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Hope: Entertainer of the Century
“Revelatory…fascinating” ( The New York Times ): The first definitive biography of Bob Hope, featuring exclusive and extensive reporting that makes the persuasive case that he was the most important entertainer of the twentieth century.
With his topical jokes and his all-American, brash-but-cowardly screen character, Bob Hope was the only entertainer to achieve top-rated success in every major mass-entertainment medium of the century, from vaudeville in the 1920s all the way to television in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He virtually invented modern stand-up comedy. Above all, he helped redefine the very notion of what it means to be a a savvy businessman, an enterprising builder of his own brand, and a public-spirited entertainer whose Christmas military tours and unflagging work for charity set the standard for public service in Hollywood.
As Richard Zoglin shows in this “entertaining and important book” ( The Wall Street Journal ), there is still much to be learned about this most public of figures, from his secret first marriage and his stint in reform school, to his indiscriminate womanizing and his ambivalent relationships with Bing Crosby and Johnny Carson. Hope could be cold, self-centered, tight with a buck, and perhaps the least introspective man in Hollywood. But he was also a tireless worker, devoted to his fans, and generous with friends.
“Scrupulously researched, likely definitive, and as entertaining and as important (to an understanding of twentieth- and twenty-first-century pop culture) as its subject once genuinely was” ( Vanity Fair ), Hope is both a celebration of the entertainer and a complex portrait of a gifted but flawed man. “A wonderful biography,” says Woody Allen. “For me, it’s a feast.”
With his topical jokes and his all-American, brash-but-cowardly screen character, Bob Hope was the only entertainer to achieve top-rated success in every major mass-entertainment medium of the century, from vaudeville in the 1920s all the way to television in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He virtually invented modern stand-up comedy. Above all, he helped redefine the very notion of what it means to be a a savvy businessman, an enterprising builder of his own brand, and a public-spirited entertainer whose Christmas military tours and unflagging work for charity set the standard for public service in Hollywood.
As Richard Zoglin shows in this “entertaining and important book” ( The Wall Street Journal ), there is still much to be learned about this most public of figures, from his secret first marriage and his stint in reform school, to his indiscriminate womanizing and his ambivalent relationships with Bing Crosby and Johnny Carson. Hope could be cold, self-centered, tight with a buck, and perhaps the least introspective man in Hollywood. But he was also a tireless worker, devoted to his fans, and generous with friends.
“Scrupulously researched, likely definitive, and as entertaining and as important (to an understanding of twentieth- and twenty-first-century pop culture) as its subject once genuinely was” ( Vanity Fair ), Hope is both a celebration of the entertainer and a complex portrait of a gifted but flawed man. “A wonderful biography,” says Woody Allen. “For me, it’s a feast.”
576 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
November 17, 2014
An excellent, sympathetic yet balanced biography of an iconic entertainer. His image in the public mind is probably similarly distorted as that of his contemporary (and associate) Bing Crosby - both are only dimly remembered by today's audiences and if they are, it's for the waning years of their lives, when they were far from top form. In Hope's case, this means his contributions to vaudeville, radio, movies, and television are largely forgotten and his tireless globetrotting to entertain the troops remains somewhat tarnished by his (generationally understandable) conservative posture on the Vietnam war. Zoglin may be aiming a little high when he characterizes Hope as the entertainer of the century, but he serves up a convincing argument, and it is obvious that a ton of research and interviews went into this book - I couldn't put it down.
February 25, 2022
Sometimes a person can remain on the stage too long. That is the case, both figuratively and literally, with superstar comedian Bob Hope. Living to exactly 100, Hope almost perfectly spanned the 20th century, mastering and excelling at all of the different forms of entertainment that came around during those many decades. Hope, who started on vaudeville in the 1920s, was still making TV specials for NBC in the 90s. Could anyone else say that? Then again, it may not have been a good thing that Hope was still active that late in life.
Richard Zoglin has, both by virtue of Hope's incredibly long life and his breadth of traveling and forms of media, plenty of material to work with. Hope actually was not an American by birth; he was born in England. But his family moved across the Atlantic Ocean to America when he was only a few years old, settling in Cleveland. Hope came from a large family (five brothers) and his parents, specifically his father, struggled to bring in enough money. Hope set out on his own in his early 20s and never looked back. He endured a decade of fairly lean years on the vaudeville circuit - traveling anywhere that would pay him, staying in run-down places, constantly trying to make a name for himself.
Eventually, he began to be noticed, and started doing some monologues to open shows while also performing on Broadway in several plays. While today we view that as standard for any comedian, in Hope's time nobody really did monologues. But Hope did, and managed to do it in a delivery style (rapid jokes, then pause to stare at the audience waiting for them to react to his punchline) that made people laugh. But radio was the main form of entertainment in the Depression 30s and Hope astutely turned towards, eventually beginning what would be a sixty year affiliation with NBC, first on radio and later on TV. Who has a professional relationship that long? Nobody.
Around this same time (mid/late 30s) Hope dipped his toe in Hollywood and found success there too. His film career soon took off, and Hope churned out comedies for the next thirty years, while still doing lots of radio work. Too old to serve in WWII, Hope decided to take his radio show on the road by visiting military bases during Christmas and performing for the troops. This quickly grew into Hope traveling overseas to perform for as many troops as he could. Hope loved it - and so did the troops. His shows were immensely popular, and Hope benefitted as well from the exposure that he got.
Unfortunately, one thing that Hope was not good at was knowing when there was too much of a good thing. While he resumed his troop shows for the Korean War, and those went well, it was a different story by the time Vietnam came around. By then, Hope was even more of a massive star thanks to his NBC contract that allowed him to produce multiple specials each year. Hope was a TV star, just like he had been in Hollywood before, and radio before that. But Hope got swept up in the divisiveness over that war, coming down hard on the side of the establishment. This did not endear him to many of the troops. In addition, by the mid 60s, Hope was no longer young enough to relate to the men in uniform. Also, while always conservative politically, after decades of keeping his political views mostly to himself, he became quite partisan, openly supporting Richard Nixon.
As a result of this, Hope's star lost a lot of its luster, especially for younger viewers. While still making a large number of personal appearances (many of them for charities), Hope's movie career dried up and he only became more out of touch as he aged. The latter part of the book is somewhat painful to read as Hope, despite declining physically, stubbornly refused to retire. NBC, wedded to Hope for so long, knew it could not afford to fire him or even try to part ways with him. So Hope continued to produce TV specials, and even entertained troops in the Gulf War. But by then, Hope was out of it - he couldn't see well, he couldn't hear well (and refused to wear a hearing aid), he was difficult to work with, and he steadfastly would not ride off into the sunset. He did his last show in 1996 and even though he himself knew it was bad, he exploded when his daughter and wife told him that was it. Hope spent his final years embroiled in lawsuits, bad press, and ill health.
Zoglin is refreshingly neutral about Hope, and really did his homework by thoroughly (and carefully) reviewing Hope's professional work while also interviewing his family members, employees, and others who knew him. While what I wrote above tilts toward the negative aspects of Hope, the man did a lot of good things as well. Start with the troop shows. Hope did not get paid for these. True, the government paid his expenses for the most part, but he didn't get money for doing them. He went to some dangerous places (one year in Vietnam, he missed an explosion outside of his hotel by only ten minutes - an explosion that was specifically meant for him and the crowds that he was drawing), stayed in some difficult accommodations, spent a lot of time recruiting other stars (always including a beautiful young woman) and endured the difficulties of travel back in the those pre-jet days. I think that Hope genuinely felt that he was giving back to the troops who were fighting to protect him (and later, the American way of life). He didn't have to do any of that. He went to Alaska multiple times for the troops stationed there. Who goes to Alaska in December if they don't have to, and not get paid for it to boot?
Also, Hope did a ton of charity work - flying all over the country to help raise money for this cause or dedicate that building. While it is true that, like the troop shows, this was good exposure for Hope himself, he continued to do this long after he was an established star. Hope was serious about helping others. Yet this same man was not really a family man. He had who knows how many extra marital affairs. He and his wife Dolores adopted four children but Hope was usually out of town and whenever he was home he seemed detached. Zoglin writes that Hope was detached from pretty much everyone; he was not well-read nor well-rounded, and only engaged in mainly superficial conversations. Hope did not get particularly close to most of the people that he worked with or who worked for him. Zoglin, for example, details Hope's relationship with Bing Crosby. The two were longtime collaborators on their famous Road to movies and knew each other for decades. Yet they rarely socialized outside of professional engagements.
