* Registered members have access to a ton of cool features. Jealous? Register your...
[–] General Info
General Info
Trivia (33)
Quotes (3)
Characters (0)
Gallery (9)
Links (0)
News (0)
 
[–] Contribute
Main
Credited As
Biography
Spouse
Main Picture
Trivia
Quotes
News
 
[–] Login
Username:

Password:




Forgot Password
Free Sign Up
 

Home:
This Page:

Bob Hope


 
General Information (Bob Hope)
 

See All 9 Images
Mostly Credited As: Bob Hope
Sometimes Credited As: Robert Hope
Birth Name: Leslie Townes Hope
Date Of Birth: May 29, 1903
Country Of Birth: United Kingdom
Birth Place: Eltham, London, England
Date Of Death: July 27, 2003
Cause Of Death: Pneumonia (Toluca Lake, CA)
Height: 5' 10" (1.77 m)
Spouse
Dolores Hope Feb/10/1934 - Jul/27/2003 (his death (4 adopted children)) (4 children)

What can anyone say about the man who may be the most popular entertainer in the history of Western civilization? Having conquered every conceivable medium, he approaches the twenty-first century with characteristic energy and enthusiasm, although age has slowed him up somewhat in recent years. He began his show-business life as a vaudeville comedian, and his machine-gun delivery of jokes quickly earned him the nickname "Rapid Robert." Hope worked his way to Broadway by the early 1930s, and made numerous comedy shorts in New York studios through mid-decade, including a generally mediocre series for WarnerVitaphone. A radio regular, he was starring on "The Pepsodent Show" by 1938; that same year he made his feature-film debut in Paramount's The Big Broadcast of 1938 in which he and Shirley Ross sang the wistful "Thanks for the Memory," which became (and remains) his signature tune. Paramount knew it had a hot property, and kept Hope busy in such light fare as College Swing, Thanks for the Memory (both 1938), Some Like It Hot (no relation to the Tony Curtis-Jack Lemmon-Marilyn Monroe film), and Never Say Die (both 1939) before dusting off and retailoring the old barnstorming thriller The Cat and the Canary (1939) for him. In that film, playing a wisecracking ham actor whose scaredy-cat antics and topical references delighted movie audiences, Hope delivered what could be called his prototypical performance, delineating a screen persona that served him well for more than 30 years.P>Cat's success led to another chiller, The Ghost Breakers (1940), which reunited him with Cat costar Paulette Goddard. That same year he joined forces with crooner Bing Crosby and sarong-clad siren Dorothy Lamour in Road to Singapore a modest program picture that became a sleeper hit, due in no small way to Hope's easy rapport with Crosby and their breezy, often ad-libbed repartee. Over the next two decades they found themselves on the respective roads to ...Zanzibar (1941), ...Morocco (1942), ...Utopia (1945), ...Rio (1947), ...Bali (1952), and ...Hong Kong (1962), each outing screwier than the last. Hope and Crosby also made frequent cameos in each other's solo starring films, and carried on a genial bantering "feud" for years.

Other Hope hits during the 1940s include Caught in the Draft, Louisiana Purchase, Nothing But the Truth (all 1941), My Favorite Blonde (1942), Let's Face It, They Got Me Covered (both 1943), The Princess and the Pirate (1944, the first of many period pictures brightened by Hope's anachronistic, contemporary references), Monsieur Beaucaire (1946), My Favorite Brunette (1947), and a blockbuster Western spoof, The Paleface (1948), which introduced an Oscar-winning song ("Buttons and Bows") and spawned a sequel, Son of Paleface in 1952.

Hope made his first TV special for NBC in 1950, beginning an uninterrupted, fourdecade-plus run on that network. His film work during the 1950s, while still entertaining, wasn't quite up to his 1940s output, although he did broaden his appeal by taking occasional dramatic roles.Fancy Pants (1950, the first of several comedies that paired him with Lucille Ball), The Lemon Drop Kid, My Favorite Spy (both 1951), Here Come the Girls (1953), The Seven Little Foys (1955, a straight role as vaudevillian Eddie Foy, Sr.), That Certain Feeling, The Iron Petticoat (both 1956), Beau James (1957, another dramatic role, as scapegrace New York mayor Jimmy Walker), Paris Holiday (1958), Alias Jesse James (1959), The Facts of Life (1960), Bachelor in Paradise (1961), Critic's Choice and Call Me Bwana (both 1963) all have elements to recommend them, even if they are inferior to Hope's 1940s vehicles.

