There has never been and may never ever again be a comedian that was any more loved, respected and appreciated by an entire nation as was Bob Hope….for he was the gold standard for American comedy for nearly 80 years.
Sir Leslie Townes “Bob” Hope was an American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete and author….who appeared in more than 70 short and feature films….with 54 feature films with Hope as star…. including a series of seven “Road” musical comedy movies with Bing Crosby as Hope’s top-billed partner. In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show nineteen times….more than any other host….he appeared in many stage productions and television roles….and was the author of 14 books. The song “Thanks for the Memory” is widely regarded as his signature tune.
Hope was born in Eltham, County of London….who arrived in America with his family at the age of four…. and grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio, area….where he began his career in show business in the early 1920’s….while starting initially on stage….then he began appearing on the radio and in films in 1934. He was praised for his comedy timing….specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes…..which were often self-deprecating. Celebrated for his long career performing United Service Organizations (USO) shows to entertain active duty American military personnel….as he made 57 tours for the USO between 1941 and 1991….for Hope was declared an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1997 by act of the Congress. Starting in 1950, he appeared in numerous specials for NBC television as seen in this video herewith….and was one of the first users of cue cards. He participated in the sports of golf and boxing….and owned a small stake in his hometown baseball team, the Cleveland Indians. He died at age 100 at his home in Toluca Lake, California. In this NBC Special Road to Hollywood….Bob brings back many of his leading ladies from films he made including Rosemary Clooney, Dina Merrill, Lucille Ball, Jill St. John, Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Lamore….along with some wonderful footage from each movie with each of his ladies.
We at ImaSportsphile treasure each and every one of our many Bob Hope videos in our vintage video museum….as we consider each one to be a “nugget of gold” in our treasure chest of memories.
