Bob Hope
Author: Trudy Stroup
I must admit that when I got the request to do this article, I was a bit hesitant. But at the same time, I want to write about subjects that people are interested in reading about. The questions in my mind are; what information do I include, what do I leave out, and how do I approach such an icon? Most people know Bob's comedy. They grew up watching his artistic ability with one liners and his witty banter of zingers shared with other comedians and so they have a picture in their mind of who Bob is. I hope that I add to your picture of Bob in my summary of his life.
Most of us know that Bob was born in Eltham England in 1903 and was named Leslie Townes Hope. However, I was unaware that he was the 5th son of 7 sons! Yep, his mom was the only woman is a house full of men. The family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1907. Later, Bob would quip when asked the reason they came to America, "I left England when I was 4 and found out I couldn't be king!" Bob's father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason given to hard drinking. His income was sporadic at best and most of his money went to the bottle. His mother, Avis Townes Hope, was an aspiring singer who took lessons for singing and acting. Although the timing is unclear, I believe those lessons were pre-marriage. What is clear is that she noticed a talent very early in Bob. By the time he was 4 he was a "talented mimic". Avis also taught Bob to sing and dance and continued to nurture that talent once settled in Cleveland. Although Bob couldn't remember much of his life as a child in England, I don't think he ever forgot his childhood in Cleveland.
The neighborhood kids didn't think much of the heavy English accent or his clearly English ways. The cruel kids inverted his name, Leslie Hope, and started calling him "Hopelessly". I think, in part, this was his motivation to lose his accent and become more Americanized. I also think this was the catalyst that launched the man of many nicknames that we all know as Bob.
Surviving childhood, Bob learned he could only rely on Bob. He started working early for what he wanted. He worked any job he could get while working toward his dream. One of his most interesting of his many jobs was that of a boxer. The scrappy, young Bob went by the name Packy East after professional fighter Packey McFarland. Limited to 1919, Bob advanced to the Ohio finals before ending his boxing career. Later, he would participate in a couple of exhibition bouts, but never professionally. He said this about his reason for ending his bout with boxing, "I gave up boxing when I was not only being carried out of the ring, but into the ring."
Shortly after his boxing career, Bob began his entertainment career as a vaudeville performer developing an act with his girlfriend Mildred Rosequist. The pair played local theaters and events, but Bob wanted more. His next acting partner was Lloyd Derbin. The two men took their act on the road, but the duo was not destined to fame. Lloyd died of food poisoning before a performance. From there, Hope teamed up with George Burnes and various others before going solo in the 1930's.
Bob grew into a handsome debonair man. He exuded confidence and dated often. He was gaining a reputation as a ladies’ man when he met Grace Louise Troxell. They married in 1933 only to divorce in 1934. I couldn't find a reason stated in the research I did, but from said research, I can only guess that he had a wandering eye. The same year of Bob's divorce his friend, George Murphy, suggested they go to the Vogue Club and listen to the new singer. They had heard she was pretty and had a good voice. The singers name was Delores DeFina Reade. This is Bob's quote of the experience, "She had a low, husky voice-soft and sweet. She sang “It's Only a Paper Moon” and “Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?”...THAT I did! From then on, I was at the Vogue Club every night to take Delores home. A few months later, we tied the knot." They were married 69 years until his death on July 27, 2003; just 2 months after his 100th birthday. Delores passed away in 2011 and was 102 years old. I think they may have owned the fountain of youth! After they married, Bob and Delores put together an act and toured the vaudeville circuit together. They had 4 children: Linda, Tony, Kelly, and Nora, and eventually they settled their family in the Los Angeles area.