When I got to the end of the book, I felt somewhat sad for Hope. Not too sad - how many people have lives like he had? Pretty much nobody. Yet, his last fifteen years were not happy ones. It was a steady decline, and Hope didn't seem to have intimate connections with anyone. It made me wonder what was going on in his mind. And it made me wonder if he lived a bit too long.
Grade: A
Richard Zoglin has, both by virtue of Hope's incredibly long life and his breadth of traveling and forms of media, plenty of material to work with. Hope actually was not an American by birth; he was born in England. But his family moved across the Atlantic Ocean to America when he was only a few years old, settling in Cleveland. Hope came from a large family (five brothers) and his parents, specifically his father, struggled to bring in enough money. Hope set out on his own in his early 20s and never looked back. He endured a decade of fairly lean years on the vaudeville circuit - traveling anywhere that would pay him, staying in run-down places, constantly trying to make a name for himself.
Eventually, he began to be noticed, and started doing some monologues to open shows while also performing on Broadway in several plays. While today we view that as standard for any comedian, in Hope's time nobody really did monologues. But Hope did, and managed to do it in a delivery style (rapid jokes, then pause to stare at the audience waiting for them to react to his punchline) that made people laugh. But radio was the main form of entertainment in the Depression 30s and Hope astutely turned towards, eventually beginning what would be a sixty year affiliation with NBC, first on radio and later on TV. Who has a professional relationship that long? Nobody.
Around this same time (mid/late 30s) Hope dipped his toe in Hollywood and found success there too. His film career soon took off, and Hope churned out comedies for the next thirty years, while still doing lots of radio work. Too old to serve in WWII, Hope decided to take his radio show on the road by visiting military bases during Christmas and performing for the troops. This quickly grew into Hope traveling overseas to perform for as many troops as he could. Hope loved it - and so did the troops. His shows were immensely popular, and Hope benefitted as well from the exposure that he got.
Unfortunately, one thing that Hope was not good at was knowing when there was too much of a good thing. While he resumed his troop shows for the Korean War, and those went well, it was a different story by the time Vietnam came around. By then, Hope was even more of a massive star thanks to his NBC contract that allowed him to produce multiple specials each year. Hope was a TV star, just like he had been in Hollywood before, and radio before that. But Hope got swept up in the divisiveness over that war, coming down hard on the side of the establishment. This did not endear him to many of the troops. In addition, by the mid 60s, Hope was no longer young enough to relate to the men in uniform. Also, while always conservative politically, after decades of keeping his political views mostly to himself, he became quite partisan, openly supporting Richard Nixon.
As a result of this, Hope's star lost a lot of its luster, especially for younger viewers. While still making a large number of personal appearances (many of them for charities), Hope's movie career dried up and he only became more out of touch as he aged. The latter part of the book is somewhat painful to read as Hope, despite declining physically, stubbornly refused to retire. NBC, wedded to Hope for so long, knew it could not afford to fire him or even try to part ways with him. So Hope continued to produce TV specials, and even entertained troops in the Gulf War. But by then, Hope was out of it - he couldn't see well, he couldn't hear well (and refused to wear a hearing aid), he was difficult to work with, and he steadfastly would not ride off into the sunset. He did his last show in 1996 and even though he himself knew it was bad, he exploded when his daughter and wife told him that was it. Hope spent his final years embroiled in lawsuits, bad press, and ill health.
Zoglin is refreshingly neutral about Hope, and really did his homework by thoroughly (and carefully) reviewing Hope's professional work while also interviewing his family members, employees, and others who knew him. While what I wrote above tilts toward the negative aspects of Hope, the man did a lot of good things as well. Start with the troop shows. Hope did not get paid for these. True, the government paid his expenses for the most part, but he didn't get money for doing them. He went to some dangerous places (one year in Vietnam, he missed an explosion outside of his hotel by only ten minutes - an explosion that was specifically meant for him and the crowds that he was drawing), stayed in some difficult accommodations, spent a lot of time recruiting other stars (always including a beautiful young woman) and endured the difficulties of travel back in the those pre-jet days. I think that Hope genuinely felt that he was giving back to the troops who were fighting to protect him (and later, the American way of life). He didn't have to do any of that. He went to Alaska multiple times for the troops stationed there. Who goes to Alaska in December if they don't have to, and not get paid for it to boot?
Also, Hope did a ton of charity work - flying all over the country to help raise money for this cause or dedicate that building. While it is true that, like the troop shows, this was good exposure for Hope himself, he continued to do this long after he was an established star. Hope was serious about helping others. Yet this same man was not really a family man. He had who knows how many extra marital affairs. He and his wife Dolores adopted four children but Hope was usually out of town and whenever he was home he seemed detached. Zoglin writes that Hope was detached from pretty much everyone; he was not well-read nor well-rounded, and only engaged in mainly superficial conversations. Hope did not get particularly close to most of the people that he worked with or who worked for him. Zoglin, for example, details Hope's relationship with Bing Crosby. The two were longtime collaborators on their famous Road to movies and knew each other for decades. Yet they rarely socialized outside of professional engagements.
When I got to the end of the book, I felt somewhat sad for Hope. Not too sad - how many people have lives like he had? Pretty much nobody. Yet, his last fifteen years were not happy ones. It was a steady decline, and Hope didn't seem to have intimate connections with anyone. It made me wonder what was going on in his mind. And it made me wonder if he lived a bit too long.
Grade: A
January 12, 2015
Zoglin's chronicle of the life and career of comedian Bob Hope is one of the only works, I think, you can find that analyzes and dissects this masterful genius of comedy, without being a totally reverential and partisan portrayal. Hope was not only a genius of comedy timing, acting, and wit, but also an innovator of many parts of comedy's very beginnings as we know them today. There is much here to prove he "invented" the idea and blueprint of stand-up comedy after the demise of vaudeville. He influenced so many, case in point Woody Allen's early stage and screen persona, and created the comedy monologue which he perfected on radio and the Oscar telecasts which still bear his imprint of jocular pin pricking of celebrities and Hollywood. This book not only gives a deep account of his public persona, but, also, his odd private life of being married for years to his devoted wife, yet womanizing until his old age and the dichotomy of his being very charitable and devoted to those in need, but often cold and indifferent to his own family and co-workers.
I was never a fan of Hope growing up and only knew that senior citizen cornball golf club wielding set-up, punch-line and pause of his stage monologues, but I recently watched many of his early films and saw what a great comedian and actor he was ... I can think of very few who had such great comedy timing and created such a funny film presence. Hope's problem was not retiring and leaving the stage before his misreading of his changing audience in later years, but as the book reveals, he couldn't. He lived off the laughter and his ego could not be reigned in by his own good sense and mood temperature of a changing America.
Still, he has to be recognized for his genius and innovation in stage comedy, film, radio, Broadway, and television. He conquered every medium and rightly so. This book is a treasure for any fan of Hope or anyone who wants to explore comedy history from vaudeville to video.
I was never a fan of Hope growing up and only knew that senior citizen cornball golf club wielding set-up, punch-line and pause of his stage monologues, but I recently watched many of his early films and saw what a great comedian and actor he was ... I can think of very few who had such great comedy timing and created such a funny film presence. Hope's problem was not retiring and leaving the stage before his misreading of his changing audience in later years, but as the book reveals, he couldn't. He lived off the laughter and his ego could not be reigned in by his own good sense and mood temperature of a changing America.
Still, he has to be recognized for his genius and innovation in stage comedy, film, radio, Broadway, and television. He conquered every medium and rightly so. This book is a treasure for any fan of Hope or anyone who wants to explore comedy history from vaudeville to video.
August 1, 2019
One of the highest compliments I can offer a biography is to say that it made me realize how necessary it was. This occurs when the subject may be well-known but not properly evaluated. Bob Hope is certainly such a figure. If you doubt that, pick up this bio. Zoglin makes an effective argument that Hope is one of the major figures not only of 20th-century entertainment but American cultural history as well. Too many dismiss Hope because his longevity (he lived to the age of 100) caused him to rely on dusty, corny material. He also got too involved in the cultural divide of the 1960s as well. While Bob Hope may have been a square by the Vietnam era, he was on the cutting edge of American comedy for several years. Especially with his great foil/sort-of friend Bing Crosby, Hope made movies as funny today as they were in the 1940s. He also was a smart manager of his own career, magnifying his success into a business empire. While not really lovable in person (he was a serial philanderer) he became a welcome presence in American homes for decades. A fascinating bio that details just how he managed this feat. Bonus: the passages discussing how Hope and Crosby made their movie magic (the dialogue is still funny on the page after all these years).
April 27, 2025
A fascinating read of a very flawed man.
September 20, 2014
“Hope” by Richard Zoglin, published by Simon and Schuster.
