Bob Hope at the Mid-State Fair Aug. 15, 1989. ©2010 The Tribune/Jeff May
Born Leslie Towns Hope in Eltham, England May 29, 1903, his stonemason father moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio when the boy was four. When he became a naturalized citizen of the United States he became known as Bob.
Perhaps his mother, an aspiring concert singer, was an inspiration. Perhaps a child had to perform to stand out as the fifth of seven sons but he would one day headline, on any stage he chose.
His official website said early in his career he played third billing to Siamese twins and trained seals.
His energy, wit and drive would make him a star in any media he chose to perform in, vaudeville, Broadway, radio, movies or television.
I had a chance to see him twice, once at at the Mid-State Fair and two years later at Cal Poly. His timing and ability to work a crowd was unmatched but don’t forget, he had been doing this for a while. The first time he performed in the area was at Camp Roberts in 1941.
When he was booked for the Mid-State fair at age 86, he was the oldest performer ever scheduled to play there.
The comedian must have set the record for miles traveled and jokes told. Before the Cal Poly show a May 4, 1991 story by John Frees set out the numbers.
Bob Hope keeps up a pace that would have younger men gasping:
At 87, (he’ll be 88 at the end of the month), “Rapid Robert” has traveled more than 9 million miles, entertained millions of GIs since 1941, starred in 52 movies, appeared on TV 500 times, headed 1,000 radio shows earned 54 honorary degrees, written 10 books, holds the Guinness Book records for number of awards…
Long time Telegram-Tribune writer Warren Groshong wrote a column July 19, 1989 about Hope excerpted below. In his column he noted that author John Steinbeck wrote about Hope when the writer was a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune during World War II. Quoting Steinbeck:
“When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list, ” he wrote. “This man drives himself and is driven. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective.
He works month after month at a pace that would kill most people.”
“He has created a character for himself—that of the man who tries too hard and fails, and who boasts and is caught at it. His wit is caustic, but it is never aimed at people, but at conditions and at ideas , and where he goes men roar with laughter and repeat his cracks for days afterward.”
He would work up to five shows a day playing to the most difficult audiences in the world, wounded in military hospitals. Once again quoting Steinbeck:
“Hope and company had worked and gradually they got the leaden eyes to sparkling, had planted and nurtured and coaxed laughter to life.
“A gunner, who had a stomach wound, was gasping softly with laughter. A railroad casualty slapped the cast on his left hand with his right hand by way of applause.
And once the laughter was alive, the men laughed before the punchline and it had to be repeated so they could laugh again.”
Finally it came time for Frances Langford to sing. Her voice was raspy as she did “As Time Goes By.” She had been working so hard that “her voice wouldn’t work any more, and she finished the song whispering and then she walked out, so no one could see her, and broke down.”
Then the writer says Hope walked into the aisle between the beds and said seriously:
“Fellows, the folks at home are having a terrible time about eggs. They can’t get any powdered eggs at all. They’ve got to use the old-fashioned kind that you break open.”
Once again, the sun broke through the gloom.
Hope put on a show at the Mid-State Fair that reflected his roots in radio. Singer Mel Torme opened and finished his act playing the famed Gene Krupa drum solo from Sing, Sing Sing. Hope was backed by an orchestra at one point playing his theme as he sang, “Thanks for the memory”.
Even though he used cue cards, he wrung the most out of every joke and would ad lib lines based on the local environment.
For later comedy fans who grew up with Lenny Bruce, George Carlin or Richard Pryor, the one liner comedy style was not edgy enough, but Hope was true to what worked for him. He never tried to pander to changing styles by changing his. Even Hope’s harshest critics respected breadth of his career and work ethic.
The legend of comedy left life’s stage July 27, 2003 at the age of 100.
Related posts:
Did Bob Hope play at Camp San Luis Obispo’s amphitheater during the war years of the 1940s?
Yes, frequently. He even performed with Judy Garland. There are photos in the Camp San Luis Obispo book that you can purchase at the base.
And we just came up on the 70th anniversary of the amphitheater stage construction at the camp.
I’ve always loved the comic stylings of “Old Ski Nose” (so called because his schnoz resembled a ski slope).
As a kid, my family and I were great fans of “Road to Rio,” “Road to Morocco” and all those fine films made by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. I also recommend “The Paleface,” a Western spoof starring Hope and Jane Russell.
When I was a student at Cal State Northridge I chose a college employment ad and found out that it referred to a security guard job at the Toluca Lake home of Bob Hope in 1976 or so. My job was mostly to answer the phones and to open the large gate for the family when they drove into the large grounds of the estate. Mr. Hope was almost never around. I saw him maybe twice in the four months I held the job. I went to his bedroom once to take jokes to him which he had selected via his secretary from memory from a cabinet which must have carried 50,000 3X5 cards easily. Interestingly, on the way up to the second floor bedroom I had to climb up stairs whose rug had worn down literally to the nap all the way up. He had a dog given to him as a gift named “my dog”, a white retriver, and the only people who played with him were the staff. His wife was terrible to behold, whose sharp tongue and demanding demeanor christened her a true dragon lady between us all. The three kids, especially the youngest one, Tony, were truly down-to-earth people that would come down to visit us sometimes. The wife’s mother, known as Mrs. Defina, who I NEVER saw once and knew only by voice, seemed to have more business going on then anybody else in the house. I could go on and on. I’m just telling a 20th of what I saw and know.
Bob Hope was easily one of the richest stars in Hollywood. He was worth 125 million back in 1976 (equal to 479 million today), mostly in land in the San Fernando Valley that he bought cheap during the 40′s and 50′s and reaped huge profits from when the place turned into vast housing tracts during the 60′s and 70′s, but he only paid minimum wage, provided no other benefits, and could not replace his rugs, I guess. I will shut up now. The man was, indeed, certainly driven. His wife gave a large percentage of his wealth to the Catholic Church. The local parish was housed in a virtual cathedral what with the many improvements that the Hope millions provided.
Interesting comments by Steve. There have certainly been stories that reflect negatively on Bob Hope as a person. And we have to remember that these people are, after all, actors, which is why it’s often a letdown to actually meet them.
But regardless of whether he was or wasn’t a nice person, you have to respect his career and what he did with the USO. Nice post, Dave.
Camp Roberts has been long nicknamed Camp Bob.
Mr. Hope, having performed for the hundreds of thousands of troops multiple times at the camp’s “Soldiers Bowl” amphitheater, often cracked that they named the Army post after him.
If you have ever heard his radio broadcast featuring Jane (“The two and only..”) Russell…that was from Camp Roberts.
Still my all time favorite actor and star.
I HAVE A POSTER OF BOB HOPE THAT SAYS ASI CONCERTS PRESENTS BOB HOPE IN PERSON MOTHERS DAY SUNDAY MAY 12–2;00 PM IN MUSTANG STADIUMAT CAL POLY IN SAN LUIS OBISPO —