View source for Bob Hope

{{Short description|American entertainer (1903–2003)}}
{{about|the actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox person 
| name               = Bob Hope
| image              = Bob Hope 1969 Publicity Photo.jpg
| caption            = Hope in 1969
| birth_name         = Leslie Townes Hope
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1903|5|29}}
| birth_place        = [[Eltham]], [[County of London|London]], England<ref name="ReferenceA">At the time of his birth, Eltham had been part of the [[County of London]] since 1900</ref>
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2003|07|27|1903|5|29}}
| death_place        = Los Angeles, California, US
| resting_place      = Bob Hope Memorial Garden, [[Mission San Fernando Rey de España]], Los Angeles, United States
| citizenship        = {{hlist|United Kingdom|United States (from 1920)}}
| other_names        = {{hlist|Lester Hope|Les Hope|Packy East}}
| years_active       = 1922–1999
| occupation         = {{hlist|Comedian|[[vaudevillian]]|actor|singer|dancer}}
| spouse             = {{ubl|{{marriage|Grace Louise Troxell|1933|1934|end=div}}|{{marriage|[[Dolores Hope]]|1934|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}}}
| children           = 4
| relatives          = [[Jack Hope]] (brother)
| module             = {{Infobox boxer|embed=yes
| weight = [[Super featherweight]] (128 lb)
| height = 5 ft 10 in
| reach = 72 in
| wins = 5
| losses = 1 {{crossreference|(see [[Bob Hope boxing record]])}}
| no contests= 1
}}
| module2            = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| genre = {{hlist|[[Traditional pop]]|[[easy listening]]|comedy}}
| instrument = Vocals
}}
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Bob Hope|Full list]]
| signature          = Bob Hope signature.svg
| website            = {{URL|http://bobhope.com}}
}}
'''Lester Townes''' "'''Bob'''" '''Hope''' ({{ne|'''Leslie Townes Hope'''}}; May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in [[vaudeville]], network radio, television, and [[USO]] Tours. He appeared in [[Bob Hope filmography|more than 70 short and feature films]], starring in 54,  including a series of seven ''[[Road to ...]]'' musical comedy films with [[Bing Crosby]] as his partner. He reached his 100th birthday 59 days before he died in 2003.

Hope hosted the [[Academy Awards]] ceremony a record 19 times. He also appeared in many stage productions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]" was his signature tune. He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes that were often self-deprecating. Between 1941 and 1991, he made 57 tours for the [[United Service Organizations]] (USO), entertaining military personnel around the world. In 1997, Congress passed a bill that made him an honorary veteran of the Armed Forces.<ref name="Library of Congress"/>

Hope was born in the [[Eltham]] district of southeast London. He arrived in the United States with his family at the age of four, and grew up near [[Cleveland, Ohio]]. He became a boxer in the late 1910s, but moved into show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit before acting on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. He began appearing on radio and in films in his 30s, starting in 1934. Hope retired from public life in 1999 and died in 2003, at 100.

== Early years ==
Leslie Townes Hope was born on May 29, 1903, in [[Eltham]], [[County of London]]<ref name="ReferenceA"/> (now part of the [[Royal Borough of Greenwich]]), in a terraced house at 44 Craigton Road in [[Well Hall]],<ref name=BobBirthPlace>{{cite web|title=Bob Hope birthplace for sale|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/99571.stm|website=BBC News|access-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref><ref name=BobBirthPlace2>{{cite web|title=Bob Hope – from Eltham to Hollywood|url=http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/nostalgia/10541810.Bob_Hope___from_Eltham_to_Hollywood/|website=newsshopper.co.uk|date=July 11, 2013 |access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511081207/http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/nostalgia/10541810.Bob_Hope___from_Eltham_to_Hollywood/|archive-date=May 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> where there is now a British Film Institute 'Centenary of British Cinema' commemorative plaque in his memory.<ref name=BobBirthPlace3>{{cite web|title=Plaque: Bob Hope|url=http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/bob-hope|website=londonremembers.com|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511081506/http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/bob-hope|archive-date=May 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He was the fifth of seven sons of William Henry Hope, a stonemason from [[Weston-super-Mare]], Somerset, and Welsh mother Avis (née Townes), a light opera singer from [[Barry, Vale of Glamorgan]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://barryideasbank.crowdicity.com/post/7891 |title=Barry Ideas Bank |publisher=[[Crowdicity]] |access-date=February 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620040341/https://barryideasbank.crowdicity.com/post/7891 |archive-date=June 20, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> who later worked as a cleaner. William and Avis married in April 1891 and lived at 12 Greenwood Street in Barry before moving to [[Whitehall, Bristol|Whitehall]], Bristol, and then to [[St George, Bristol|St George]], Bristol. The family emigrated to the United States aboard the [[SS Philadelphia (1888)|SS ''Philadelphia'']], passing through [[Ellis Island]], New York on March 30, 1908, before moving on to Cleveland.{{sfn|Moreno|2008|p=88}}

From age 12, Hope earned pocket money by singing, dancing, and performing comedy on the street.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=4}} He entered numerous dancing and amateur talent contests as Lester Hope, and won a prize in 1915 for his impersonation of [[Charlie Chaplin]].<ref name="loc.gov Early Life"/> For a time, he attended the [[Boys' Industrial School (Ohio)|Boys' Industrial School]] in [[Lancaster, Ohio]], and as an adult donated sizable sums of money to the institution.<ref name="ohiohistorycentral"/> He had a brief career as a boxer in 1919, fighting under the name Packy East. He had three wins and one loss, and he participated in a few staged charity bouts later in life.<ref name="Boxing-Scoop.com"/> In December 1920, 17-year-old Hope and his brothers became [[US citizens]] when their British parents became [[United States nationality law|naturalised Americans]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Bob Hope: The Road from Eltham|first= Charles |last=Thompson |isbn= 9780423000405|year= 1981| publisher= Thames Methuen|page=57|quote="he had been naturalized along with his parents and brothers on 20 December 1920" }}</ref> He legally changed his name from Leslie to Lester.<ref name="Congress">{{cite web |title=A Lifetime of Entertainment |url=https://guides.loc.gov/bob-hope/bio |website=Library of Congress Research Guides |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=August 8, 2025}}</ref>

In 1921, while working as a [[lineman (technician)|lineman]] for a power company, Hope was assisting his brother Jim in clearing trees when a tree crashed to the ground, crushing his face; the accident required reconstructive surgery, which contributed to his later distinctive appearance.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-road-not-taken-19800320|title=Bob Hope Reflects on the Road Not Taken|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=White|first=Timothy|date=March 20, 1980|access-date=January 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107061604/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-road-not-taken-19800320|archive-date=January 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In his teens, he had also worked as a butcher's assistant as well as a brief stint at Cleveland's [[Chandler Motor Car|Chandler Motor Car Company]] in his early 20s.