Category – Biography Publication Date – November 04, 2014
Most of us know Bob Hope from his Christmas Military Tours where he gave up his holiday with his family to entertain American troops in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. Hope’s legacy goes way beyond these tours; he was a standout in vaudeville, radio, TV, and the movies. Hope was a leader and innovator in these mediums.
The book follows Hope’s life from his humble beginnings in England, his struggles in his new home, the United States, and his rise to fame in the entertainment industry. It is hard to imagine that any entertainer today that could keep up the frantic pace of Hope as he juggled his commitments in the entertainment industry with his unprecedented requests for charitable appearances.
Hope’s marriage to Delores De Fina lasted 69 years and although Bob was a known womanizer (skillfully get from the public), Delores, a devout Catholic, kept the marriage together. The book is full of Hope’s relationship with Hollywood personalities, most noteworthy was how he and Bing Crosby managed to do so much together but were not really close friends. Hope also drove his writers and sponsors crazy with his demands but they very seldom complained because of who he was.
A very comprehensive account of Bob Hope’s life both the entertainer and the family man. The author leaves nothing out and tells not only about the good Hope but also the bad Hope.
A must read for those who enjoy biographies and especially those who enjoy biographies of those in the entertainment industry.
Category – Biography Publication Date – November 04, 2014
Most of us know Bob Hope from his Christmas Military Tours where he gave up his holiday with his family to entertain American troops in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. Hope’s legacy goes way beyond these tours; he was a standout in vaudeville, radio, TV, and the movies. Hope was a leader and innovator in these mediums.
The book follows Hope’s life from his humble beginnings in England, his struggles in his new home, the United States, and his rise to fame in the entertainment industry. It is hard to imagine that any entertainer today that could keep up the frantic pace of Hope as he juggled his commitments in the entertainment industry with his unprecedented requests for charitable appearances.
Hope’s marriage to Delores De Fina lasted 69 years and although Bob was a known womanizer (skillfully get from the public), Delores, a devout Catholic, kept the marriage together. The book is full of Hope’s relationship with Hollywood personalities, most noteworthy was how he and Bing Crosby managed to do so much together but were not really close friends. Hope also drove his writers and sponsors crazy with his demands but they very seldom complained because of who he was.
A very comprehensive account of Bob Hope’s life both the entertainer and the family man. The author leaves nothing out and tells not only about the good Hope but also the bad Hope.
A must read for those who enjoy biographies and especially those who enjoy biographies of those in the entertainment industry.
November 4, 2014
Hope: Entertainer of the Century by Richard Zoglin was a terrific read. It's a long one and there will be some trudging to do especially during the Vietnam War era which is covered extensively in the book. The 500+ pages are well-worth the effort. You'll learn a lot and will be glad you did.
And don't you think that cover is so striking? Bob Hope's profile and ski-slope nose was so iconic! I love this line from Bob Hope:
"It's not true my nose is the way it is as a result of having been broken in an accident. It came the way it is from the manufacturer."
Each chapter of the book represents a different phase of Bob Hope's life and career. The last one entitled "Legend" is particularly difficult to read because of Hope's decline. Grab a tissue because you'll get a good cry at the very end. Zoglin leaves you with a very touching account of Bob Hope entertaining troops during WWII. It's like a one-two punch that will leave you a bit emotional at the end.
Read my full review here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2014/...
And don't you think that cover is so striking? Bob Hope's profile and ski-slope nose was so iconic! I love this line from Bob Hope:
"It's not true my nose is the way it is as a result of having been broken in an accident. It came the way it is from the manufacturer."
Each chapter of the book represents a different phase of Bob Hope's life and career. The last one entitled "Legend" is particularly difficult to read because of Hope's decline. Grab a tissue because you'll get a good cry at the very end. Zoglin leaves you with a very touching account of Bob Hope entertaining troops during WWII. It's like a one-two punch that will leave you a bit emotional at the end.
Read my full review here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2014/...
August 31, 2014
Received from goodreads.
I was very interested in receiving this book. I have heard of Bob Pope but never knew too much about him. I was so happy to see how thorough this book was on his life and career. The book took me a little time to get through being 500 pages and having other books I was trying to get through. This author did a great job at putting together this work. I can see myself reading more from this author.
I was very interested in receiving this book. I have heard of Bob Pope but never knew too much about him. I was so happy to see how thorough this book was on his life and career. The book took me a little time to get through being 500 pages and having other books I was trying to get through. This author did a great job at putting together this work. I can see myself reading more from this author.
December 5, 2014
I was a goodreads first reads winner of "Hope:the Entertainer of the Century" this is an advanced reader copy of this book. I found the book a pretty interesting read. I learned a lot about Bob Hope. I liked the way the author set up this biography.The first part is called "the Making of an Entertainer" this part talks about his birth in England and moving the America at four years old. for many years he was known by his birth name of Leslie or Les for short. it also takes us through his work on Vaudeville and Broadway. Richard Zoglin is very detailed in this biography. talking about Hope's radio days, on to television, his movies. Hope was known for his work for the troupes and the wars where he make appearances and put on shows for the troupes. I give Bob Hope a lot of credit what he did all those years for the soldiers flying all over the world and putting on shows for them. a lot this is written about in the biography. Mr. Hope was not perfect, he was known to like the ladies and had affairs with many over the years. but he was very charitable as well.
the advanced readers copy is almost five hundred pages long. this was a well done biography offering much to learn about Bob Hope. anyone who is a fan may like this biography of Mr. Hope
the advanced readers copy is almost five hundred pages long. this was a well done biography offering much to learn about Bob Hope. anyone who is a fan may like this biography of Mr. Hope
February 19, 2018
The tragedy of Bob Hope is that this man, almost certainly the most successful entertainer of the 20th century, is completely unknown to modern audiences. And the author identifies why. Although Hope starred on television for decades during the 50s, 60s, 70s, & even 80s, he specialized in variety shows. He never appeared in, or even flirted with, the sitcom. Through endless repeats many of his contemporaries (Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, etc) have never been off air. But variety shows seemed to expire on the night of their first transmission. Hope's career conquered vaudeville, Broadway, live concerts, film & television, & Zoglin also credits him with the invention of the modern, stand-up comedy monologue. His work ethic was exhausting even to read about & he kept performing, touring, & helming TV specials (including hosting many Academy Award ceremonies) well into his 80s (he lived to 100). He was the type of applause junkie who would turn up to the opening of an envelope but he also had theatres & many other buildings, as well as streets, named after him. But he never developed close relationships with those who shared his home life - his 4 adopted children & even his wife - because he was never home. Although married to the same woman for 77 years(!) he was a serial philanderer. David Letterman wrote for him. Woody Allen idolized him. And, watching some of his classic films, like The Paleface or the early Road To movies on TV in the 60s would reduce me to tears of laughter. I doubt that there will ever be another performing arts career like his & I highly recommend this to baby boomers or others who remember his priceless comedy performances.
November 5, 2016
I did not grow up a Bob Hope fan — not because I didn't like him but because we did not have a TV in our house and rarely went to movies. Hope was by all rights a significant and important entertainer during the 20th century. He could make people laugh and make them feel better about their lives, even soldiers in the midst of war.
Hope was a successful entertainer in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, on television, in movies and at live concerts. He spent his life making people smile.
Yet, Bob Hope did not know when to quit. He kept working long after his ability and skills had disappeared because of aging frailties such as loss of hear and sight. In the end, he became a foolish buffoon at 100 years of age.
Hope was also a womanizer with many affairs and one-night stands. Yet, he remained married to his wife his entire life.
I found the biography to be repetitious and boring in several places. It is a litany of each of his appearances, TV shows, movies, Broadway roles, and radio shows. Also, I learned very little of the man himself. The author claims that Hope was very shallow person who did not analyze or reflect on his life.
I recommend the book to Bob Hope fans.
Hope was a successful entertainer in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, on television, in movies and at live concerts. He spent his life making people smile.
Yet, Bob Hope did not know when to quit. He kept working long after his ability and skills had disappeared because of aging frailties such as loss of hear and sight. In the end, he became a foolish buffoon at 100 years of age.
Hope was also a womanizer with many affairs and one-night stands. Yet, he remained married to his wife his entire life.
I found the biography to be repetitious and boring in several places. It is a litany of each of his appearances, TV shows, movies, Broadway roles, and radio shows. Also, I learned very little of the man himself. The author claims that Hope was very shallow person who did not analyze or reflect on his life.
I recommend the book to Bob Hope fans.
September 21, 2020
Very interesting, enjoyable read.