As he grew older (and devoted more of his life to TV work and entertaining U.S. troops in the Far East), the quality of his starring films deteriorated rapidly, resulting in such lame comedies as A Global Affair (1964), I'll Take Sweden (1965), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), Eight on the Lam (1967), The Private Navy of Sergeant O'Farrell (1968), How to Commit Marriage (1969, opposite fellow TV icon Jackie Gleason), and Cancel My Reservation (1972, mercifully his final starring feature). He did contribute a very Hope-like cameo to the Chevy Chase-Dan Aykroyd comedy Spies Like Us (1985). He spent many years as the host of the annual Academy Awards ceremonies ("Or as it's known at my house, Passover," he once quipped, though in fact he did receive four honorary Oscars). Hope has written (or, at least, is credited with writing) several humorous memoirs, including "I Never Left Home," "Have Tux-Will Travel," "I Owe Russia $1200," "Don't Shoot, It's Only Me," and "The Last Christmas Show." His wife, Dolores, sometimes appears with him on his TV specials, and his granddaughter, Leslie, has acted in a few films, including It Takes Two, Talk Radio (both 1988), and Men at Work (1990).

Copyright © 1994 Leonard Maltin

 
 
Bob Hope TV Appearances
 
Main cast 
Show: The Real Las Vegas(1996)As: Himself (Archive footage)
Show: Bob Hope: Happy 91st Birthday, Bob(1994)As: Himself
Show: Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II(1991)As: Himself
Show: Bob Hope for President(1980)As: Himself
Show: The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World(1971)As: Himself
Show: Plimpton! Did You Hear the One About?(1971)As: Himself
Show: Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre(1963)As: Host
Episode Cast Credits 
Show: The Academy Awards (1929) 
• 20 episode credits -- (First Appearance: Thursday February 29th, 1940)
  The 65th Annual Academy Awards 65x01: (Mar/29/1993) As Himself (Special Guest) 
  The 50th Annual Academy Awards 50x01: (Apr/03/1978) As Host 
  The 47th Annual Academy Awards 47x01: (Apr/08/1975) As Host 
  The 41st Annual Academy Awards 41x01: (Apr/14/1969) As Presenter: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 
Show: The Simpsons (1989) 
  Lisa the Beauty Queen 04x04: (Oct/15/1992) Voiced Himself 
Show: Pebble Mill (1991) 
  Series 1, Show 7 01x07: (Oct/22/1991) As Himself 
Show: Roseanne (1988) 
  Tolerate Thy Neighbor 04x05: (Oct/15/1991) As Himself, [Special Guest Stars]
Show: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) 
  Show #4140 28x95: (Apr/06/1990) As Himself 
  751015 14x02: (Oct/15/1975) As Himself 
Show: The Jim Henson Hour (1989) 
  The Ratings Game 01x05: (May/14/1989) As Himself 
Show: The Golden Girls (1985) 
  You Gotta Have Hope 04x17: (Feb/25/1989) As Himself 
Show: Highway to Heaven (1984) 
  Heaven Nose, Mister Smith 04x23: (Mar/30/1988) As Sycopomp 
Show: Late Night With David Letterman (1982) 
  850930 04x22: (Sep/30/1985) As Himself 
Show: Breakfast Time (UK) (1983) 
  Episode 179 01x179: (Sep/22/1983) As Himself 
Show: Donny and Marie (1976) 
  GUESTS: CHERYL LADD, BOB HOPE, RUTH BUZZI 03x07: (Nov/11/1977) As Himself 
  GUESTS: BOB HOPE, TED KNIGHT, THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 01x02: (Jan/30/1976) As Himself 
Show: The Sonny & Cher Show (1976) 
  Show 14 02x03: (Oct/10/1976) As Himself, [Special Guest Stars]
Show: The Captain and Tennille (1976) 
  Show #2-76 01x02: (Sep/27/1976) As Himself 
Show: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) 
  Episode #93 05x01: (Sep/13/1971) As Cameo Appearance 
  Episode #17 02x03: (Sep/30/1968) As Cameo Appearance 
  Episode #15 02x01: (Sep/16/1968) As Cameo Appearance 
Show: This Is Your Life (UK) (1955) 