Hope and his girlfriend later signed up for dancing lessons, encouraged after they performed in a three-day engagement at a club. Hope then formed a partnership with Lloyd Durbin, a friend from the dancing school.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=19–23}} Silent film comedian [[Fatty Arbuckle]] saw them perform in 1925 and found them work with a touring troupe called Hurley's Jolly Follies. Within a year, Hope had formed an act called the "Dancemedians" with George Byrne and the [[Hilton twins|Hilton Sisters]], conjoined twins who performed a tap-dancing routine on the vaudeville circuit. Hope and Byrne also had an act as [[Siamese twins]]; they sang and danced while wearing blackface until friends advised Hope that he was funnier by himself.{{sfn|Faith|2003|pp=402–403}}

In 1929, Hope informally changed his first name to "Bob". In one version of the story, he named himself after racecar driver [[Bob Burman]].{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=44}} In another, he said that he chose the name because he wanted a name with a "friendly 'Hiya, fellas!' sound" to it.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=15–16}} In a 1942 legal document, his legal name appears as Lester Townes Hope.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/uso.html|title=Bob Hope and American Variety: On the Road: USO Shows|date=May 10, 2000|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104211102/http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/uso.html|archive-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> After five years on the vaudeville circuit, Hope was "surprised and humbled" when he failed a 1930 screen test for the [[RKO]]-[[Pathé]] short-subject studio at [[Culver City, California]].{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=57–58}}

== Career ==
=== 1927–1937: Early theatre and film roles ===
[[File:Bob Hope.jpg|thumb|upright|Bob Hope]]
In the early days, Hope's career included appearances on stage in vaudeville shows and Broadway productions.<ref name="PBS">{{cite web | url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bob-hope-biography/9725/| title=This Is Bob Hope... Biography| author=Zoglin, Richard| date=November 30, 2017| publisher=[[PBS]]| access-date=May 13, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514064753/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bob-hope-biography/9725/| archive-date=May 14, 2018| url-status=live}}</ref> Hope's first Broadway appearances, in 1927's ''The Sidewalks of New York'' and 1928's ''Ups-a-Daisy'', were minor walk-on parts.{{sfn|Faith|2003|p=403}} He returned to Broadway in 1933 to star as Huckleberry Haines in the [[Jerome Kern]] and [[Dorothy Fields]] musical ''[[Roberta (musical)|Roberta]]''.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=71}} Stints in the musicals ''[[Say When (musical)|Say When]]'', the 1936 [[Ziegfeld Follies]] with [[Fanny Brice]], and ''[[Red, Hot and Blue]]'' with [[Ethel Merman]] and [[Jimmy Durante]] followed.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=73–75}}

He began performing on the radio in 1934 mostly with [[NBC]] radio, and switched to television when that medium became popular in the 1950s. He started hosting regular TV specials in 1954,{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=229}} and hosted the [[Academy Awards]] nineteen times from 1939 through 1977.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.biography.com/news/bob-hope-king-of-the-oscars-21156325 | title=Bob Hope: King of the Oscars | website=Biography | access-date=July 19, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728163444/https://www.biography.com/news/bob-hope-king-of-the-oscars-21156325 | archive-date=July 28, 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Overlapping with this was his movie career, spanning 1934 to 1972, and his [[USO]] tours, which he conducted from 1941 to 1991.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=318–320}}{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=181–182}}

Hope signed a contract with [[Educational Pictures]] of New York for six short comedies. The first was a comedy, ''[[Going Spanish]]'' (1934). He was not happy with it, and told newspaper columnist [[Walter Winchell]], "When they catch [bank robber] [[Dillinger]], they're going to make him sit through it twice."{{sfn|Maltin|1972|p=25}} Educational Pictures took umbrage at the remark and canceled Hope's contract after only the one film. He soon signed with the [[Vitaphone]] short-subject studio in [[Brooklyn]], New York, making musical and comedy shorts during the day and performing in Broadway shows in the evenings.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=105, 107}}

=== 1938–1949: Hollywood contract and stardom ===
[[File:Bob Hope in The Ghost Breakers trailer.JPG|thumb|Bob Hope in ''[[The Ghost Breakers]]'' trailer (1940)]]
Hope moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] when [[Paramount Pictures]] signed him for the 1938 film ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]'', also starring [[W. C. Fields]]. The song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]", which later became his trademark, was introduced in the film as a duet with [[Shirley Ross]], accompanied by [[Shep Fields]] and his orchestra.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=110, 113}} The sentimental, fluid nature of the music allowed Hope's writers—he depended heavily upon joke writers throughout his career{{sfn|Lahr|1998}}—to later create variations of the song to fit specific circumstances, such as bidding farewell to troops while on tour or mentioning the names of towns in which he was performing.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=133}}

[[File:Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in Road to Bali.jpg|thumb|upright|Hope and [[Bing Crosby]] sing and dance during the number "Chicago Style" in ''[[Road to Bali]]'' (1952)]]
As a film star, Hope was best known for such comedies as ''[[My Favorite Brunette]]'' and the highly successful "[[Road to ...|Road]]" movies in which he starred with [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Dorothy Lamour]]. The series consists of seven films made between 1940 and 1962: ''[[Road to Singapore]]'' (1940), ''[[Road to Zanzibar]]'' (1941), ''[[Road to Morocco]]'' (1942), ''[[Road to Utopia]]'' (1946), ''[[Road to Rio]]'' (1947), ''[[Road to Bali]]'' (1952), and ''[[The Road to Hong Kong]]'' (1962). At the outset, Paramount executives were amazed at how relaxed and compatible Hope and Crosby were as a team. What the executives didn't know was that Hope and Crosby had already worked together (on the vaudeville stage in 1932), and that working so easily in the "Road" pictures was just an extension of their old stage act.

Hope had seen Lamour performing as a nightclub singer in New York,{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=112}} and invited her to work on his [[United Service Organizations]] (USO) tours of military facilities. Lamour sometimes arrived for filming prepared with her lines, only to be baffled by completely rewritten scripts or ad-libbed dialogue between Hope and Crosby.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=128}} Hope and Lamour were lifelong friends, and she remains the actress most associated with his film career although he made movies with dozens of [[leading lady|leading ladies]], including [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Paulette Goddard]], [[Hedy Lamarr]], [[Lucille Ball]], [[Rosemary Clooney]], [[Jane Russell]], and [[Elke Sommer]].{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=174–180}}

Hope and Crosby teamed not only for the "Road" pictures, but for many stage, radio, and television appearances and many brief movie appearances together over the decades{{Sfn|Quirk|1998|p=127}} until Crosby died in 1977. Although the two invested together in oil leases and other business ventures, worked together frequently, and lived near each other, they rarely saw each other socially.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=127, 137}} After the release of ''Road to Singapore'' (1940), Hope's screen career took off, and he had a long and successful run. After an 11-year hiatus from the "Road" genre, he and Crosby reteamed for ''The Road to Hong Kong'' (1962), starring the 28-year-old [[Joan Collins]] in place of Lamour, whom Crosby thought was too old for the part.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=265}} They had planned one more movie together in 1977, ''The Road to the Fountain of Youth'', but filming was postponed when Crosby was injured in a fall, and the production was canceled when he suddenly died of heart failure that October.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=287}}

Hope starred in 54 theatrical features between 1938 and 1972,{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=41}} as well as cameos and short films. Most of his later movies failed to match the success of his 1940s efforts. He was disappointed with his appearance in ''[[Cancel My Reservation]]'' (1972), his last starring film; critics and filmgoers panned the movie.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=285–286}} Though his career as a film star effectively ended in 1972, he did make a few cameo film appearances into the 1980s.