January 3, 2024
Excellent
December 3, 2014
The title of this book is a good choice. From his start in vaudeville in the 1920's through his TV specials that ran into the 1990's no other entertainer had the span of popularity as Bob Hope.
Although he was born in England, his family moved to Cleveland when he was 4 years old. As a young boy he sold newspapers from the curbside and once sold a paper to John D. Rockefeller, his first association with the rich and famous. He wasn't much of a student and never attended school past the 10th grade. He was arrested for some crime as a juvenile and sent to a boy's home for a couple of years. The record of his crime has disappeared, no doubt as a favor when he became famous.
Numerous people in the book point out that Hope had few interests beyond entertaining, making money, promoting his image, and golf. He wasn't a reader and not given to introspection. He was always on, looking for an audience to preform to.
He was famous for hiring the best joke writers available and was fanatic about his monologues which he first did for his radio show and later in live appearances and TV specials. Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and all other comedians copy this style that began with Hope.
For decades, no one in the business worked harder than Hope. He would regularly perform 250 or more days a year. He could always sell out a show, but he was extremely generous in making himself available to do shows for charity.
His wife(?) Delores (there is no record or witnesses of them getting married) was a devout Catholic who did not believe in divorce so she put up with his womanizing when we has on the road. Hope managed to keep this out the public eye for the most part during his life. He and Delores had 4 adopted children who did not know their father very well because he was gone so often.
Although not well known to modern audiences, Hope was a top movie star in the 1940's. He is best known for the zany Road pictures with Bing Crosby, but many of his other pictures where he usually plays a coward who has to take on some challenge are still fun to watch. He became the go to host for the Oscars during the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. You can find many of his Oscar appearances on YouTube.
He was a shrewd investor in real estate and at one point was probably the private citizen who owned the most land in California. His net worth grew to over $100 million. Hope was a conservative Republican but he was welcomed by pretty much all the presidents, especially those who liked to golf. Once he played two rounds of golf with Eisenhower, the first as his partner and the second as his opponent. He played terrible when on the same side as Ike and they lost. He played great when he switched over and it made Eisenhower upset to lose again.
Hope is probably best known for his love and support for the men and women serving in the military. Beginning with World War II and continuing with Korea, Vietnam, and even the first Gulf War, he did tours (regularly during Christmas time) to entertain soldiers and sailors who would rather be home with family. Even during peace time, Hope would entertain troops throughout the world. On a few occasions his life was in danger. A flight into Anchorage during WWII when his plane was flying on one engine almost didn't make it (the base broke the blackout to light a way for the plane to come in). In Korea his plane flew near the front lines ready to put on a show and landed at an abandoned airport before U.S. troops had arrive to take control of it. The hotel he was near in Vietnam exploded ten minutes before he arrived (he was 10 minutes late in arriving).
Zoglin ends the book with a story that shows us what Bob Hope really thought was important. During WWII a unit of U.S. troops in England heard that Hope was entertaining at a location 10 miles away. They marched through the rain the 10 miles only to find out there was no more room in the building for them to watch the show, so they turned around to march back. After finishing his show, Hope heard about the men who had missed his show so he commandeered a truck and chased them down. He set up improvised stage and entertain the men for 40 minutes in the rain.
Although he was born in England, his family moved to Cleveland when he was 4 years old. As a young boy he sold newspapers from the curbside and once sold a paper to John D. Rockefeller, his first association with the rich and famous. He wasn't much of a student and never attended school past the 10th grade. He was arrested for some crime as a juvenile and sent to a boy's home for a couple of years. The record of his crime has disappeared, no doubt as a favor when he became famous.
Numerous people in the book point out that Hope had few interests beyond entertaining, making money, promoting his image, and golf. He wasn't a reader and not given to introspection. He was always on, looking for an audience to preform to.
He was famous for hiring the best joke writers available and was fanatic about his monologues which he first did for his radio show and later in live appearances and TV specials. Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and all other comedians copy this style that began with Hope.
For decades, no one in the business worked harder than Hope. He would regularly perform 250 or more days a year. He could always sell out a show, but he was extremely generous in making himself available to do shows for charity.
His wife(?) Delores (there is no record or witnesses of them getting married) was a devout Catholic who did not believe in divorce so she put up with his womanizing when we has on the road. Hope managed to keep this out the public eye for the most part during his life. He and Delores had 4 adopted children who did not know their father very well because he was gone so often.
Although not well known to modern audiences, Hope was a top movie star in the 1940's. He is best known for the zany Road pictures with Bing Crosby, but many of his other pictures where he usually plays a coward who has to take on some challenge are still fun to watch. He became the go to host for the Oscars during the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. You can find many of his Oscar appearances on YouTube.
He was a shrewd investor in real estate and at one point was probably the private citizen who owned the most land in California. His net worth grew to over $100 million. Hope was a conservative Republican but he was welcomed by pretty much all the presidents, especially those who liked to golf. Once he played two rounds of golf with Eisenhower, the first as his partner and the second as his opponent. He played terrible when on the same side as Ike and they lost. He played great when he switched over and it made Eisenhower upset to lose again.
Hope is probably best known for his love and support for the men and women serving in the military. Beginning with World War II and continuing with Korea, Vietnam, and even the first Gulf War, he did tours (regularly during Christmas time) to entertain soldiers and sailors who would rather be home with family. Even during peace time, Hope would entertain troops throughout the world. On a few occasions his life was in danger. A flight into Anchorage during WWII when his plane was flying on one engine almost didn't make it (the base broke the blackout to light a way for the plane to come in). In Korea his plane flew near the front lines ready to put on a show and landed at an abandoned airport before U.S. troops had arrive to take control of it. The hotel he was near in Vietnam exploded ten minutes before he arrived (he was 10 minutes late in arriving).
Zoglin ends the book with a story that shows us what Bob Hope really thought was important. During WWII a unit of U.S. troops in England heard that Hope was entertaining at a location 10 miles away. They marched through the rain the 10 miles only to find out there was no more room in the building for them to watch the show, so they turned around to march back. After finishing his show, Hope heard about the men who had missed his show so he commandeered a truck and chased them down. He set up improvised stage and entertain the men for 40 minutes in the rain.
September 12, 2014
There are three people that come to mind as being for the masses, and for the ages: John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart...and Bob Hope. Having read the definitive John Wayne, still waiting for the Humphrey Bogart; I turned my attention to the soon-to-be-released biography Hope. It is a volumnious work, nearly 500 pages, and the most thorough account of Bob Hope's life and career.
He was not an easy man to know; it isn't even clear whether he knew himself or not. For it appears that Bob Hope was a creation, someone he imagined himself to be and became. He was not a perfect human being: he took advantage of his wife, was rarely in his childrens' lives, and treated his employees with the consideration of since he was paying them, he owned them. His worse offense was his womanizing: of all the things he was adept at, this was one of his best. I mean that in the sense that he was able to keep it out of the public eye for so many years that no one would have believed it. He seemed such a consummate role model for a long and happy marriage that no one could have thought it true. Yet it was, and went on until his own frailness deemed it impossible anymore.
Yet here was a man who gave his all for the public: his very life. Everything he did was for his audience, whoever they may be. He was tireless in his efforts, doing something every minute of every day; and he expected no less from those who worked with him, calling them day and night. He gave years of service to the Armed Services, literally hundreds of shows, many of them at Christmas, for those in uniform.
From his beginnings in vaudeville he moved to radio, with a weekly show for years, and to the movies, garnering an impressive career, many of his works still timeless today. Simultanously working in radio and film, he moved into television, drawing some of the highest viewing records ever. In between he managed to host an unparalleled number of Academy Award shows as host; fill charity seats and gather awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Bob Hope is an icon for the times. Watching his earlier movies you can see his comic timing, his expressive eyes, his play off the other actors. His jokes were always top-notch; he knew exactly when to hit a punch line, when to wait for the laughter. He knew how to market himself - he knew what needed to be done, how to do it, what would work best. There will never be another like him; no one with such boundless energy, such comic timing, a sense that he belonged not to himself, but to us, the world. Bob Hope's greatest feat (and gift to the world) was Bob Hope: the man who created himself.
In this biography, Mr. Zoglin has gathered together all the pieces of the man and put them in one place as not only an excellent profile of Bob Hope, but the definitive one as well. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but it in no way affected my review.
He was not an easy man to know; it isn't even clear whether he knew himself or not. For it appears that Bob Hope was a creation, someone he imagined himself to be and became. He was not a perfect human being: he took advantage of his wife, was rarely in his childrens' lives, and treated his employees with the consideration of since he was paying them, he owned them. His worse offense was his womanizing: of all the things he was adept at, this was one of his best. I mean that in the sense that he was able to keep it out of the public eye for so many years that no one would have believed it. He seemed such a consummate role model for a long and happy marriage that no one could have thought it true. Yet it was, and went on until his own frailness deemed it impossible anymore.
