January 1933 - ?) (divorced)
Trade Mark
His ski shaped nose
Usually played a coward
Performing stand up for the U.S. military
Often worked with Bing Crosby
Trivia
ABC-TV Network News Poll, A&E Biography Viewers Poll, as well as magazine and newspaper 'century roundups' have proclaimed Hope as the "Entertainer of the 20th Century."
1959: Emmy: Trustees' Award "for bringing the great gift of laughter to all peoples of all nations; for selflessly entertaining American troops throughout the world over many years; and for making TV finer by these deeds and by the consistently high quality of his TV programs through the years"
1985: Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award
1995: National Medal of Arts: presented by President Bill Clinton.
Has 4 adopted children: Eleanora Avis "Nora", Anthony, Linda Hope and Kelly Hope.
Has entertained the troops overseas in every war from WWII to the Gulf War
Awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. (1998)
Played his first big part in the Broadway version of "Roberta" in 1933.
In the 1950s, a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. His guest appearance in "I Love Lucy" (1951) centered around his attending a Yankees-Indians game at Yankee Stadium.
Holds two entries in "The Guinness Book of World Records". One is for having the distinction of being the entertainer with "the longest running contract with a single network - spanning sixty-one years". The second is for being the "most honored entertainer", with over 1500 awards.
Served as United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) Entertainment Coordinator from 1941 - 2001. Retired his post at age 98 in favor of Wayne Newton.
Received 58 honorary degrees.
Entertained U.S. troops starting 6th May 1941, and became the first 'honorary veteran' by Congress.
He entertained 11 different Presidents, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt and ending with Bill Clinton.
His golf buddy was Prescott Bush, the father and grandfather of presidents George Bush and George W. Bush.
He was the only entertainer to have complete carte blanche to walk on whenever he felt like it on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962).
He changed his name from Leslie to Bob, because in school they would call the roll as 'Hope, Leslie' and classmates shortened it to hopeless.
In a mostly ad-libbed skit for a TV show, Hope joked with Jimmy Durante about the size of his own nose. Durante quipped "When it comes to noses, you're a retailer. I'm a wholesaler!"
Appointed an honorary CBE in 1976.
Wife Dolores Hope was born 27th May 1909. She and Bob celebrated their birthdays on 28th May every year - splitting the difference between their respective real birthdays.
Spent his 99th birthday--29 May 2002--at home in Toluca Lake, CA. Wife Dolores Hope's 93rd birthday was just two days before. Los Angeles National Cemetery dedicated veterans' chapel in his name to salute his lifetime of service entertaining U.S. troops.
His grandfather lived to age of 99 years, 11 months, and 25 days
Was the first honoree of the "'Dean Martin' Celebrity Roasts" series on October 30, 1974. The Celebrity Roasts had begun in the last season (1973-74) of "The Dean Martin Show" (1965) and were so popular that after that show went off the air, the "Celebrity Roasts" continued as specials.
Has three theaters named after him, located in London, California, and on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.
Was incorrectly declared dead several times since retiring from the public eye. On the most infamous occasion in 1998, a wire service accidentally posted a pre-written obituary to a Web page. A member of the US House of Representatives saw this bogus news flash and announced Hope's death during a session at the Capitol. Hope learned he was dead when a reporter called his home asking for a statement. According to family members, Hope took this mistake in good humor.
First show business job was as a dancer in the 'Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle' vaudeville revue in Cleveland in 1924.
Graduated from Fairmount High School in Cleveland, Ohio.
Wrote several books about his experiences over the years, including "I Owe Russia $1200", about his Soviet tour in early 1962; "Confessions of a Hooker", about his lifelong passion for golf; and "Don't Shoot, It's Only Me!", about his many overseas trips to entertain U.S. troops over the years.
In 1999 he became the first to start the tradition of the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Disneyland. Afterwards, he and wife Dolores Hope drove their own golf cart down Main Street, through Frontier Land to Club 33 for dinner.
His last TV appearance with Lucille Ball was March 28, 1989 on The 61st Annual Academy Awards (1989) (TV). They received a standing ovation upon walking out on stage. Hope and Ball introduced a musical number featuring "The Stars of Tomorrow", which included Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, and Ricki Lake. Lucille Ball passed away 28 days later on April 26, 1989.
Brother Jack Hope sometimes served as producer of Bob's shows; his memoir 'I Owe Russia $1200' is dedicated to Jack's memory.
Has a ship named after him: USNS Bob Hope.