[[File:Colonnahope.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]] and Hope, as caricatured by [[Sam Berman]] for NBC's 1947 promotional book]]
Hope's [[Bob Hope television appearances|career in broadcasting]] began on radio in 1934. His first regular series for [[NBC Radio]] was the ''Woodbury Soap Hour'' in 1937, on a 26-week contract. Serving as the master of ceremonies for these ''Rippling Rhythm Revue'' radio broadcasts, Hope collaborated with the big band leader [[Shep Fields]] during this period of transition from vaudeville to radio.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC |title=On the Air: the Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |section=The Bob Hope Show |author-last=Dunning |author-first=John |publisher=Oxford University Press |publication-place=New York |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-19-977078-6 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22The+Bob+Hope+Show+105%22+%22Music+Shep+Fields%22&pg=PA105 105-109]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ffiDAAAQBAJ |title=Bob Hope: A Tribute |author-last=Strait |author-first=Raymond |publisher=Crossroad Press |date=2016 |chapter=Chapter 11. Bob Hope, Shep Fields and The Rippling Rhythm Revue |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ffiDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT74}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/news-photo/british-born-american-comedian-bob-hope-master-of-news-photo/79750132|title=British-born American comedian Bob Hope, master of ceremonies on NBC...|website=Getty Images|date=February 14, 2008 }}</ref> A year later, ''[[The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope]]'' began, and Hope signed a ten-year contract with the show's sponsor, [[Lever Brothers]]. He hired eight writers and paid them out of his salary of $2,500 a week. The original staff included [[Mel Shavelson]], [[Norman Panama]], [[Jack Rose (screenwriter)|Jack Rose]], [[Sherwood Schwartz]], and Schwartz's brother [[Al Schwartz (writer)|Al]]. The writing staff eventually grew to fifteen.{{sfn|Nachman|1998|p=144}} The show became the top radio program in the country. Regulars on the series included [[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]] and [[Barbara Jo Allen]] as spinster Vera Vague. Hope continued his lucrative career in radio into the 1950s, when radio's popularity began being overshadowed by the upstart television medium.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=30–32}}{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=92–103}}

=== 1950–1979: Television specials ===
Hope did many specials for the NBC television network in the following decades, beginning in April 1950. He was one of the first people to use [[cue card]]s. The shows often were sponsored by [[Frigidaire]] (early 1950s), [[General Motors]] (1955–61), [[Chrysler]] (1963–73), and [[Texaco]] (1975–85).{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=47–48}} Hope's Christmas specials were popular favorites and often featured a performance of "[[Silver Bells]]"—from his 1951 film ''[[The Lemon Drop Kid]]''—done as a duet with an often much younger female guest star such as [[Barbara Mandrell]], [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[Barbara Eden]], and [[Brooke Shields]],{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=160}} or with his wife Dolores, a former singer with whom he dueted on two specials.

On April 26, 1970, [[CBS]] released the [[Raquel Welch]] television special ''[[Raquel!]]''; in it Hope appears as a guest.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Du Brow|first=Rick|date=April 23, 1970|title=Sunday night 'special' features Raquel Welch|page=6|work=The News-Herald}}</ref> Hope's 1970 Christmas special for NBC—filmed in [[Vietnam]] in front of military audiences at the height of the war—is on the list of the [[List of most watched television broadcasts in the United States#The highest-rated broadcasts of all time|highest-rated broadcasts in U.S. history]]. It was seen by more than 60 percent of the U.S. households watching television.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=48}} Likely the most unusual of his television specials was ''Joys!'', a parody of murder mystery narratives, where the audience discovers at the end of the broadcast that Johnny Carson was the villain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joys1 {Bob Hope} (TV) |url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=&p=1&item=B:07257 |access-date=July 30, 2023 |website=www.paleycenter.org}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=McDonough |first=Dick |title=Joys! |date=March 5, 1976 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164066/ |type=Comedy, Mystery |access-date=July 30, 2023 |others=Bob Hope, Don Adams, Jack Albertson |publisher=Hope Enterprises}}</ref>

Beginning in early 1950, Hope licensed rights to publish a [[celebrity comics|celebrity comic book]] titled ''[[The Adventures of Bob Hope]]'' to National Periodical Publications, alias [[DC Comics]]. The comic, originally featuring publicity stills of Hope on the cover, was entirely made up of fictional stories, eventually including fictitious relatives, a high school taught by movie monsters, and a superhero called [[Super-Hip]].<ref name=RetFan25>{{cite magazine |first=Mark |last=Voger |date=March 2023 |title=Send in the Clowns: Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis in the DC Universe |url=https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1678&zenid=2hgu5onnn6uguc8o85oh8pf7q6 |magazine=RetroFan |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |location=United States |issue=25 |pages=33–39}}</ref> It was published intermittently and continued publication through issue No. 109 in 1969. Writers included [[Arnold Drake]], and illustrators included [[Bob Oksner]] and (for the last four issues) [[Neal Adams]].<ref name=RetFan25/> Hope reprised his role as Huck Haines in a 1958 production of ''Roberta'' at [[The Muny]] Theater in [[Forest Park (St. Louis, Missouri)|Forest Park in]] [[St. Louis, Missouri]].<ref name="The Muny 1958"/> Additionally, Hope rescued the [[The Bob Hope Theatre|Eltham Little Theatre]] in England from closure by providing funds to buy the property. He continued his interest and support, and regularly visited the facility when in London. The theater was renamed in his honor in 1982.<ref name="bobhopetheatre 100th"/>

{{Gallery
| title        =
| height       = 170
| width        = 160
| align        = center
| footer       =
|File:Gable Grant Hope Niven 1950s.jpg
 |With [[Clark Gable]], [[Cary Grant]], and [[David Niven]] in the 1950s
|File:Jack Hope Jack Benny Bob Hope 1954.JPG
 |Hope (right) with his brother [[Jack Hope|Jack]] (seated), who produced his early 1950s show, with comedian [[Jack Benny]]
|File:Bob Hope James Garner 1961.JPG
 |Hope with [[James Garner]] (1961)
|Bob Hope, Jill St. John, and others.jpg
 |With [[Jill St. John]] and entourage at [[LAX]] in 1964
}}

===1980–1996: Later appearances===
Hope made a guest appearance on ''The Golden Girls'', season 4, episode 17 (aired February 25, 1989) called "You Gotta Have Hope" in which Rose is convinced Bob Hope is her father. In 1992, Hope made a guest appearance as himself on the animated Fox series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in the episode "[[Lisa the Beauty Queen]]" (season 4, episode 4).<ref name="Simpsons Season 4"/> His 90th birthday television celebration in May 1993, ''Bob Hope: The First 90 Years'', won an [[Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special.<ref name="Emmys 1993"/> Toward the end of his career, worsening vision problems rendered him unable to read his cue cards.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=291}} In October 1996, he announced he was ending his 60-year contract with NBC, joking that he "decided to become a free agent".<ref name="Errico 1996"/> His final television special, ''Laughing with the Presidents'', was broadcast in November 1996, with host [[Tony Danza]] helping him present a personal retrospective of [[President of the United States|presidents of the United States]] known to Hope, a frequent White House visitor over the years.<ref name=scott>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/bob-hope-laughing-with-the-presidents-1200447671/|title=Bob Hope Laughing with the Presidents|first1=Tony|last1=Scott|date=November 18, 1996}}</ref> The special, though different from his usual specials, received high praise from ''Variety'',<ref name=scott/> as well as other reviews.<ref name="Seely 2005"/> Following a brief appearance at the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1997, Hope made his last TV appearance in a 1997 commercial about the introduction of [[Big Kmart]], directed by [[Penny Marshall]].<ref name="K-Mart press release 1997"/>

Hope continued an active entertainment career past his 90th birthday, concentrating on his television specials and USO tours. Although he had given up starring in feature films after ''Cancel My Reservation'', he made several cameos in various films and co-starred with [[Don Ameche]] in the 1986 television film ''A Masterpiece of Murder''.<ref name="Turner Movies" /> A television special created for his 80th birthday in 1983 at the [[Kennedy Center]] in Washington, D.C., featured President Ronald Reagan, actress Lucille Ball, comedian-actor-writer [[George Burns]], and many others.<ref name="TV.com" /> In 1985 he was presented with the Life Achievement Award at the [[Kennedy Center Honors]],<ref name="Kennedy Center" /> and in 1998 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent [[Order of the British Empire]] (KBE) by Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. Upon accepting the appointment, Hope quipped, "I'm speechless. 70 years of ad lib material and I'm speechless."<ref name="CBC News" />

== Other ventures ==
=== Academy Awards host ===
Hope was [[Master of Ceremonies|host]] of the Academy Awards ceremony 19 times between 1940 and 1977. His supposedly feigned desire for an Oscar became part of his act.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=154}} While introducing the 1968 telecast, he quipped, "Welcome to the Academy Awards, or, as it's known at my house, [[Passover]]."{{sfn|McCaffrey|2005|p=56}} Although he was never nominated for an Oscar, the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] honored him with four honorary awards, and in 1960 presented him with the [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]], given each year as part of the Oscars ceremony.