Yet here was a man who gave his all for the public: his very life. Everything he did was for his audience, whoever they may be. He was tireless in his efforts, doing something every minute of every day; and he expected no less from those who worked with him, calling them day and night. He gave years of service to the Armed Services, literally hundreds of shows, many of them at Christmas, for those in uniform.
From his beginnings in vaudeville he moved to radio, with a weekly show for years, and to the movies, garnering an impressive career, many of his works still timeless today. Simultanously working in radio and film, he moved into television, drawing some of the highest viewing records ever. In between he managed to host an unparalleled number of Academy Award shows as host; fill charity seats and gather awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Bob Hope is an icon for the times. Watching his earlier movies you can see his comic timing, his expressive eyes, his play off the other actors. His jokes were always top-notch; he knew exactly when to hit a punch line, when to wait for the laughter. He knew how to market himself - he knew what needed to be done, how to do it, what would work best. There will never be another like him; no one with such boundless energy, such comic timing, a sense that he belonged not to himself, but to us, the world. Bob Hope's greatest feat (and gift to the world) was Bob Hope: the man who created himself.
In this biography, Mr. Zoglin has gathered together all the pieces of the man and put them in one place as not only an excellent profile of Bob Hope, but the definitive one as well. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but it in no way affected my review.
September 4, 2015
The introduction was addressed to readers like me, people whose impression of Bob Hope was fixed by his being at odd with the times in the sixties and seventies whose jokes seemed to be based not in humor but in sarcasm and anger and were stale compared to the hip new comics.
But this biography is of Hope's entire life, how he overcame an early poverty like life largely due to very hard work and a willingness to change with the times. He started in vaudeville, was actually a good singer, adapted to the demise of Vaudeville by shifting to Broadway and then changed his style to successfully shift into movies and then into radio and finally television. All the while he perfected his comedy routines and the author, Richard Zoglin, convincingly argues that Hope invented the stand up comedy monologues that are so ubitquitous now. Just as his stand up routines laid the foundation for Carson, Pryor, and Seinfield, his asides to the movie audience in the On the Road movies paved the way for present day shows like the Office. The author liberally cites jokes, movie lines, and routines to show that in his day Hope was genuinely funny--and that his humor was not only cutting edge during most of his career, but was risque, he was repeatedly attacked by church groups for the lack of morality of his routines and radio shows
The book also discusses Hope's family and personal life which necessarily includes Hope's constant womanizing throughout the biography, but not in a way that overwhelms the story. It gives a balanced view of his alleged cheapness, he was known to quibble about reimbursing employees for taxi fare, fax machines, benefits but his charitable contributions were huge and throughout his life he bailed out old friends with generous help
The biography details how Hope got out of touch with the times in the sixties and seventies especially in his college campus visits which were limited because of the booing and small crowds he would attract.
The two things that were not touched upon were civil rights and his personal experiences during McCarthyism. Hope was very popular during the days of discrimination but there are no stories one way or another on whether he was Sintra like in refusing to perform in venues that did not allow integrated acts or audiences. The biography does cite a time when Hope was asked about Joe McCarthy and he replied that he thought that McCarthy was usually right and doing a service for the country. The audience responded with boos and Hope never made public statements on McCarthy again, but he had to have had some experiences with blacklisted writers and performers that were not discussed in the book
But this is not to take away from a well written, well researched biography of the compelling entertainer of the 20th century
But this biography is of Hope's entire life, how he overcame an early poverty like life largely due to very hard work and a willingness to change with the times. He started in vaudeville, was actually a good singer, adapted to the demise of Vaudeville by shifting to Broadway and then changed his style to successfully shift into movies and then into radio and finally television. All the while he perfected his comedy routines and the author, Richard Zoglin, convincingly argues that Hope invented the stand up comedy monologues that are so ubitquitous now. Just as his stand up routines laid the foundation for Carson, Pryor, and Seinfield, his asides to the movie audience in the On the Road movies paved the way for present day shows like the Office. The author liberally cites jokes, movie lines, and routines to show that in his day Hope was genuinely funny--and that his humor was not only cutting edge during most of his career, but was risque, he was repeatedly attacked by church groups for the lack of morality of his routines and radio shows
The book also discusses Hope's family and personal life which necessarily includes Hope's constant womanizing throughout the biography, but not in a way that overwhelms the story. It gives a balanced view of his alleged cheapness, he was known to quibble about reimbursing employees for taxi fare, fax machines, benefits but his charitable contributions were huge and throughout his life he bailed out old friends with generous help
The biography details how Hope got out of touch with the times in the sixties and seventies especially in his college campus visits which were limited because of the booing and small crowds he would attract.
The two things that were not touched upon were civil rights and his personal experiences during McCarthyism. Hope was very popular during the days of discrimination but there are no stories one way or another on whether he was Sintra like in refusing to perform in venues that did not allow integrated acts or audiences. The biography does cite a time when Hope was asked about Joe McCarthy and he replied that he thought that McCarthy was usually right and doing a service for the country. The audience responded with boos and Hope never made public statements on McCarthy again, but he had to have had some experiences with blacklisted writers and performers that were not discussed in the book
But this is not to take away from a well written, well researched biography of the compelling entertainer of the 20th century
January 1, 2025
Book 65 of 2024: The life of Bob Hope.
I was able to sneak this one in before the end of the year and am super excited to have hit 65 books this year.
Born Leslie Towns Hope in England, Bob Hope's family emigrated to Cleveland pre depression and he started out as a singer and dancer on the Vaudeville circuit, moving to Broadway, radio, movies and eventually television and it is safe to say that he was the most important (not best) celebrity of the 20th century. His legacy of USO visits going from WWII all the way through Desert Storm will never be matched and he has been seen live, by more people than any other entertainer, and was always graceful to fans, never turned down a handshake or an autograph request, at one time he personally answered 2000 fan letters weekly.
He was also, extremely cheap and completely dependent on his writers. He needed cue cards for every performance, he was never able to ad lib at all, yet, he would take all the credit for the jokes that went well and deflect blame for the bad ones on whichever writer wrote it. His wife of 69 years, Dolores said that he never one time said he was sorry. He was a chronic womanizer, even into his late 80's, and he always had to "test" the starlets that he would bring on his USO tours. His wife used her strong catholic beliefs to sweep these under the rug. He was never a great father, two of his daughters worked for him and ended up quitting because of his demands. He was a staunch republican and supported guys like Nixon and Agnew, even defending them through their transgressions and caught a lot of flack in the 60's for his thoughts on Vietnam.
He was also an extremely smart businessman, he invested his money well and at one time was the largest private landowner in California. He was an avid golfer, selling a lot of his land to golf course developers which ran afoul of the environmental groups. His net worth at the time of his death at 100 in 2003 was over $300 million. He would, however, refuse to reimburse his employees for cab fare and his assistants would tip in advance because he would never dignify himself to tip.
He hosted the Oscars 19 times from 1940 to 1978 "earning" honorary Oscars for his contributions. He was cold to anyone he believed would upstage him, like Johnny Carson, and his relationship with the person he was most tied to, Bing Crosby was cold at best with Hope calling Bing a "rotten son of a bitch."
This is a B book, the author pulls no punches and does pretty well in describing both the good and the bad of Hope's life. Strong recommendation if you are into old Hollywood like I am.
I was able to sneak this one in before the end of the year and am super excited to have hit 65 books this year.
Born Leslie Towns Hope in England, Bob Hope's family emigrated to Cleveland pre depression and he started out as a singer and dancer on the Vaudeville circuit, moving to Broadway, radio, movies and eventually television and it is safe to say that he was the most important (not best) celebrity of the 20th century. His legacy of USO visits going from WWII all the way through Desert Storm will never be matched and he has been seen live, by more people than any other entertainer, and was always graceful to fans, never turned down a handshake or an autograph request, at one time he personally answered 2000 fan letters weekly.
He was also, extremely cheap and completely dependent on his writers. He needed cue cards for every performance, he was never able to ad lib at all, yet, he would take all the credit for the jokes that went well and deflect blame for the bad ones on whichever writer wrote it. His wife of 69 years, Dolores said that he never one time said he was sorry. He was a chronic womanizer, even into his late 80's, and he always had to "test" the starlets that he would bring on his USO tours. His wife used her strong catholic beliefs to sweep these under the rug. He was never a great father, two of his daughters worked for him and ended up quitting because of his demands. He was a staunch republican and supported guys like Nixon and Agnew, even defending them through their transgressions and caught a lot of flack in the 60's for his thoughts on Vietnam.
