| "I'm so old, they've canceled my blood type" | | | | was on that day that Bob Hope made his formal |
| quipped Bob Hope, upon reaching the age of | | | | television debut. In addition to Hope's |
| 100 in July 2003. Indeed, Bob Hope has been | | | | appearance, the "Star Spangled Revue" |
| around throughout the 20th century, becoming | | | | featured other popular entertainers and stars |
| immortal to so many generations by | | | | of the day including Dinah Shore and Douglas |
| entertaining the masses with countless films, | | | | Fairbanks Jr. |
| TV and radio shows and of course his | | | | |
| appearances with the troops overseas. | | | | The show's formula was immediately successful |
| | | | and Bob Hope's television shows remained |
| Bob Hope was born on May 29, 1903 in Eltham, | | | | successful for the next 40 years. NBC was his |
| England although his family moved to | | | | network of choice and Bob Hope appeared in |
| Cleveland, Ohio when he was four years old | | | | many of the network's Christmas and other |
| ("I left England at the age of four when I | | | | holiday specials. His last TV special was in |
| found out I couldn't be king"). His first | | | | 1996 appearing alongside Tony Danza. Today |
| modest success in show business came in 1915 | | | | these programs are rightly considered classic |
| when he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation | | | | TV shows, television programs that translate |
| competition. | | | | for multiple generations. |
| | | | |
| He began to work in vaudeville in the early | | | | Perhaps Bob Hope is most famous for his |
| 1920s and during the early 1930s was | | | | appearances with the troops, a gesture that |
| appearing on the stage in Broadway. His first | | | | almost certainly boosted morale far more than |
| film role was "The Big Broadcast" in 1938 in | | | | any appearance by the president. His first |
| which he sang the song "Thanks for the | | | | such appearance was in May 1941, when Bob |
| Memory" in a duet with Shirley Ross. That | | | | Hope, along with various friends, appeared at |
| song would become Bob Hope's signature tune. | | | | March Field in California to entertain the |
| | | | airmen. |
| Bob Hope appeared in over 75 films throughout | | | | |
| his career although he only won two honorary | | | | The rest, as they say, is history. Bob Hope |
| Oscars. He even joked about his lack of Oscar | | | | was soon christened "G.I. Bob" by the troops |
| awards - "Oscar night at our house is called | | | | and went on to perform all over the world |
| Passover!" He may not have won many Oscars | | | | during the next 60 years. He has entertained |
| but he enjoyed bringing his unique humor to | | | | troops and broadcast from Europe, the South |
| the awards ceremony - he presented or | | | | Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Persian |
| co-presented them on a record 18 occasions up | | | | Gulf. He nearly always appeared in army |
| until 1977. | | | | fatigues as a further gesture of support for |
| | | | the soldiers. |
| His most famous movies, of course remain the | | | | |
| series of "road" movies that he made with | | | | Bob Hope has been honored five times by the |
| Bing Crosby during the 1940s. He also starred | | | | United States Congress, has been made |
| in "The Paleface" along with Jane Russell | | | | honorary mayor of Palm Springs and an |
| which many consider his best film. Today, | | | | honorary veteran. He also has several |
| many of his classic movies are available on | | | | theaters, a battleship and an airport named |
| DVD or regularly shown on cable TV channels. | | | | in his honor and his love of golf lives on in |
| | | | one of the sport's major events - the Bob |
| Hope took to TV fairly late in his career, | | | | Hope Classic. |
| not entirely convinced that the still fairly | | | | |
| new medium would succeed. "Television - | | | | But his biggest legacy is the wealth of |
| that's where movies go when they die," | | | | entertainment he has given us over the years. |
| quipped Hope once. However, it was television | | | | And of course, his sharp wit; his one-liners |
| that really made Bob Hope a star and a | | | | and quotes are almost as well known as his TV |
| household name throughout the United States. | | | | shows and movies. As he accurately remarked |
| | | | once, "I've always been in the right place |
| Easter Sunday 1950 was a memorable day. It | | | | and time. Of course, I steered myself there. |