=== USO Involvement ===
[[File:BobHopeUSO.jpg|thumb|upright|Hope at a [[USO]] show]]
{{see also|United Service Organizations#Honoring Bob Hope|label 1=USO&nbsp;– Honoring Bob Hope}}
While aboard {{RMS|Queen Mary}} when World War II began in September 1939, Hope volunteered to perform a special show for the passengers, during which he sang "Thanks for the Memory" with rewritten lyrics.{{sfn|Friedrich|1986|p=26}} He performed his first USO show on May 6, 1941, at [[March Field]] in California,{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=113}} and continued to travel and entertain troops for the rest of World War II, later during the [[Korean War]], the Vietnam War, the third phase of the [[Lebanon Civil War]], the latter years of the [[Iran–Iraq War]], and the [[Persian Gulf War]].{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=181–182}} His USO career lasted a half-century during which he headlined 57 times.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=181–182}}

He had a deep respect for the men and women who served in the armed forces, and this was reflected in his willingness to go anywhere to entertain them.<ref name="King" /> However, during the highly controversial [[Vietnam War]], Hope had trouble convincing some performers to join him on tour, but he was accompanied on at least one USO tour by [[Ann-Margret]]. [[Opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War|Anti-war sentiment]] was high, and his pro-troop stance made him a target of criticism from some quarters. Some shows were drowned out by boos; others were listened to in silence.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=251, 254, 258}}

The tours were funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Hope's television sponsors, and by [[NBC]], the network that broadcast the television specials created after each tour from footage shot on location. However, the footage and shows were owned by Hope's own production company, which made them very lucrative ventures for him, as outlined by writer [[Richard Zoglin]] in his 2014 biography ''Hope: Entertainer of the Century''.

Hope sometimes recruited his own family members for USO travel. His wife, Dolores, sang from atop an armored vehicle during the Desert Storm tour, and granddaughter Miranda appeared alongside him on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean.<ref name="King"/> Of Hope's USO shows in World War II, novelist [[John Steinbeck]], who then was working as a war correspondent, wrote in 1943:

{{blockquote|sign=|source=|When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list. 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.{{sfn|Steinbeck|1958|p=65}}}}

{{Gallery
| title        =
| height       = 170
| width        = 160
| align        = center
| footer       =
|File:HopewithGroupMeetsPattonWW2.jpg
 |(Left to Right) Writer [[Hal Block]], Hope, writer/actor Barney Dean, General [[George Patton]], singer [[Frances Langford]], and musician [[Tony Romano (musician)|Tony Romano]] in Sicily on August 21, 1943
|File:Bob Hope and Ann Jillian.jpg
 |Hope and actress [[Ann Jillian]] perform in the USO Christmas Tour during [[Operation Desert Shield]], 1990
}}

[[File:Bob hope lackland afb.jpg|thumb|upright|Hope at [[Lackland Air Force Base]] in Texas in 1990]]
Along with his best friend Bing Crosby, Hope was offered a commission in the United States Navy as lieutenant commander during World War II, but FDR intervened, believing it would be better for troop morale if they kept doing what they were doing by playing for ''all'' branches of military service.{{sfn|Hope|1990|p=119}}

For his service to his nation through the USO, he was awarded the [[Sylvanus Thayer Award]] by the [[United States Military Academy]] at West Point in 1968, the first entertainer to receive the award.<ref name="Thayer award"/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 15, 1968|page=2|title=On The Campus Fronts}}</ref> A 1997 act of [[United States Congress|Congress]] signed by President [[Bill Clinton]] named Hope an "Honorary Veteran". He remarked, "I've been given many awards in my lifetime, but to be numbered among the men and women I admire most is the greatest honor I have ever received."{{sfn|Faith|2003|p=429}} In an homage to Hope, comedian/TV host [[Stephen Colbert]] carried a golf club on stage during the week of USO performances he taped for his TV show ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' during the 2009 season.<ref name="LA Times June 2009"/>

''Dear Bob...: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II,'' written by Martha Bolton (first woman staff writer for Bob Hope) and Linda Hope (his eldest daughter), is a collection of some of his letter to the troops.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/D/Dear-Bob |title=Dear Bob}}</ref>

===Sports car racing===
During a short stint in 1960, Hope became a part owner of the [[Riverside International Raceway]] in [[Moreno Valley, California]], along with [[Los Angeles Rams]] co-owner Fred Levy Jr.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/23/obituaries/fred-levy-jr-football-team-owner-89.html |title=Fred Levy Jr.; Football Team Owner, 89 |agency=Associated Press |work=The New York Times |date=April 23, 1991 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> and oil tycoon Ed Pauley for $800,000 (adjusted to $7.0&nbsp;million in 2020). [[Les Richter]] was made president of the raceway.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-07-sp-405-story.html|title=Last Go-Round Recalls Legends of Famed Track : And Now, Riverside Roars Into History|date=August 7, 1988|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113032649/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-07-sp-405-story.html|archive-date=January 13, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Influence ==
In an interview on [[NPR]], [[Terry Gross]] said, "[[Woody Allen]] and [[Conan O'Brien]] are two of the people who have referred to Bob Hope as influences. And I think influences in part on their own personas as not being this suave, handsome, macho guy." Hope biographer Zoglin agreed saying, "Woody continually said, this was the guy who influenced me more than anyone else. And that character - that kind of scared character, the guy talk - nervous, talking his way through, you know, bad times and scary times. That was Woody Allen's character in ''[[Sleeper (1973 film)|Sleeper]]'' (1973) and ''[[Love and Death]]'' (1975). He always said that he and [[Diane Keaton]] in those films were basically like Hope and [[Bing Crosby|Crosby]]".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.wbur.org/npr/366137941/the-rise-and-fall-of-comedian-bob-hope|title= The Rise And Fall Of Comedian Bob Hope|publisher= WBUR|date= November 24, 2014|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref>

[[Conan O'Brien]] also cited Hope as an influence saying, "I loved Woody Allen. And Woody Allen says, oh, I love Bob Hope really influenced me. And I thought, what are you talking about? How did Bob Hope influence you in any way?...Then I went back and I started looking at seeing some of the movies. And you see it, you see that that the character that Woody Allen does is a character that I think was really, to a large extent invented by Bob Hope."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/conan-obrien/|title= Conan O'Brien Interview|website= American Masters|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref>