He was also an extremely smart businessman, he invested his money well and at one time was the largest private landowner in California. He was an avid golfer, selling a lot of his land to golf course developers which ran afoul of the environmental groups. His net worth at the time of his death at 100 in 2003 was over $300 million. He would, however, refuse to reimburse his employees for cab fare and his assistants would tip in advance because he would never dignify himself to tip.
He hosted the Oscars 19 times from 1940 to 1978 "earning" honorary Oscars for his contributions. He was cold to anyone he believed would upstage him, like Johnny Carson, and his relationship with the person he was most tied to, Bing Crosby was cold at best with Hope calling Bing a "rotten son of a bitch."
This is a B book, the author pulls no punches and does pretty well in describing both the good and the bad of Hope's life. Strong recommendation if you are into old Hollywood like I am.
April 16, 2015
Entertainer of the century? I tend to agree with that subtitle. (Although my wife probably thinks Prince is.) When you think of how long a career Bob Hope had and how important he was to several generations, it’s hard to think of anyone else who fits that bill. He lived a full century, from 1903 to 2003. And he was tremendously successful in every form of mass entertainment. He worked his way to the top in Vaudeville, Broadway, movies, radio and television. His books were best-sellers. And he even had a top-rated newspaper column! The author argues that Hope basically invented modern stand-up comedy (and comedians as different as Woody Allen admit his influence). The author does a great job of analyzing how the various stages of Hope’s career influenced the others. For example, there was always a bit of the vaudevillian in Hope’s persona whether he was in major movies with big stars or on television with the Muppets. Even when entertaining the troops, the schtick he did wasn’t far from routines he had practiced in hundreds of theaters on the circuit.
People of my generation ended up having conflicted emotions about Hope. As a kid I laughed hysterically at him in the Road pictures, My Favorite Brunette, The Lemon Drop Kid, Paleface, etc. But during the Vietnam War, he became such a part of what we saw as the Establishment that a lot of us turned our backs on him. There was a lot I did not know about him: his secret first marriage, his stint in reform school, his indiscriminate womanizing, and his ambivalent relationship with Crosby. But very few entertainers gave as much as he did, not only all those troop shows, but he did an amazing about of charity performances; in two years he did 562 benefits for charities from March of Dimes to Bundles for Britain.
People of my generation ended up having conflicted emotions about Hope. As a kid I laughed hysterically at him in the Road pictures, My Favorite Brunette, The Lemon Drop Kid, Paleface, etc. But during the Vietnam War, he became such a part of what we saw as the Establishment that a lot of us turned our backs on him. There was a lot I did not know about him: his secret first marriage, his stint in reform school, his indiscriminate womanizing, and his ambivalent relationship with Crosby. But very few entertainers gave as much as he did, not only all those troop shows, but he did an amazing about of charity performances; in two years he did 562 benefits for charities from March of Dimes to Bundles for Britain.
June 29, 2016
Richard Zoglin is incredibly thorough and very even-handed in his treatment of this legendary performer from vaudeville, theatre, radio, film and television. The man was with us for 100 years, and active for a great deal of that time, so there's a lot of ground to cover. He wasn't a monster, but he wasn't an angel, either, so if I were looking to this book for either hagiography or character assassination, I would have been bitterly disappointed. While I believe the editing could have been a bit tighter, I think Zoglin did his subject justice; I'm just surprised it took until more than a decade after Bob Hope's passing for such a thorough examination to be published.
I'm a big Bob Hope fan. I was very, very little when he was in full hawk mode during Vietnam, so I only saw the cute young man in the Road pictures or the smiling old gent with the golf club in the television specials. Whenever he was on television, my father, who served in Korea during that conflict, said "boy, what he did for the troops - we would think the World had forgotten about us, and then Bob Hope would show up, so at least we knew HE didn't." That guy is certainly on display here, but also present is the absent (even when he was in the house) father, the "shrewd to the point of being a real jerk" businessman, and the thoughtless old man who made AIDS "jokes" and used his television specials as a forum for speeches against the "red menace."
I suppose Bob Hope is like anyone who achieves a certain amount of life experience, and a century is quite a lot of experience. There will be things to love about him, and things to wish he'd done differently. I haven't stopped loving the entertainment he provided during his long life, but my eyes are a bit more clear as to the man behind its creation.
I'm a big Bob Hope fan. I was very, very little when he was in full hawk mode during Vietnam, so I only saw the cute young man in the Road pictures or the smiling old gent with the golf club in the television specials. Whenever he was on television, my father, who served in Korea during that conflict, said "boy, what he did for the troops - we would think the World had forgotten about us, and then Bob Hope would show up, so at least we knew HE didn't." That guy is certainly on display here, but also present is the absent (even when he was in the house) father, the "shrewd to the point of being a real jerk" businessman, and the thoughtless old man who made AIDS "jokes" and used his television specials as a forum for speeches against the "red menace."
I suppose Bob Hope is like anyone who achieves a certain amount of life experience, and a century is quite a lot of experience. There will be things to love about him, and things to wish he'd done differently. I haven't stopped loving the entertainment he provided during his long life, but my eyes are a bit more clear as to the man behind its creation.
December 12, 2015
Even-handed. Hope was too opaque a personality to make conventional biography easy, but Zoglin does as good an estimation of his career as we are likely to get. He divides the book by stages in Hope's work, with exhaustive descriptions of radio, television, live concerts and movies. With the exception of Monsieur Beaucaire and the Road pictures, Hope never really made a decent film --- and never worked with a first-rate director. His reputation rests primarily upon his radio work, the carefully spaced television specials, and, of course, his military tours. Zoglin is clear-eyed about Hope's decline after the 1960s. It was the result of his position on Vietnam (he stayed a hawk long after most people) and an inability to retire. His legacy was diminished by continued performances after physical and mental deterioration took their toll.
Zoglin can be a bit frustrating in his reticence. I was uninterested in Hope's womanizing (although Dolores Hope would also make an interesting topic for a biography), but I did want to know more about the inner politics of the Hope/Crosby relationship, as well as Dorothy Lamour's contributions to the success of the Road pictures. It is truly unsettling to read Hope's comment after Crosby's death about never liking him. Granted, he made it privately, but he made it.
Was he the entertainer of the century? Well, he lived for a century, so I suppose from that perspective he might have been. On the other hand, his body of work is less impressive than, say, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra --- and that's just off the top of my head.
But if you are interested in the history of American entertainment, this is an excellent read.
Zoglin can be a bit frustrating in his reticence. I was uninterested in Hope's womanizing (although Dolores Hope would also make an interesting topic for a biography), but I did want to know more about the inner politics of the Hope/Crosby relationship, as well as Dorothy Lamour's contributions to the success of the Road pictures. It is truly unsettling to read Hope's comment after Crosby's death about never liking him. Granted, he made it privately, but he made it.
Was he the entertainer of the century? Well, he lived for a century, so I suppose from that perspective he might have been. On the other hand, his body of work is less impressive than, say, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra --- and that's just off the top of my head.
But if you are interested in the history of American entertainment, this is an excellent read.
July 28, 2024
When my wife’s grandfather passed away several years ago, we helped sort through his remaining possessions. He had served in the Navy during WWII and had some keepsakes from his time in the service: his officer’s sword, some paintings of U.S. Navy ships, and a ticket stub from one of Bob Hope’s overseas USO performances. He hadn’t saved much, but it was always fascinating that he had saved that old scrap of paper. Bob Hope had a long and distinguished career in vaudeville, Broadway, radio, TV, and movies but in military circles he is most famous for his commitment to entertaining the troops deployed around the world. During WWII and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, Bob Hope performed in countless major military installations but also a number of remote backwaters (Alaska, obscure Pacific islands and atolls, and numerous small forward operating bases) often over Christmas or other major holidays.
In many ways, this devotion to the troops led to the drop off in his reputation in his later life. WWII was such a unique time in that the country truly was united. His outspoken support for the troops in unpopular “police actions” (Korea) or the quagmire of Vietnam led many in the next generation to view him as a dinosaur who simply couldn’t let go of the past.
The book sheds so much light on arguably the most influential entertainer in American history. It is a rare entertainer that can transition from one type or medium to another….Hope caught his break in the vaudeville scene of the 1920s, transitioned to Broadway performer, popularized the comedy monologue, jumped to radio when it became big in the 1930s. When TV displaced radio in the 1950s he transitioned to that medium. His movie career spanned more than 3 decades. Unlike many performers, he employed an army of writers, all available at his beck and call, to help him craft the perfect jokes tailored to his target audience. In his USO work, he also popularized the trend of philanthropy by Hollywood elite as part of their curated image to the public.
