Confessions of a Hooker (SIGNED BY BOB HOPE)

by Bob Hope

Including celebrity photographs, this book traces Bob Hope's ardent pursuit of the game of golf, frequently in the company of presidents and movie stars, and presents vintage Hope anecdotes, and features golf tips from the pros.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Sports, Biography

Unknown Binding

First published March 12, 1985

About the author

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG (born Leslie Townes Hope) was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO tours entertaining American military personnel.

Throughout his career, he was honored for his humanitarian work. In 1996, the U.S. Congress honored Bob Hope by declaring him the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces."

Reviews

[Jmlanier1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny look at golf from the 50’s to the 80’s told through the eyes of Bob Hope. Hope loved the game and did much to promote it and raise money for numerous charities. The book is filled with Hope’s wit and humor as he tells stories from his decades in and around the game. It also contains a ton of great black and white photos of Hope, other celebrities, and professional golfers.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this I thought it was a general autobiography of Bob Hope, the title being an ironic comment on his focus on golf. But it really is about his life told in terms of his golf game, and I doubt many people other than Bob Hope could make this interesting.

Not being a golf fan, I recognized few of the golf names other than Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, but of course I did recognize the celebrity amateurs, from almost every politician after and including Eisenhower to Hollywood stars such as Hope’s long-time friend and collaborator Bing Crosby. And even a few of the wealthy golf players who took part in golfing’s colorful history.

One day [Howard] Hughes had a one o’clock game scheduled at Bel-Air with Katie Hepburn… They were taking bets that Howard wouldn’t show, but at precisely five minutes to one a private plane landed on a fairway at Bel-Air and Hughes stepped out, ready to play. After 9 holes, Howard discovered that his plane had been chained to the ground and the club had imposed a $2,000 fine for landing on a fairway. Howard wrote out the check and finished the round.

All are discussed in terms of their golf game.

The sub-subtitle is “As told to Dwayne Netland” and the narrative is very much like Hope’s speaking style. The only real flaw with this is that it isn’t particularly well edited, which means that a few jokes get repeated.

It’s filled with wonderful photos of Hope and his friends on golf courses around the world. There are maybe one or two photos that are not golf-related; the one I’m looking at now is a publicity shot from a movie with W.C. Fields and Shirley Ross. The caption ends with “I always regret never having played golf with Bill Fields.”

The story of his meeting and becoming friends with Bing Crosby is there as a leadup to their lifetime of golfing together.

He was an excellent player, with the slowest backswing I’ve ever seen. While he was taking the club back you could fit him for a tailored suit.

He also talks about how several of the courses and tournaments were started, including his own Bob Hope Desert Classic. He even talks candidly about how age has affected his golf game. Of course, he’s not one to employ false modesty unless it gets a laugh.

…in 1970, while I was doing a television show at NASA… Shepard and Deke Slayton showed me a training device used by the men who would be soon walking on the moon.
… The apparatus was necessary because of lunar gravity, meaning that on the moon you had only one sixth of your weight on earth.
… Well, they strapped me into the harness and I, in effect, weighted only one sixth of my normal poundage. Involuntarily I went up on my toes and, feeling just a bit frightened, placed my driver down to act as a tripod.
Shepard, watching closely, had a funny smile on his face. Later he told me that was where he got the idea to take a golf club with him to the moon.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks for the memories.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1986