== Artistry and legacy ==
[[File:Cat-and-the-Canary-1939.jpg|thumb|[[Douglass Montgomery]], Bob Hope, [[Paulette Goddard]] and [[John Beal (actor)|John Beal]] in ''[[The Cat and the Canary (1939 film)|The Cat and the Canary]]'' (1939)]]
Hope helped establish modern American comedy.<ref name="PBS" /> He was widely praised for his comedic timing and his specialization in the use of [[one-liner joke|one-liner]]s and rapid-fire delivery of jokes. He was known for his style of self-deprecating jokes, first building himself up and then tearing himself down. He performed hundreds of times per year.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=158}} Such early films as ''[[The Cat and the Canary (1939 film)|The Cat and the Canary]]'' (1939) and ''[[The Paleface (1948 film)|The Paleface]]'' (1948) were financially successful and praised by critics,{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=123, 183}} and by the mid-1940s, with his radio program getting good ratings as well, he was one of the most popular entertainers in the United States.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=153}} When Paramount threatened to stop production of the "Road" pictures in 1945, they received 75,000 letters of protest.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=172}}

[[File:Jerry colonna bob hope 1940 nbc.JPG|upright|thumb|Hope and his comic sidekick, [[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]], sporting his trademark handlebar mustache in 1940]]

Hope had no faith in his skills as a dramatic actor, and his performances of that type were not as well received.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=184, 187}} He had been well known in radio until the late 1940s; however, as his ratings began to slip in the 1950s, he switched to television and became an early pioneer of that medium.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=160}}{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=173}} He published several books, notably dictating to [[ghostwriter]]s about his wartime experiences.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=153}}

Although Hope made an effort to keep his material up to date, he never adapted his comic persona or his routines to any great degree. As Hollywood began to transition to the "[[New Hollywood]]" era in the 1960s, he reacted negatively, such as when he hosted the [[40th Academy Awards]] in 1968 and voiced his contempt by mocking the show's delay because of the assassination of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and condescendingly greeted attending younger actors on stage—such as [[Dustin Hoffman]], who was 30 at the time—as children.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Harris|first1=Mark|title=Pictures at a Revolution|date=2008|publisher=Penguin Press|page=409}}</ref> By the 1970s, his popularity was beginning to wane with military personnel and with the movie-going public in general.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=255, 276, 314}} However, he continued doing USO tours into the 1980s{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=161}} and continued to appear on television into the 1990s. Former First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]], a close friend and frequent host to him at the White House, called Hope "America's most honored citizen and our favorite clown".{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=312}}

[[File:Bob Hope playing golf in the Oval Office.png|thumb|upright|Hope, a golf fan, putting a golf ball into an ashtray held by President [[Richard Nixon]] in the [[Oval Office]] in 1973]]
Hope was well known as an avid golfer, playing in as many as 150 charity tournaments a year.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=57}} Introduced to the game in the 1930s while performing in [[Winnipeg]], Canada,<ref name="Manitoba Historic Society 1988"/> he eventually played to a four [[Golf handicap|handicap]]. His love for the game—and the humor he could find in it—made him a sought-after [[foursome (golf)|foursome]] member. He once remarked that President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] gave up golf for painting: "Fewer strokes, you know."<ref name="panews May 1980"/> He also was quoted as saying, "It's wonderful how you can start out with three strangers in the morning, play 18 holes, and by the time the day is over you have three solid enemies."<ref name="Golf Hall of Fame" />

A golf club became an integral [[prop]] for Hope during the standup segments of his television specials and USO shows. In 1978 he putted against the then-two-year-old [[Tiger Woods]] in a television appearance with the actor [[Jimmy Stewart]] on ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''.<ref name="Fox Sports 2012"/>

The [[Bob Hope Classic]], founded in 1960, made history in 1995 when Hope teed up for the opening round in a foursome that included presidents [[Gerald Ford]], [[George H. W. Bush]], and [[Bill Clinton]], the only time three U.S. presidents played in the same golf foursome.<ref name="bhcc History"/> The event, now known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, was one of the few [[PGA Tour]] tournaments that took place over five rounds, until the 2012 tournament when it was cut back to the conventional four.<ref name="Business Wire"/>

Hope had a heavy interest in sports beyond golf and his brief fling as a professional boxer in his youth. In 1946, he bought a small stake in the [[Cleveland Indians]] professional baseball team<ref name="Windsor Star 1946"/> and held it for most of the rest of his life.<ref name="Rea 1982"/> He appeared on the June 3, 1963, cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine wearing an Indians uniform,<ref name="Sports Illustrated cover"/> and sang a special version of "Thanks for the Memory" after the Indians' last game at [[Cleveland Stadium]] on October 3, 1993.<ref name="Dawidziak 2003"/> He also bought a share with Bing Crosby of the [[Los Angeles Rams]] football team in 1947, but sold it in 1962.<ref name="Lodi News 1962"/> He frequently used his television specials to promote the annual AP [[College Football All-America Team]]. The players would come onstage one by one and introduce themselves, then Hope, often dressed in a football uniform, would give a one-liner about the player or his school.<ref name="FWAA 2009"/>

== Acting credits and accolades ==
{{Main|Bob Hope filmography|List of awards and nominations received by Bob Hope}}
[[File:Bob Hope gets plaque on Hill.jpg|thumb|Hope and his wife Dolores on [[Capitol Hill]] as he received an award in 1978]]
Hope was awarded more than 2,000 honors and awards, including 54 honorary university doctorates. In 1963 President [[John F. Kennedy]] awarded him the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] for service to his country.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|pp=152–153}} President [[Lyndon Johnson]] bestowed the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1969 for his service to the armed forces through the [[USO]].<ref name="usa-patriotism.com" /> In 1982 he received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an honor given annually by [[Jefferson Awards]].<ref name="Horchow Award" /> He was presented with the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 1995<ref name="National Medal of Arts" /> and received the [[Ronald Reagan Freedom Award]] in 1997.<ref name="Times Union 1997" /> On June 10, 1980, he became the 64th—and only civilian—recipient of the United States Air Force [[Order of the Sword (United States)|Order of the Sword]] which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the enlisted corps.<ref name="Air University" />

[[File:Nancy Reagan presents Ronald Reagan Freedom Award to Bob Hope.jpg|thumb|[[Nancy Reagan]] prepares to present Hope (then aged 94) with the [[Ronald Reagan Freedom Award]], July 1997]]
Several buildings and facilities were renamed for Hope, including the historic [[Fox Theater (Stockton, California)|Fox Theater]] in downtown [[Stockton, California]],<ref name="Mohawk Group" /> and the [[Bob Hope Airport]] in [[Burbank, California]].<ref name="Daily News 2010" /> There is a Bob Hope Gallery at the [[Library of Congress]].<ref>"Bob Hope Gallery" [http://loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/bob-hope-gallery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919215202/http://loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/bob-hope-gallery/|date=September 19, 2015}}. Retrieved July 14, 2015.</ref> In memory of his mother, Avis Townes Hope, Bob and Dolores Hope gave the [[Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception]] in Washington, D.C., a chapel called the Chapel of [[Our Lady of Hope]].<ref>Mary Claire Campbell, "Bob Hope and His Ladies of Hope: His Mother, Wife and Our Lady of Hope Made All the Difference in His Life", October 19, 2011, [http://ncregister.com/daily-news/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617142248/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope|date=June 17, 2018}}. Retrieved July 14, 2015.</ref> {{USNS|Bob Hope|T-AKR-300}} of the U.S. [[Military Sealift Command]] was named for the performer in 1997. It is one of very few [[List of U.S. military vessels named after living Americans|U.S. naval ships that were named after living people]].<ref name="FAS 2011" /> The Air Force named a [[C-17 Globemaster III]] transport aircraft the ''Spirit of Bob Hope''.<ref name="Warplanes Online Community" />