In 1997, Congress named Hope an honorary U.S. veteran, citing his decades of entertaining troops around the world. He is the only person to receive that distinction.
In 1997, the U.S. Air Force honored Hope by naming a cargo plane "The Spirit of Bob Hope" after the legendary entertainer.
USO center is named after him
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 219-222. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Was a supporter of Valley Forge Military Academy & Junior College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. He has the "Bob Hope Five-Star Award for Distinguished Service to the United States of America" named in his honor.
At 69 years, his marriage to Dolores Hope held the record for the longest Hollywood marriage when he passed away in 2004. It has since been passed by the marriage of Art Linkletter to Lois Foerster. They were married November 25, 1935.
He is among the select few non-band members who have had the honor of dotting the "i" during The Ohio State University Marching Band's 'Script Ohio' routine. This is considered the greatest honor the band can bestow to any non-band person and is an extremely special (and rare) event.
Awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President John F. Kennedy at the White House. (September 11th 1963).
Awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson on his last day in office. (January 20th 1969)
He was one of the richest movie stars.... he ranked in the top ten highest salaried stars continuously from 1941-1953 [except for 1948]
Hosted the Academy Awards in 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945 (alongside John Cromwell), 1946 (alongside James Stewart), 1953 (alongside Conrad Nagel), 1955 (alongside Thelma Ritter), 1958 (alongside James Stewart, David Niven, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell and "Donald Duck"), 1959 (alongside Jerry Lewis, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Mort Sahl and Tony Randall), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1975 (alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra) and finally in 1978.
According to Hope's biographer Arthur Marx, son of comedian Groucho Marx, Hope married his vaudeville partner of five years, Grace Louise Troxell, on 25 January 1933, although they divorced soon afterwards. Hope denied that they had actually married.
As a young comedian, he won a Charles Chaplin look-alike contest in Cleveland.
Was briefly a professional boxer. He fought under the name Packy East.
He and best friend Bing Crosby were planning to make one last "road" picture in early 1977, but Bing died before filming. Bob was so broken up about Bing's death that he couldn't sleep for days on end. He stated that it was one of the worst times of his life and that his wife was his rock who got him through the tough time.
On his wartime USO tours he had one ironclad rule that he insisted his fellow performers follow: under no circumstances were they allowed to cry when visiting wounded soldiers in military hospitals. This was often difficult given the amount of suffering they saw, but he told his performers that it was their duty to always smile and provide laughs and good cheer for the troops. According to Hope, he broke his own rule only once. While visiting an army hospital in Italy in 1943, he stopped at the bedside of a wounded soldier who had been in a coma for two months. The soldier suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Hey, Bob Hope! When did you get here?" He had to leave the hospital room to keep the troops from seeing his tears, but he returned a few hours later to present the soldier with his Purple Heart medal.
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1983.
Attended the funeral of his friend of more than forty years, former President Richard Nixon. (27 April 1994).
He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party.
In November of 1948, when President Harry S. Truman scored his upset presidential re-election victory, Hope sent him a one-word telegram: "Unpack". Truman was so amused by it he kept it in his desk in the Oval Office.
There is a major street in Rancho Mirage, CA, named after him. Bob Hope Drive crosses Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford, Ginger Rogers and Dinah Shore Drives.
He bought several acres of prime real estate in Rancho Mirage, CA, to build a racetrack. He later decided a medical center was needed in the area instead, so he donated the land to build Eisenhower Medical Center, which is now rated as among the top 100 hospitals in America today. A medical building on the campus is named for him and contains statues of he and wife Dolores Hope in the lobby. Another medical building next door is called "Hope Square".
Hospitalized with gastro-intestinal bleeding in June 2000. Although he received a blood transfusion after the bleeding in his colon was stopped, no surgery was performed.
Hospitalized with pneumonia and respiratory problems in August 2001. A week after he left hospital on 4 September, Hope and his wife released a joint statement expressing their horror at the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
At the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, Hope released a statement saying he wished he could go to the country to entertain the troops, but that his doctors would not allow him.
Despite a well documented reputation for frugality, Hope is believed to have donated an estimated $1 billion to charity.
Retired from show business at the age of 93 after filming Bob Hope's Bag Full of Christmas Memories (1993) (TV).
Once remarked the only place where he could walk unrecognized was in the People's Republic of China. But even then a Chinese man still recognized him from one of his movies from before the Chinese Revolution.
In 1969, he was worth in excess of $150 million, largely as a result of shrewd business and real estate investments.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 256-258. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.