In 1938, Bob caught his first big role in “The Big Broadcast”. In this movie he sang what would become his signature song “Thanks for the Memories”. Bob had been in a few movies before this in minor roles with the likes of Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante, but the big life changer happened in May of 1941. He was invited by his director to join a group of entertainers going to March Field in southern California to perform for the troops. What he didn't know was his director's brother was among the troops. Bob said "Why? We're doing fine here." He went with them and saw the reaction of those troops. The way it brought out laughs from people who had seen the worst on the battlefield. That fall, Hope would put together a band of performers to go overseas and encourage those still in the field. During a show in the infirmary, singer Francis Langford started crying during her performance of “I'll Be Seeing You (In All The Old Familiar Places)” when a soldier with a head wound started crying and had to step away. Bob stepped in and turned those tears of sorrow to tears of laughter. And the United Service Organization, or USO, was born. With the help of President Roosevelt several morale lifting associations were combined into one mobile unit. They were a diverse mixture of religious groups combined with entertainment groups and wound care units. They incorporated comedy, vaudeville style acts, singing, dancing, if it could bring a smile or cause a laugh; it was part of the act. They continue to serve troops in whatever manner they can. Bob served troops during every confrontation up until Operation Desert Storm in December 1990. The USO would successfully petition Congress to designate Bob Hope the first honorary veteran of the armed forces.
During his time back in Hollywood, between USO tours, Bob made a name for himself as the consummate shy boyfriend on the screen. He would pursue the pretty girls only to be surprised and too shy when they turned their interest toward him. He continued to grace the screen big and small well into old age. Because of his affiliation with NBC, they built him his own studio set in the 1950's and he used that set for almost 15 years. In 1972, that studio set was given to Johnny Carson, but Bob continued to show up on the set "seemingly unannounced" to plug his latest performances and specials. Johnny didn't like the intrusions, considering them uncalled for and a nuisance. I think Bob continued this practice just to rattle Johnny's cage. lol. The public adored Bob from the beginning to the end. In spring of 2003 Bob caught a cold which turned to pneumonia and he passed away June 26th 2003. It was a devastating blow to the country. We all mourned that summer.
Biography.com
people.com
notablebiographies.com
nytimes.com
latimes.com
bobhopeuso.org
bobhope.com
encyclopedia.com
© 2015 Trudy Stroup. All rights reserved.
Author: Trudy Stroup
I must admit that when I got the request to do this article, I was a bit hesitant. But at the same time, I want to write about subjects that people are interested in reading about. The questions in my mind are; what information do I include, what do I leave out, and how do I approach such an icon? Most people know Bob's comedy. They grew up watching his artistic ability with one liners and his witty banter of zingers shared with other comedians and so they have a picture in their mind of who Bob is. I hope that I add to your picture of Bob in my summary of his life.
Most of us know that Bob was born in Eltham England in 1903 and was named Leslie Townes Hope. However, I was unaware that he was the 5th son of 7 sons! Yep, his mom was the only woman is a house full of men. The family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1907. Later, Bob would quip when asked the reason they came to America, "I left England when I was 4 and found out I couldn't be king!" Bob's father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason given to hard drinking. His income was sporadic at best and most of his money went to the bottle. His mother, Avis Townes Hope, was an aspiring singer who took lessons for singing and acting. Although the timing is unclear, I believe those lessons were pre-marriage. What is clear is that she noticed a talent very early in Bob. By the time he was 4 he was a "talented mimic". Avis also taught Bob to sing and dance and continued to nurture that talent once settled in Cleveland. Although Bob couldn't remember much of his life as a child in England, I don't think he ever forgot his childhood in Cleveland.
The neighborhood kids didn't think much of the heavy English accent or his clearly English ways. The cruel kids inverted his name, Leslie Hope, and started calling him "Hopelessly". I think, in part, this was his motivation to lose his accent and become more Americanized. I also think this was the catalyst that launched the man of many nicknames that we all know as Bob.
Surviving childhood, Bob learned he could only rely on Bob. He started working early for what he wanted. He worked any job he could get while working toward his dream. One of his most interesting of his many jobs was that of a boxer. The scrappy, young Bob went by the name Packy East after professional fighter Packey McFarland. Limited to 1919, Bob advanced to the Ohio finals before ending his boxing career. Later, he would participate in a couple of exhibition bouts, but never professionally. He said this about his reason for ending his bout with boxing, "I gave up boxing when I was not only being carried out of the ring, but into the ring."