In 1965, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from [[Whittier College]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whittier.edu/alumni/poetnation/honorary|title=Honorary Degrees {{!}} Whittier College|website=www.whittier.edu|access-date=December 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110064842/https://www.whittier.edu/alumni/poetnation/honorary|archive-date=January 10, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1978, Hope was invited to [[Ohio State University Marching Band#Script Ohio and dotting the "i"|dot the "i"]] in the [[Ohio State University Marching Band]]'s "Script Ohio" formation, an honor only given to non-band members on 14 occasions from 1936 through 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102606aak.html|title=Nicklaus to dot the I on Saturday|date=October 26, 2006|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827165329/http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102606aak.html|archive-date=August 27, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Woody Allen]] wrote and narrated a documentary honoring him, ''My Favorite Comedian'', shown at [[Lincoln Center]].<ref>{{cite news|first1=Judy|last1=Klemesrud|author-link1=Judy Lee Klemesrud|first2=Barney|last2=Taxel|title=Bob Hope Honored at Film Society Gala|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/08/archives/bob-hope-honored-at-film-society-gala-2-theories-on-oversight.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 8, 1979|access-date=May 7, 2023|page=C7}}</ref> In Hope's hometown of Cleveland, the refurbished [[Lorain-Carnegie Bridge]] was renamed the Hope Memorial Bridge in 1983, though differing claims have been made as to whether the bridge honors Hope himself, his entire family, or his stonemason father who helped in the bridge's construction. Also, East 14th Street near [[Playhouse Square]] in Cleveland's theater district was renamed Memory Lane-Bob Hope Way in 2003 in honor of the entertainer's 100th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland19.com/story/1299197/ohio-remembers-bob-hopes-roots-on-his-100th-birthday|title=Ohio remembers Bob Hope's roots on his 100th birthday|date=May 29, 2003 |access-date=July 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822132308/http://www.cleveland19.com/story/1299197/ohio-remembers-bob-hopes-roots-on-his-100th-birthday|archive-date=August 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1992, Hope was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor the football coach's legacy, and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies his spirit. He was also inducted into [[Omicron Delta Kappa]], the National Leadership Honor Society, in 1992 at [[Ferris State University]]. On May 28, 2003, President [[George W. Bush]] established the [[s:Executive Order 13306|Bob Hope American Patriot Award]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Office of the Press Secretary|title=Establishing the Bob Hope American Patriot Award|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2003/06/03/03-14116/establishing-the-bob-hope-american-patriot-award|work=[[Federal Register]]|publisher=[[Federal Government of the United States]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 3, 2003|access-date=April 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502031004/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2003/06/03/03-14116/establishing-the-bob-hope-american-patriot-award|archive-date=May 2, 2017|author1-link=White House Office of the Press Secretary|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Multiple image|perrow=4|total_width=400
| image1 = BOB_HOPE_star_for_Radio_on_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame_photo_by_Steveshelokhonov_20220408_120342.jpg
| image2 = BOB_HOPE_star_for_Television_on_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame_photo_by_Steveshelokhonov_20220408_151025_HDR.jpg
| image3 = BOB_HOPE_star_and_special_plaque_for_Live_performance_on_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame_photo_by_Steveshelokhonov_20220408_145233.jpg
| image4 = BOB_HOPE_star_for_Motion_pictures_on_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame_photo_by_Steveshelokhonov_20220408_121304.jpg
| footer = Bob Hope's four stars for [[Radio broadcasting]], Television, [[United Service Organizations|Live performance]], and Motion pictures on [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in Los Angeles
}}
''' Academy Awards '''
Although he was never nominated for a competitive Oscar, Hope was given five honorary awards by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]:<ref name="awardsdatabase" />
* [[13th Academy Awards]] (1940): Special Award in recognition of his unselfish services to the motion picture industry
* [[17th Academy Awards]] (1944): Special Award for his many services to the academy
* [[25th Academy Awards]] (1952): Honorary Award&nbsp;for his contribution to the laughter of the world, his service to the motion picture industry, and his devotion to the American premise
* [[32nd Academy Awards]] (1959): [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]]
* [[38th Academy Awards]] (1965): Honorary Award: first Academy Gold Medal for unique and distinguished service to the industry and the academy

== Personal life ==
=== Marriage and relationships ===
[[File:Bob Hope and family.jpg|thumb|The Hope family; Back, from left: Tony, Dolores, and Linda; Front, from left: Kelly, Bob, and Nora]]
Hope was briefly married to vaudeville partner Grace Louise Troxell (1912–1992), a secretary from Chicago, Illinois. They were married on January 25, 1933, in Erie, Pennsylvania.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=66}} They divorced in November 1934.<ref name="Sheridan 2014">{{cite news | last = Sheridan | first = Peter | url = http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/499930/Bob-Hope-the-bigamist | title = Bob Hope the Bigamist | work = [[Daily Express]] | date = August 16, 2014 | access-date = August 16, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140816091857/http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/499930/Bob-Hope-the-bigamist | archive-date = August 16, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The couple had shared headliner status with Joe Howard at the Palace Theatre in April 1931, performing "Keep Smiling" and the "Antics of 1931".<ref>The Scranton Republican, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Monday, April 27, 1931, p. 4</ref> They worked together at the RKO Albee, performing the "Antics of 1933" along with Ann Gillens and Johnny Peters in June of that year.<ref>The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, June 28, 1933, p. 35</ref> The following month, singer [[Dolores Reade]] joined Hope's vaudeville troupe and was performing with him at Loew's Metropolitan Theater. She was described as a "former [[Ziegfeld girl|Ziegfeld beauty]] and one of society's favorite nightclub entertainers, having appeared at many private social functions at New York, Palm Beach, and Southampton".<ref>Eagle Brooklyn, New York, Saturday, July 14, 1933, p. 5</ref>

His marriage to Reade was fraught with ambiguities. As [[Richard Zoglin]] wrote in his 2014 biography ''Hope: Entertainer of the Century'', {{blockquote|Bob and Dolores always claimed that they married in February 1934 in Erie, Pennsylvania. But at that time, he was secretly married to his vaudeville partner Louise Troxell, after three years together on and off. I found divorce papers for Bob and Louise dated November 1934, so either Bob Hope was a bigamist, or he lied about marrying Dolores in February that year. He had actually married Louise in January 1933 in Erie when they were traveling on the vaudeville circuit. When he claimed he had married Dolores in Erie he was miles away in New York, on Broadway. More intriguing, there is no record anywhere of his marriage to Dolores, if it happened. And there are no wedding photos, either. But he never forgot Louise and quietly sent her money in her later years.<ref name="Sheridan 2014" />}}

Dolores had been one of Hope's co-stars on Broadway in ''Roberta''. The couple adopted four children: Linda (in 1939), Anthony "Tony" (1940–2004),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holley |first1=Joe |title=Bob Hope's Son, Lobbyist Anthony Hope, 63, Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/07/04/bob-hopes-son-lobbyist-anthony-hope-63-dies/e1e4202b-be7d-4415-9d08-9211c14ff4f2/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> Kelly (1946), and Eleanora "Nora" (1946).{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=86–87}} Bob and Dolores were also the legal guardians of Tracey, the youngest daughter of famous New York City bar owner [[Toots Shor|Bernard "Toots" Shor]] and his wife, Marion "Baby" Shor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krell |first1=David |title=Bob Hope |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bob-hope/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> In 1935, the couple lived in Manhattan. In 1937, they moved to 10346 Moorpark Street in the [[Toluca Lake]] neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they would reside until their respective deaths.<ref>1940 US Census via Ancestry.com</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/arts/music/dolores-hope-bob-hopes-widow-dies-at-102.html|title = Dolores Hope, Singer and Bob Hope's Widow, Dies at 102|date = September 20, 2011|accessdate = February 3, 2022|last = Gates|first = Anita|work = [[The New York Times]]|url-access = limited}}</ref>