His mother's name was Agnes Townes (she was a concert singer). He had many brothers, including Jack Hope (1898 - 1962) who was his personal manager. James Hope was Director of Hope Enterprises. Ivor Hope (? - 1969) was President of Hope Metal Products. George Hope (? - 1969) was a production company coordinator. Two more brothers were Sidney Hope (? - 1946) and Frederick Hope.
He was awarded 4 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard; for Radio at 6141 Hollywood Boulevard; for Live Theatre at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 6758 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Pictured on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp issued 29 May 2009, Hope's 106th birthday. The two official first-day-of-issue postmarks for the stamp feature caricatures by cartoonist Al Hirschfeld.
Introduced two Oscar-winning songs: "Thanks for the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) (Music: Ralph Rainger . Lyrics: Leo Robin) and "Buttons and Bows" from The Paleface (1948) (Music: Jay Livingston. Lyrics: Ray Evans).
After his death in 2003, an airport in Burbank, California, was named "Bob Hope Airport" in his memory.
Mini Biography
Comedian, born in London and moved to Bristol before emigrating with his parents to the US in 1908. After some years on the stage as a dancer and comedian, he made his first film appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) singing "Thanks for the Memory," which became his signature tune. In partnership with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, he appeared in the highly successful "Road to ..." comedies (1940-1952), and in many others until the early 1970s. During World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars he spent much time entertaining the troops in the field. For these activities and for his continued contributions to the industry he was given a special Academy Award on five occasions.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Lester A Dinerstein <[email protected]>
Personal Quotes
[on being told he was being awarded an honorary knighthood] What an honor and what a surprise for a boy born in England, raised in Cleveland and schooled in vaudeville.
Golf is my real profession - show business pays my greens fees.
You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.
[on his 100th birthday] I'm so old, they've canceled my blood type.
[at the height of the Cold War] We had a very successful trip to Russia. We made it back.
[When asked by his wife where he wanted to be buried] Surprise me.
I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.
Bing Crosby and I weren't the types to go around kissing each other. We always had a light jab for each other. One of our stock lines used to be "There's nothing I wouldn't do for Bing, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for me. And that's the way we go through life - doing nothing for each other!"
Welcome to the Academy Awards -- or as it's known at my house, Passover.
[referring to the Academy Awards ceremonies] Tonight we set aside petty differences, forget old feuds and start new ones.
I've never wanted an Oscar, although they are reassuring to an actor who doesn't know how really great he is.
[At the Academy Awards] We're all here to celebrate Oscar -- or as he's known at my house, The Fugitive!
[referring to the Academy Awards ceremonies] Welcome to "You Bet Your Career."
[at the 50th Anniversary Academy Awards, referring to Oscar Winners Tribute Sequence] They've all got their Oscars. But are they happy?
[1991] Remember me? The Macaulay Culkin of 1927.
[At the Academy Awards] To all you losers, remember there's a bright side to all of this: you can still run for Governor.
[In reference to Macaulay Culkin] I remember when they handed out the Oscars in 1927; I was Home Alone, too!
Personally, I never drink on Oscar nights, as it interferes with my suffering.
I love Oscar, that little bald head. I didn't know Sinéad O'Connor had children!
[In reference to the Academy Awards] It's wonderful to be here in person. I couldn't be here in spirit, so I'm here in person.
[1991] Remember, you kids, always pay to get into the movies; the Japanese need the money.
[referring to Macaulay Culkin] That kid's getting $5 million for his next picture. For this we need child labor laws?
They said I was worth $500 million. If I was worth that much, I wouldn't have visited Vietnam, I'd have sent for it.
People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.
[on Vincent Price] He always loved a good joke. Moreover, he was kind enough to laugh at jokes that weren't so good.
If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
[referring to both the film release of 'Mommie Dearest' (Mommie Dearest (1981)), the biography of Joan Crawford written by her daughter Christina Crawford, and the equally scathing book about Bette Davis, written by her daughter] Now I know why tigers eat their young.
I was lucky, you know, I always had a beautiful girl and the money was good. Although I would have done the whole thing over for, oh, perhaps half.
I do benefits for ALL religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.
[on Jane Russell] Don't let her fool you. Tangle with her and she'll shingle your attic.
[on Katharine Hepburn] This dame is terrific -- and expert in her craft and so electrifying on set that if you don't watch out, you're likely to wind up as part of the scenery.
[on Bing Crosby] A lot of people think that Bing was a loner, but Bing was a very loyal friend.