For all Bob Hope’s very intentional curation of his public image and for all the talk in this book of Bob Hope’s “conservatism” the most infuriating (and hardly conservative) revelation is Bob Hope’s decades of serial adultery and philandering. Despite his outward appearance (married for nearly 70 years to an extremely devout Catholic woman with 4 adopted children), Bob Hope slept with countless actresses, chorus girls, and beauty queens….this continued well into his 80s. I have truly loved many of Bob Hope’s films (not really old enough to have heard his TV specials or decades of radio programs). So it is absolutely shattering to hear someone that you admired for so much was a JFK-level sleaze ball in his personal life. Truly, truly disappointing.
Throughout his life, Hope was both frugal and a smart investor (especially in purchasing land). He was most likely the wealthiest of the wealthy Hollywood entertainer in his era. He was also an avid golfer and in his later years further popularized the sport with his Bob Hope Classic.
All in all a solid account of Bob Hope’s life and work. 3 Stars.
Some other random notes (mostly from his early years before his life tended to blur as he moved from one film or performance to another:
He was born in England. He remembered little of his first 4 years before they moved to the USA. Father Harry was a stonecutter that moved from town to town in search of work. Mother Avis was an orphaned girl with no prospects. The death of their only daughter put Harry into a downward spiral and alcoholism and gambling.
Leslie (Bob) Hope was the 5th son and 6th child born to the Hopes. With industrialization and brick beginning to replace stone on most buildings, life and at the turn of the century was getting hard for Harry and work scarce. After several more moves and scrimping by with too little food, Harry immigrated to Cleveland where 2 of his brothers had previously moved to.
Leslie wouldn’t remember those early years or just how precarious their situation was. But growing up with an absent father and always on the move, he early on developed a protective distance from others.
Avis moved herself and the children to the US in 1908. Those early Cleveland days were very tough. Harry’s alcoholism continued and Avis kept the family together and alive through sheer determination. Les was a tough, rowdy, and precocious youth. Always getting into some shenanigans. His dropped out of high school and two stints in reform school have largely been erased from his records (perhaps an early manifestation of his efforts to control his image).
He had many odd jobs over his years in Cleveland: plucking chickens, boxing, running a Dancehall, etc. He met Mildred at the dancehall and they fell for each other quickly. They were a smooth pair of dancers, doing amateur performances. She couldn’t keep up and he partnered with another guy from Cleveland for his vaudeville act.
At age 21 in 1924 he was noticed and offered a slot on his tour of the Midwest. But this was also right around the time vaudeville was dying as full length motion pictures burst on the scene in 1927. After an 8 week stint on Broadway, he and his partner took a small gig in PA after struggling to find work. It was a fateful engagement. When asked to end the show with an introduction of next week’s act his jokes humored all. He began to shift from a vaudeville performer to a Master of Ceremonies (MC) and broke off the partnership with Burn.
After a rotary stint on Cleveland as a single act he moved to Chicago, where he struggled to get any work. He finally landed a MC gig at the Stratford hotel where he had to develop a comedy gig (unable to recycle material since he was in one place for 16 weeks straight instead of a different city each weekend). After a performance in Fort Worth where he learned to modify his act to suit the Texas audience. He performed in NY and impressed the owner who in Nov 1929 signed him to a tour contract for 36 weeks of work at $400/week! He caught the last gravy train of vaudeville as the stock market crash would soon kill the genre.
Moved over to Broadway as vaudeville died. His brash, self-assured, and witty persona made him wildly successful despite widespread financial hardships of the Great Depression. He dipped his toes in radio as well.
He met Dolores DeFina and had the two had a powerful romance. But Hope was already (secretly) married to his former vaudeville partner Louise Troxell since 1933. He secretly divorced Troxell in 1934 so he could marry Delores.
End notes
In many ways, this devotion to the troops led to the drop off in his reputation in his later life. WWII was such a unique time in that the country truly was united. His outspoken support for the troops in unpopular “police actions” (Korea) or the quagmire of Vietnam led many in the next generation to view him as a dinosaur who simply couldn’t let go of the past.
The book sheds so much light on arguably the most influential entertainer in American history. It is a rare entertainer that can transition from one type or medium to another….Hope caught his break in the vaudeville scene of the 1920s, transitioned to Broadway performer, popularized the comedy monologue, jumped to radio when it became big in the 1930s. When TV displaced radio in the 1950s he transitioned to that medium. His movie career spanned more than 3 decades. Unlike many performers, he employed an army of writers, all available at his beck and call, to help him craft the perfect jokes tailored to his target audience. In his USO work, he also popularized the trend of philanthropy by Hollywood elite as part of their curated image to the public.
For all Bob Hope’s very intentional curation of his public image and for all the talk in this book of Bob Hope’s “conservatism” the most infuriating (and hardly conservative) revelation is Bob Hope’s decades of serial adultery and philandering. Despite his outward appearance (married for nearly 70 years to an extremely devout Catholic woman with 4 adopted children), Bob Hope slept with countless actresses, chorus girls, and beauty queens….this continued well into his 80s. I have truly loved many of Bob Hope’s films (not really old enough to have heard his TV specials or decades of radio programs). So it is absolutely shattering to hear someone that you admired for so much was a JFK-level sleaze ball in his personal life. Truly, truly disappointing.
Throughout his life, Hope was both frugal and a smart investor (especially in purchasing land). He was most likely the wealthiest of the wealthy Hollywood entertainer in his era. He was also an avid golfer and in his later years further popularized the sport with his Bob Hope Classic.
All in all a solid account of Bob Hope’s life and work. 3 Stars.
Some other random notes (mostly from his early years before his life tended to blur as he moved from one film or performance to another:
He was born in England. He remembered little of his first 4 years before they moved to the USA. Father Harry was a stonecutter that moved from town to town in search of work. Mother Avis was an orphaned girl with no prospects. The death of their only daughter put Harry into a downward spiral and alcoholism and gambling.
Leslie (Bob) Hope was the 5th son and 6th child born to the Hopes. With industrialization and brick beginning to replace stone on most buildings, life and at the turn of the century was getting hard for Harry and work scarce. After several more moves and scrimping by with too little food, Harry immigrated to Cleveland where 2 of his brothers had previously moved to.
Leslie wouldn’t remember those early years or just how precarious their situation was. But growing up with an absent father and always on the move, he early on developed a protective distance from others.
Avis moved herself and the children to the US in 1908. Those early Cleveland days were very tough. Harry’s alcoholism continued and Avis kept the family together and alive through sheer determination. Les was a tough, rowdy, and precocious youth. Always getting into some shenanigans. His dropped out of high school and two stints in reform school have largely been erased from his records (perhaps an early manifestation of his efforts to control his image).
He had many odd jobs over his years in Cleveland: plucking chickens, boxing, running a Dancehall, etc. He met Mildred at the dancehall and they fell for each other quickly. They were a smooth pair of dancers, doing amateur performances. She couldn’t keep up and he partnered with another guy from Cleveland for his vaudeville act.
At age 21 in 1924 he was noticed and offered a slot on his tour of the Midwest. But this was also right around the time vaudeville was dying as full length motion pictures burst on the scene in 1927. After an 8 week stint on Broadway, he and his partner took a small gig in PA after struggling to find work. It was a fateful engagement. When asked to end the show with an introduction of next week’s act his jokes humored all. He began to shift from a vaudeville performer to a Master of Ceremonies (MC) and broke off the partnership with Burn.
After a rotary stint on Cleveland as a single act he moved to Chicago, where he struggled to get any work. He finally landed a MC gig at the Stratford hotel where he had to develop a comedy gig (unable to recycle material since he was in one place for 16 weeks straight instead of a different city each weekend). After a performance in Fort Worth where he learned to modify his act to suit the Texas audience. He performed in NY and impressed the owner who in Nov 1929 signed him to a tour contract for 36 weeks of work at $400/week! He caught the last gravy train of vaudeville as the stock market crash would soon kill the genre.
Moved over to Broadway as vaudeville died. His brash, self-assured, and witty persona made him wildly successful despite widespread financial hardships of the Great Depression. He dipped his toes in radio as well.
He met Dolores DeFina and had the two had a powerful romance. But Hope was already (secretly) married to his former vaudeville partner Louise Troxell since 1933. He secretly divorced Troxell in 1934 so he could marry Delores.