Hope had a reputation as a womanizer and continued to see other women throughout his marriage.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=82, 90}} Zoglin wrote that Hope had several "affairs with chorus girls, beauty queens, singers and showbiz wannabes". Women who have claimed to have been romantically linked to Hope include [[Barbara Payton]], [[Marilyn Maxwell]], and [[Rosemarie Frankland]].{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=65}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|pp=66, 67}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=311}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=313}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=313}}<ref name="Arthur Marx 1993"/>

=== Politics and beliefs ===
[[File:Campaign event in California - NARA - 194741.jpg|thumb|From left to right: [[Spiro Agnew|Spiro]] and [[Judy Agnew]], Bob and [[Dolores Hope]], [[Richard Nixon|Richard]] and [[Pat Nixon]], [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] during a campaign stop for the [[Nixon-Agnew ticket]] in California, 1971]]
Hope had extensive relationships with US presidents from [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to [[Bill Clinton]] and often made topical political jokes in his comedic material. He hosted the [[White House Correspondents Dinner]] three times in 1944, 1953, and 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whca.net/1944.htm |title=Big Names Abound at Press Banquet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501092117/http://www.whca.net/1944.htm |archive-date=May 1, 2013|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=March 6, 1944}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969): About this item|url=http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/blurringlines/hopeandpresidents/ExhibitObjects/Eisenhower.aspx |work=Library of Congress Eisenhower Archives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618190310/http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/blurringlines/hopeandpresidents/ExhibitObjects/Eisenhower.aspx |archive-date=June 18, 2013|access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ford">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061227/ai_n17077415 |title=Humor played big role in Ford's persona|work=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|date=December 27, 2006|first=Bruce |last=Fessier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422214758/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061227/ai_n17077415|archive-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref> Hope was supportive politically of conservative presidents such as [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/pubserv.html|title= Public Service - Bob Hope|website= [[Library of Congress]]|date= May 10, 2000|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/hope-and-the-presidents.html|title= Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture|website= [[Library of Congress]]|date= July 11, 2010|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref>

In an interview with Hope biographer Richard Zoglin on [[NPR]] he stated that "Bob Hope was the establishment. Bob Hope was friends with [[Nixon]]. Bob Hope was speaking in favor of the [[Vietnam War]]. Bob Hope was expressing that kind of backward, suburban, [[WASP]] view of minorities, homosexuals, the [[women's movement]]."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2014/11/24/366137941/the-rise-and-fall-of-comedian-bob-hope|title= The Rise And Fall Of Comedian Bob Hope|work= NPR|date= November 24, 2014|publisher= [[NPR]]|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref> Hope's beliefs and attitudes of the social issues are a part of the plot of the 2020 film ''[[Misbehaviour (film)|Misbehaviour]]'', which follows the [[Women's Liberation]] protests at the [[Miss World 1970]] competition that Hope hosted; [[Greg Kinnear]] plays Hope.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gilbey|first=Ryan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/06/greg-kinnear-on-misbehaviour-and-metoo-where-were-human-resources-in-the-1990s|title=Greg Kinnear on Misbehaviour and #MeToo: 'Where were human resources in the 1990s?'|date=March 6, 2020|work=The Guardian|access-date=March 8, 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308214602/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/06/greg-kinnear-on-misbehaviour-and-metoo-where-were-human-resources-in-the-1990s|archive-date=March 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan talking with Bob Hope.jpg|thumb|Hope (left) with [[Nancy Reagan]] and President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981]]
After the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1981, Hope advocated for gun control. Hope told [[Tom Shales]] of ''The Washington Post'', "I'm for gun registration. I don't think any jerk that's coked up or anything should be allowed to walk in a store and buy a gun and turn around and shoot 19 people, you know? ... And what the hell, hunters can have their guns, they're registered. I've got a gun in each house for a warning thing; that can be registered ... They gotta tell me what's wrong with having them registered. That's all I wanna hear."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=June 6, 1981 |title=Bob Hope steps out in favor of gun control |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/293273171 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> When Hope shared these views during an [[ABC News Radio|ABC Radio]] interview, he quickly realized the repercussions. Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]], who was visiting [[West Point]] the same day Hope taped a special there, had declined to meet with him. Additionally, at a luncheon in Washington that same week, Hope had planned to sit with Nancy Reagan, but she canceled at the last minute.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1981 |title=Bob Missed Nancy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-05211981-reagans-ditch-hope/102707131/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |work=Daily News |page=296}}</ref>

Hope's views on the gay community also evolved. At the height of [[Anita Bryant]]'s campaign to reverse the progress of gay rights and anti-discrimination legislation in Florida in 1977, he, as well as many other comedians, ridiculed her in their routines, but also expressed his disagreement with Bryant: "We're all entitled to our own sexual habits [and] I believe what these people do behind closed doors is their business ... Most of us today are aware of Anita Bryant's stand [but] I still think jobs should be based on talent, not whether a person is homosexual or heterosexual."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Hope: Why I don't agree with the war on homosexuals |website=[[Library of Congress]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/blurringlines/controversy/Assets/}}</ref> However, Texaco and Chrysler, sponsors for many of his TV specials, asked him to refrain from making further jokes about the subject.<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Larry |date=February 7, 1978 |title=From 'starvation' to war—Hope survived it all |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-02071978-larry-king-gri/101610342/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |work=The Miami News |pages=13}}</ref> In February 1986, he joined [[Elizabeth Taylor]], to cohost a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Arizona AIDS Fund Trust in [[Scottsdale, AZ]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coolidge |first=Joy |date=February 8, 1986 |title=Anti-AIDS crusade: Benefit activities to generate funds for education, service |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-02081986-bh-to-ap/101937042/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |work=The Arizona Republic |pages=34}}</ref> Though expressing these supportive views, he occasionally used epithets and told jokes at the expense of the community yet showed remorse when called on it. During a performance at [[Liberty Weekend]] in 1986, Hope remarked, "I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS, but she doesn't know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Ferry."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=July 30, 1986 |title=Hope's Joke |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-30-me-18831-story.html |access-date=February 7, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Two months later, Hope took responsibility for telling the joke and apologized, explaining that he overheard the joke and thought it was funny.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1986 |title=hope apology to wayne friday re statue of liberty joke via herb caen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-hope-apology-to-wayn/122642609/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |work=Ventura County Star |pages=105}}</ref> When Hope used the word "fag" on a 1988 ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|Tonight Show]]'' appearance, [[GLAAD]] asked for a statement apologizing for the slur. He agreed to tape a public service announcement opposing "bigotry" on their behalf.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDO34rXZJg4 |title=1989 Bob Hope GLAAD Public Service Announcement |date=October 28, 2011 |last=floridalgbtqmuseum |access-date=February 7, 2025 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy and estate ===
Hope, who suffered from vision problems for much of his adult life, served as an active honorary chairman on the board of [[Fight for Sight (U.S.)|Fight for Sight]], a nonprofit organization in the United States which funds medical research in vision and ophthalmology. He hosted its ''Lights On'' telecast in 1960 and donated $100,000 ($1.04M in 2024) to establish the Bob Hope Fight for Sight Fund.<ref name="Fight for Sight"/> Hope recruited numerous top celebrities for the annual "Lights On" fundraiser. As an example, he hosted boxing champion [[Joe Frazier]], actress [[Yvonne De Carlo]], and singer-actor [[Sergio Franchi]] as headliners for the April 25, 1971, show at Philharmonic Hall in [[Milwaukee]].<ref name="Wilson 1971"/>