[on Dorothy Lamour] Dottie was fearless. She stands there before the camera and ad libs with Bing Crosby and me, fully knowing the way the script's written, she'll come up second or third best.
[when asked why he didn't run for President of the United States] I thought about it. But my wife said she wouldn't want to move into a smaller house.
[on Jack Benny] He didn't just stand on the stage. He owned it.
[on MGM chief Louis B. Mayer] Louis B. Mayer came out west with $28.00, a box camera and an old lion. He built a monument to himself -- the Bank of America.
[on Samuel Goldwyn, while Hope and co-star Bing Crosby were shooting Road to Morocco (1942)] Dave [director David Butler] ordered the assistant director to station the phone for "The Road to Morocco" a block and a half away from the set where we were working [to discourage Hope and Crosby from spending so much time on the phone and holding up production]. Not only that, the telephone was installed under a pile of lumber so that anyone answering it would have to slide horizontally to pick up the receiver. That worked well until the day that Sam Goldwyn called. David Butler trudged across the soundstage and into the next one and slid under the lumber pile. "Hello, Sam, what is it?" Dave said. Goldwyn was working on the script that Dave was to direct next . . . For fifteen minutes Goldwyn expounded on the intricacies of the story while "The Road to Morocco" company waited. Finally Goldwyn said, "Thanks very much for calling me" and hung up.
[on Grauman's Chinese Theater] The is the first time I knew this was a theater. I always thought it was the place where Darryl Zanuck sent his laundry.
I can't drink like Marvin, grunt like Steiger, enunciate like Olivier. And when it comes to Burton, I'm really in trouble.
Today's ballroom dances like the swim, the frug, the chicken and the monkey are really nervous disorders set to music.
Leaving Richard [Burton] alone in Paris is like leaving Jackie Gleason locked in a delicatessen.
[Hosting the Oscars, 1967] I will not seek nor will I accept an Oscar. Actually, I have a deal with the Academy. They'll negotiate if I stop bombing.
Pictures have been really wild this year, haven't they? Oscar has been more naked than usual. They're doing things on the screen today I wouldn't do in bed - even if I had the chance.
[Jokingly, referring to his wife's singing 'Silent Night' to troops in Vietnam] The last thing these guys needed was sentiment. Dolores became their mother. What they needed was Raquel Welch.
[on hosting the Oscars, when 'The Godfather, Part II' was in nomination] Neither Mr. Price nor Mr. Waterhouse has been heard from for days. Im wearing a tuxedo with a bullet-proof cummerbund. Who knows what will happen if Al Pacino doesn't win?
[At a USO show, 1943] Were the soldiers at the last camp happy to see me! They actually got down on their knees. What a spectacle! What a tribute! What a crap game!
I led such a sheltered life I didn't go out with girls until I was almost four.
When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things- not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.
Salary
The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) $20,000
The Old Grey Mayor (1935) $2,500
Going Spanish (1934) $2,500
Filmography
Actor
1991 Bob Hope's Cross-Country Christmas (TV movie)
1988 Highway to Heaven (TV series) – Heaven Nose, Mister Smith (1988) … Sycopomp
1986 A Masterpiece of Murder (TV movie) ...Dan Dolan
1985 Spies Like Us ...Golfer
1985 A Museum of Broadcasting Tribute: Milton Berle - Mr. Television (TV movie)
1980 The Toni Tennille Show (TV series) – Pilot (1980)
1979 The Muppet Movie ...Ice Cream Vendor
1977 3 Girls 3 (TV series) – Episode #1.1 (1977)
1972 Cancel My Reservation ...Dan Bartlett
1955-1971 The Bob Hope Show (TV series)
– Episode dated 7 November 1971 (1971)
– Episode dated 5 April 1971 (1971)
– Episode #6.1 (1955)
1969 Roberta (TV movie) ...Huckleberry Haines
1969 How to Commit Marriage ...Frank Benson
1968 The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell ...Sgt. Dan O'Farrell