End notes
January 25, 2015
Watching Bob Hope specials as a kid made me feel grown up. Bob Hope spanned every demographic group, toured the globe and literally spanned a century (he passed at 100 in 2003). He told me what could be lampooned. Here was the American comedian laureate, joining us, as he always said, "right in our living room."
Zoglin's book takes us by the hand down this tireless man's life. We meet his wife, Delores, the writers (who were on constant phone call alert), the four adopted children (a not always happy story), the long standing radio sponsors like Pepsodent from the 1940s, then TV supporters Chrysler in the 1960s and Bob "Texaco" Hope in the '70s. Don't forget the golf patter.
The changing mores of those 100 years is one takeaway of mine from this bio. Even Hope softened his superhawk stance on the Vietnam War toward the end of that long national nightmare. He tired of four star general bluster and demanded to hear it from the 19 year olds wounded in action a few days before his show rolled into their camps.
While certainly not a trendsetter in attitude, when he joked about a subject, it became approved world discussion.
Well written, the book does not wear out its welcome. I liked it from opening monologue to closing credits.
While based at RAF Mildenhall in England, I was fortunate enough to see his show. As I wistfully closed the book, I stopped in my tracks and said, Bob, thanks for the memories.
Zoglin's book takes us by the hand down this tireless man's life. We meet his wife, Delores, the writers (who were on constant phone call alert), the four adopted children (a not always happy story), the long standing radio sponsors like Pepsodent from the 1940s, then TV supporters Chrysler in the 1960s and Bob "Texaco" Hope in the '70s. Don't forget the golf patter.
The changing mores of those 100 years is one takeaway of mine from this bio. Even Hope softened his superhawk stance on the Vietnam War toward the end of that long national nightmare. He tired of four star general bluster and demanded to hear it from the 19 year olds wounded in action a few days before his show rolled into their camps.
While certainly not a trendsetter in attitude, when he joked about a subject, it became approved world discussion.
Well written, the book does not wear out its welcome. I liked it from opening monologue to closing credits.
While based at RAF Mildenhall in England, I was fortunate enough to see his show. As I wistfully closed the book, I stopped in my tracks and said, Bob, thanks for the memories.
February 27, 2015
I am not sure why I read this book. Bob Hope was pretty much at the end of his entertainment career as I was growing up, but I remember watching his specials as he entertained the troops. Also, I would really like to see the inside of spaceship house he built in Palm Springs.
I enjoyed this book and the author tells you right up front that if you are reading to learn about Bob Hope's personality, you will be disappointed. He was a very private man who didn't share his inner thoughts and feelings with people.
The biography chronicles Bob's rise from a poor immigrant to a mega star and reads a lot like and encyclopedia entry. Lots of facts, date, locations, names, and events.
He was an extremely hard working man who succeeded in all fields of entertainment. This book talks about him cheating on his wife, but I don't see him as a bad person because of his affairs. His love life is a private matter between him and his wife. He did lots of charity work and donated the land for the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs. His Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament help build the place. He and his wife adopted and raised four children.
I really want to watch the Road Movies with Bob and Bing Crosby now. I guess Bob reminds me of the good old days, black and white TV variety shows, and watching with my parents.
Well researched and clearly written in an objective fashion. I recommend this book to anyone who loves comedy, show business, of the golden age of television.
I enjoyed this book and the author tells you right up front that if you are reading to learn about Bob Hope's personality, you will be disappointed. He was a very private man who didn't share his inner thoughts and feelings with people.
The biography chronicles Bob's rise from a poor immigrant to a mega star and reads a lot like and encyclopedia entry. Lots of facts, date, locations, names, and events.
He was an extremely hard working man who succeeded in all fields of entertainment. This book talks about him cheating on his wife, but I don't see him as a bad person because of his affairs. His love life is a private matter between him and his wife. He did lots of charity work and donated the land for the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs. His Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament help build the place. He and his wife adopted and raised four children.
I really want to watch the Road Movies with Bob and Bing Crosby now. I guess Bob reminds me of the good old days, black and white TV variety shows, and watching with my parents.
Well researched and clearly written in an objective fashion. I recommend this book to anyone who loves comedy, show business, of the golden age of television.
March 27, 2015
This long-awaited, definitive biography is subtitled, ENTERTAINER OF THE CENTURY, and that is the persuasive case that author Richard Zoglin makes: that Bob Hope was indeed the most important entertainer of the twentieth century.
Hope lived for a century, from 1903 until 2003, and is the only entertainer to achieve top success in every field of show business, from vaudeville, to film and television and everything else in between.
He actually invented stand-up comedy and what is now commonly known as the monologue. Every comedian who has come along since has been able to do so because of him.
Brilliantly researched and wonderfully written, HOPE reveals the entire man warts and all: the womanizing, the cheapness, the ego, but also the generosity, the kindness, and the graciousness toward his fans.
Dick Cavett was a big fan, and Woody Allen said of his favorite comedian, "When my mother took me to see ROAD TO MOROCCO, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life".
HOPE is both a tribute to a celebrity whose tremendous contributions were never really appreciated in his time, and a portrait of a complex, flawed man who truly loved being famous.
Hope lived for a century, from 1903 until 2003, and is the only entertainer to achieve top success in every field of show business, from vaudeville, to film and television and everything else in between.
He actually invented stand-up comedy and what is now commonly known as the monologue. Every comedian who has come along since has been able to do so because of him.
Brilliantly researched and wonderfully written, HOPE reveals the entire man warts and all: the womanizing, the cheapness, the ego, but also the generosity, the kindness, and the graciousness toward his fans.
Dick Cavett was a big fan, and Woody Allen said of his favorite comedian, "When my mother took me to see ROAD TO MOROCCO, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life".
HOPE is both a tribute to a celebrity whose tremendous contributions were never really appreciated in his time, and a portrait of a complex, flawed man who truly loved being famous.
January 4, 2016
Really well done, well written biography of Bob Hope. Zoglin's thesis that Hope invented modern stand up comedy and as the entertainer of the last century rings true. And while this isn't a hatchet job (Zoglin had the cooperation of Hope's daughter, which I imagine dulled the hatchet somewhat), Hope doesn't come out of this sitting pretty. A friend of mine who works in Hollywood once described a reletively famous actress he worked with on a daily basis: "she's a professional who hits her marks, knows all her lines, and is also one of the most despicable human being with whom I've ever worked." I think Bob Hope may fall into the category as well (and Bing Crosby too). He was not a pleasant person (are comedians ever pleasant people though? Isn't that darkness part of being a comedian?). The person I felt most sorry for - not perennially cuckolded Dolores Hope or Hope's beleaguered writers or his poor ignored children. It was Dorothy Lamour. Those two men totally fucked her over.
September 26, 2014
good reads have sent me amazing books.this is a comprehensive book of the life of bob hope...the good and the bad..but who is perfect? my uncles during the world war could not rave about him more..he went continually to entertain the troops where no one else would. he was applauded as one of the best entertainers and rose to the top..but during the vietnam war slid down much to his surprise. he was best friends with spiro agnew and richard nixon...actually he was good friends with many presidents. he supported the war when many soldiers did not know why they were fighting. he was not a "woman's liberation" lover and did not understand what it was all about..sometime later in life his popularity rose again. his wife stood by him and turned her head away from all his indiscretions. he lived to be 100 and his wife to 102. the book, i found to be honest and interesting. he lived life to the fullest and i truly think you will enjoy this book.
January 2, 2015
Having read other Hope biographies, I went into this one with open eyes and previous knowledge and was amazed at the both the audacity of the thesis (Hope was the entertainer of the century) and the proving of same. Exhaustive, but not exhausting. Kind, but not a puff piece. Hands down the most balanced portrait of Hope, with extra attention paid to his vaudeville days, his journeys overseas, and his sad decline during the last decade of his NBC specials. The kind of book that makes you look at a performer with new eyes, and do as I did and pull some of Hope's films off the shelf to watch again.
January 3, 2015
I grew up watching Bob Hope on television and movies, yet I really didn't know much about him. This well-written and even-handed book changed that. I loved reading about his early days in vaudeville. His trips to entertain the troops were more extensive and altruistic than I had imagined. This book didn't shy away from talking about his womanizing, temper or shameless self-promoting. Even so, I came away from this book admiring the entertainer as well as the man.
September 30, 2015
Excellent warts-and-all biography of the legendary comedian; the 100 years and 600 pages really flew by. I particularly like the way the author would relate an anecdote, then quote how Hope handled the same story in his autobiography.
May 19, 2016
A decent read that should have been 700 pages rather than 450, as some parts of his life and career are looked at unde a microscope and some parts are completely glossed over. All in all a decent look at one of the 20th Century's most prominent entertainer.
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