  Bob Hope 11x01: (Nov/18/1970) As Himself 
Show: Make Room for Granddaddy (1970) 
  Is This Trip Necessary? 01x06: (Oct/28/1970) As Himself 
Show: This Is Tom Jones (1969) 
  Episode #3.3 03x03: (Oct/09/1970) As Himself 
  Episode #2.23 02x23: (Mar/05/1970) As Himself 
Show: The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) 
  Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Tom Jones 24x01: (Sep/20/1970) As Himself 
  Samuel Goldwyn Story Part 1 with Bob Hope; Danny Kaye; Eddie Cantor 06x13: (Dec/07/1952) As Himself 
  Bob Hope, Al Bernie 02x03: (Sep/26/1948) As Himself 
Show: The Hollywood Palace (1964) 
  Host: Bing Crosby / Bob Hope / Bobbie Gentry 06x13: (Jan/04/1969) As Himself 
Show: Get Smart (1965) (1965) 
  99 Loses CONTROL 03x19: (Feb/17/1968) As Room Service Waiter 
Show: Kraft Music Hall (1958) 
  The Phyllis Diller Happening 10x06: (Oct/25/1967) As Himself 
Show: The Merv Griffin Show (1962) 
  Episode dated 15 May 1967 03x??: (May/15/1967) As Himself 
Show: Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (1963) 
  Russian Roulette 03x07: (Nov/17/1965) As Les Haines 
  Have Girls Will Travel 02x03: (Oct/16/1964) As Horaito Lovelace 
  Her School For Bachelors 01x21: (Mar/20/1964) As Monte Collins 
Show: The Lucy Show (1962) 
  Lucy and the Plumber 03x02: (Sep/28/1964) As Tuttle's Assistant 
Show: The DuPont Show of the Week (1961) 
  USO -- Wherever They Go! 01x04: (Oct/08/1961) As Himself 
Show: Make Room for Daddy (1953) 
  Bob Hope and Danny Become Directors 06x14: (Jan/26/1959) As Himself 
Show: The Dick Clark Show (1958) 
  Mickey and Sylvia / Link Wray / Dicky Doo and The Don'ts / Jan and Arnie / Bob Hope / Pat Suzuki 01x13: (May/10/1958) As Himself 
Show: What's My Line? (US) (1950) 
  EPISODE #410 09x33: (Apr/13/1958) As Mystery Guest 
  EPISODE #236 06x15: (Dec/12/1954) As Mystery Guest #2 
Show: The Frank Sinatra Show (1957) 
  Bob Hope, Kim Novak & Peggy Lee 01x01: (Oct/18/1957) As Himself 
Show: I Love Lucy (1951) 
  Lucy and Bob Hope 06x01: (Oct/01/1956) As Himself 
 
Bob Hope Crew Credits
 
Episode Crew  
Show: Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (1963) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
Filter List; Show only credits as:
Story (1 Credits)
Russian Roulette 03x07 Nov/17/1965 As: Story
Overview  
Bob Hope worked in 1 episode from 1 TV Show
as Story: 1 episode
 
Bob Hope Trivia
 
Bob Hope: I grew up with six brothers. That's how I learned to dance - waiting for the bathroom.
 
Bob Hope: I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap.
 
Bob Hope: I do benefits for all religions - I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.
 
Bob Hope: A James Cagney love scene is one where he lets the other guy live.
 
Bob Hope: A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
 
Bob was a master mason.
 
At 69 years, Bob's marriage to Dolores Hope holds the record for the longest Hollywood marriage.
 
In 1997, Congress named Bob an honorary U.S. veteran, citing his decades of entertaining troops around the world. He is the only person to receive that distinction.
 
Bob was the Grandfather of actress Leslie Hope.
 
In 1999, Bob became the first to start the tradition of the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Disneyland. Afterwards, he and Dolores drove their own golf cart down Main Street, through Frontier Land to Club 33 for dinner.
 
More Trivia
 
Bob Hope Quotes
 
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.
 
People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.
 
 
There currently is no editor for this person
Click here to apply if you want to be the editor
Contact | Terms Of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright | RSS Feeds