Shortly after his boxing career, Bob began his entertainment career as a vaudeville performer developing an act with his girlfriend Mildred Rosequist. The pair played local theaters and events, but Bob wanted more. His next acting partner was Lloyd Derbin. The two men took their act on the road, but the duo was not destined to fame. Lloyd died of food poisoning before a performance. From there, Hope teamed up with George Burnes and various others before going solo in the 1930's.
Bob grew into a handsome debonair man. He exuded confidence and dated often. He was gaining a reputation as a ladies’ man when he met Grace Louise Troxell. They married in 1933 only to divorce in 1934. I couldn't find a reason stated in the research I did, but from said research, I can only guess that he had a wandering eye. The same year of Bob's divorce his friend, George Murphy, suggested they go to the Vogue Club and listen to the new singer. They had heard she was pretty and had a good voice. The singers name was Delores DeFina Reade. This is Bob's quote of the experience, "She had a low, husky voice-soft and sweet. She sang “It's Only a Paper Moon” and “Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?”...THAT I did! From then on, I was at the Vogue Club every night to take Delores home. A few months later, we tied the knot." They were married 69 years until his death on July 27, 2003; just 2 months after his 100th birthday. Delores passed away in 2011 and was 102 years old. I think they may have owned the fountain of youth! After they married, Bob and Delores put together an act and toured the vaudeville circuit together. They had 4 children: Linda, Tony, Kelly, and Nora, and eventually they settled their family in the Los Angeles area.
In 1938, Bob caught his first big role in “The Big Broadcast”. In this movie he sang what would become his signature song “Thanks for the Memories”. Bob had been in a few movies before this in minor roles with the likes of Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante, but the big life changer happened in May of 1941. He was invited by his director to join a group of entertainers going to March Field in southern California to perform for the troops. What he didn't know was his director's brother was among the troops. Bob said "Why? We're doing fine here." He went with them and saw the reaction of those troops. The way it brought out laughs from people who had seen the worst on the battlefield. That fall, Hope would put together a band of performers to go overseas and encourage those still in the field. During a show in the infirmary, singer Francis Langford started crying during her performance of “I'll Be Seeing You (In All The Old Familiar Places)” when a soldier with a head wound started crying and had to step away. Bob stepped in and turned those tears of sorrow to tears of laughter. And the United Service Organization, or USO, was born. With the help of President Roosevelt several morale lifting associations were combined into one mobile unit. They were a diverse mixture of religious groups combined with entertainment groups and wound care units. They incorporated comedy, vaudeville style acts, singing, dancing, if it could bring a smile or cause a laugh; it was part of the act. They continue to serve troops in whatever manner they can. Bob served troops during every confrontation up until Operation Desert Storm in December 1990. The USO would successfully petition Congress to designate Bob Hope the first honorary veteran of the armed forces.
During his time back in Hollywood, between USO tours, Bob made a name for himself as the consummate shy boyfriend on the screen. He would pursue the pretty girls only to be surprised and too shy when they turned their interest toward him. He continued to grace the screen big and small well into old age. Because of his affiliation with NBC, they built him his own studio set in the 1950's and he used that set for almost 15 years. In 1972, that studio set was given to Johnny Carson, but Bob continued to show up on the set "seemingly unannounced" to plug his latest performances and specials. Johnny didn't like the intrusions, considering them uncalled for and a nuisance. I think Bob continued this practice just to rattle Johnny's cage. lol. The public adored Bob from the beginning to the end. In spring of 2003 Bob caught a cold which turned to pneumonia and he passed away June 26th 2003. It was a devastating blow to the country. We all mourned that summer.
Biography.com
people.com
notablebiographies.com
nytimes.com
latimes.com
bobhopeuso.org
bobhope.com
encyclopedia.com
© 2015 Trudy Stroup. All rights reserved.