1968 Carnival Nights (TV movie)
1968 Get Smart (TV series) – 99 Loses Control (1968) … Room Service Attendant (uncredited)
1967 The Danny Thomas Hour (TV series)
– The Royal Follies of 1933 (1967) … Makeup Man
1967 Eight on the Run ...Henry Dimsdale
1963-1966 Theatre of Stars (TV series)
George Warren / Horatio Lovelace / Les Haines / …
– The Blue-Eyed Horse (1966) … Spectator (uncredited)
– Murder at N.B.C. (1966) … Van Smirtch
– Russian Roulette (1965) … Les Haines
– Have Girls, Will Travel (1964) … Horatio Lovelace
– Her School for Bachelors (1964) … Monte Collins
In all 6 episodes »
1966 Hollywood Star Spangled Revue (short)... (Himself)
1966 Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! ...Thomas J. 'Tom' Meade
1965 Magic Mansion (TV series) – Clowning Around (1965) … Bob Hope
1965 I'll Take Sweden ...Bob Holcomb
1962-1964 The Jack Benny Program (TV series)
– Jack Makes a Comedy Record (1964) … Bob Hope
– The Bob Hope Show (1962) … Bob Hope
1964 The Lucy Show (TV series) – Lucy and the Plumber (1964) … Irving
1964 Mr. and Mrs. (TV movie) ...Bill Blakley
1964 A Global Affair ...Frank Larrimore
1963 Call Me Bwana ...Matt
1963 Critic's Choice ...Parker Ballantine
1962 The Road to Hong Kong ...Chester Babcock
1961 Bachelor in Paradise ...Adam J. Niles
1960 The Facts of Life ..Larry Gilbert
1959 Alias Jesse James ..Milford Farnsworth
1958 Roberta (TV movie) ...Huckleberry Haines
1958 Paris Holiday ...Robert Leslie Hunter
1957 Beau James ...Mayor James J. 'Jimmy' Walker
1956 The Charles Farrell Show (TV series) – Secrets (1956) … Hotel Guest
1956 The Iron Petticoat ...Major Charles "Chuck" Lockwood
1956 That Certain Feeling ...Francis X. Dignan
1956 Showdown at Ulcer Gulch (short) ...Influential Man
1955 Lux Video Theatre (TV series) – Forever Female (1955) … Lux Video Theatre Guest
1955 The Seven Little Foys ...Eddie Foy
1954 Casanova's Big Night ...Pippo Popolino
1953 Here Come the Girls ...Stanley Snodgrass
1953 Scared Stiff ...Skeleton (uncredited)
1953 Military Policemen ...Wally Hogan
1952 Road to Bali ...Harold Gridley
1952 Son of Paleface ...Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr.
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth ...Spectator (uncredited)
1951 My Favorite Spy ...Peanuts White/Eric Augustine
1951 The Lemon Drop Kid ...Sidney Milburn (The Lemon Drop Kid)
1950 Fancy Pants ...Humphrey
1949 The Great Lover ...Freddie Hunter
1949 Sorrowful Jones ...Humphrey 'Sorrowful' Jones
1948 The Paleface ...'Painless' Peter Potter
1947 Road to Rio ...Hot Lips Barton
1947 Where There's Life ..Michael Joseph Valentine
1947 My Favorite Brunette ...Ronnie Jackson
1946 Monsieur Beaucaire ...Monsieur Beaucaire
1946 Road to Utopia ...Chester Hooton
1944 The Princess and the Pirate ...Sylvester the Great
1943 Let's Face It ...Jerry Walker
1943 They Got Me Covered ...Robert Kittredge
1942 Star Spangled Rhythm ...Bob Hope - Master of Ceremonies
1942 Road to Morocco ..Orville 'Turkey' Jackson / Aunt Lucy
1942 Bob's Busy Day (short) ...Bob
1942 My Favorite Blonde ...Larry Haines
1941 Louisiana Purchase ...Jim Taylor
1941 Nothing But the Truth ...Steve Bennett
1941 Caught in the Draft ...Don Bolton
1941 Road to Zanzibar ...Hubert 'Fearless' Frazier
1940 The Ghost Breakers ...Larry Lawrence
1940 Road to Singapore ...Ace Lannigan
1939 The Cat and the Canary ...Wally Campbell
1939 Some Like It Hot ...Nicky Nelson
1939 Never Say Die ...John Kidley
1938/II Thanks for the Memory ...Steve Merrick
1938 Give Me a Sailor ...Jim Brewster
1938 Swing, Teacher, Swing ...Bud Brady
1938 The Big Broadcast of 1938 ...Buzz Fielding
1936 Shop Talk (short) ...Robert Hope Jr.
1935 Double Exposure (short) ..Photographer/Robert
1935 Watch the Birdie (short) ...Bob
1935 Calling All Tars (short) ...Bobby
1935 The Old Grey Mayor (short) ...Bob
1934 Paree, Paree (short) ...Peter Forbes
1934 Soup for Nuts (short) ...Master of Ceremonies
1934 Going Spanish (short) ...Bob
For continuity, all discussion
please post here:-
Pals of the Saddle- Bob Hope