Hope settled into a home custom built for him in 1939 on an {{convert|87000|sqft|m2|0|adj=on}} lot in the [[Toluca Lake]] section of [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] in the [[San Fernando Valley]]. It was put on the market in late 2012.{{sfn|Mikailian|2012}}

His [[Modernist]] [[Palm Springs]] {{convert|23366|sqft|m2|0|adj=on}} [[Hope Residence|home]], built to resemble a volcano, was designed in 1973 by [[John Lautner]]. It is located above the city, with panoramic views of the [[Coachella Valley]] and the [[San Jacinto Mountains]]. It was put on the market for the first time in February 2013 with an asking price of $50&nbsp;million.<ref name="NYTimes February 2013" /> It sold in November 2016 for $13&nbsp;million to investor [[Ron Burkle]], far below its 2013 asking price.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13643418/bob-hope-lautner-home-palm-springs-sold|title=Bob Hope's Lautner-designed Palm Springs home finally finds a buyer|first=Elijah|last=Chiland|date=November 15, 2016|website=Curbed LA|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112130035/https://la.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13643418/bob-hope-lautner-home-palm-springs-sold|archive-date=November 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Advanced age and death ===
At the age of 93, seven years before his death, Hope converted to [[Catholicism]], his wife’s faith.<ref name="seeing-stars St Charles"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kendall |first1=Mary Clark |title=Bob Hope and His Ladies of Hope |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryclairekendall/2012/09/19/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope/ |website=Forbes |access-date=January 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124033213/http://www.forbes.com/sites/maryclairekendall/2012/09/19/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope/#1536da7de6e0 |archive-date=November 24, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 1997 at age 94, he attended the funeral of [[James Stewart]], where many pointed out his frail appearance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/USA-CELEBRITIES-ATTEND-MEMORIAL-CEREMONY-FOR-ACTOR-JIMMY-STEWART/5f9bc3ae3916555240cf17d55d304f72?query=CELEBRITY+NEWS&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=30&referrer=search&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DCELEBRITY%2520NEWS%26allFilters%3DBob%2520Hope%3APeople&allFilters=Bob+Hope%3APeople&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1&b=304f72 |title=AP |access-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728035741/http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/USA-CELEBRITIES-ATTEND-MEMORIAL-CEREMONY-FOR-ACTOR-JIMMY-STEWART/5f9bc3ae3916555240cf17d55d304f72?query=CELEBRITY+NEWS&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=30&referrer=search&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DCELEBRITY%2520NEWS%26allFilters%3DBob%2520Hope%3APeople&allFilters=Bob+Hope%3APeople&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1&b=304f72 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the age of 95, Hope made an appearance at the 50th anniversary of the [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] with [[Milton Berle]] and [[Sid Caesar]]. Contemporaries [[Fay Wray]] and [[Gloria Stuart]] were also present.<ref name="Gallo 1998"/> Two years later, he was present at the opening of the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment at the [[Library of Congress]]. The Library of Congress has presented two major exhibitions about Hope's life: "Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture" and "Bob Hope and American Variety".<ref name="myloc hopeforamerica"/><ref name="loc bobhope"/> He last made an appearance at the Hope Classic in 2000, where he hugged Swedish golfer [[Jesper Parnevik]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/2404924/Hope-left-golf-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank.html|title=Hope left golf laughing all the way to the bank|first=Art|last=Spander|date=May 28, 2003|access-date=April 7, 2020|work=The Daily Telegraph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118103857/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/2404924/Hope-left-golf-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank.html|archive-date=November 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bob Hope Grave.JPG|thumb|upright|Graves of Bob and Dolores Hope, on the grounds of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España]]
In 1998, five years before his death, a prepared obituary written by [[the Associated Press]] was inadvertently released, resulting in Hope's death being announced on the floor of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]].<ref name="c-span June 1998"/>{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=313}} However, aside from increasing frailty, Hope remained in relatively good health until late in his old age.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=148}} In June 2000 at age 97, he spent nearly a week in a California hospital being treated for [[gastrointestinal bleeding]].<ref name="CNN June 2000"/> In August 2001 at age 98, he spent close to two weeks in a hospital recovering from [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2001/08/bob-hope-hospitalized-for-pneumonia/|title=Bob Hope Hospitalized for Pneumonia|magazine=Wired }}</ref><ref name="guardian September 2001"/>

Hope celebrated his 100th birthday on May 29, 2003.<ref name="USA Today May 2003"/> To mark this event, the intersection of [[Hollywood and Vine]] in Los Angeles was named "Bob Hope Square" and his centennial was declared "Bob Hope Day" in 35 states. Even at 100, Hope maintained his self-deprecating sense of humor, quipping, "I'm so old, they've canceled my [[blood type]]."<ref name="bbcdeath"/>

On July 27, 2003, Hope died of pneumonia at his home in [[Toluca Lake, California]].<ref name="bbcdeath" /> His grandson Zach Hope told [[Soledad O'Brien]] in an interview that, when asked at the end of his life where he wished to be buried, he said, "Surprise me".<ref name="CNN July 29, 2003"/> His remains were temporarily placed in a mausoleum vault at the [[San Fernando Mission Cemetery]] before the construction of the Bob Hope Memorial Garden at the [[San Fernando Mission]], located next door to the cemetery, in Los Angeles. Dolores died in 2011, aged 102.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/bob-hope-buried-after-private-funeral/article_ceec5199-0eb0-500c-8d8a-f0cff71aa5b7.html|title=Bob Hope buried after private funeral|website=Sioux City Journal|date=July 30, 2003 |access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071417/https://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/bob-hope-buried-after-private-funeral/article_ceec5199-0eb0-500c-8d8a-f0cff71aa5b7.html|archive-date=September 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Doyle 2005"/> After his death, newspaper cartoonists worldwide paid tribute to his work for the USO, and some featured drawings of [[Bing Crosby]], who had died in 1977, welcoming Hope to Heaven.<ref name="fac-assoc.org"/>

== Discography ==
''' Singles '''
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Single
! scope="col" | [[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop<br />Chart]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Pop Memories: 1890–1954|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|year=1986|publisher=Record Research}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | 1936
| "De-Lovely" (eponym of 2004 film biography of Cole Porter)
|align="center"|--
|-
! scope="row" | 1938
|"[[Thanks for the Memory]]" ([[Oscar for Best Original Song]]) ''(Bob Hope and [[Shirley Ross]])''
|align="center"|--
|-
! scope="row" | 1939
|"[[Two Sleepy People]]" (B-side) ''(Bob Hope and Shirley Ross)''
|align="center"|15
|-
! scope="row" | 1945
|"[[(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco]]" ''([[Bing Crosby]] and Bob Hope)''
|align="center"|21
|-
! scope="row" | 1948
| "Buttons and Bows" (Oscar for Best Original Song)
|align="center"|--
|-
! scope="row" | 1950
|"Blind Date" ''([[Margaret Whiting]] and Bob Hope)''
|align="center"|16
|-
! scope="row" | 1951
|"Silver Bells (Christmas song)
|align="center"|--
|}

== See also ==
* [[Bob Hope bibliography]]
* [[Bob Hope television specials]]

== References ==
{{reflist
| colwidth =
| refs =
<ref name="bbcdeath">{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3103751.stm
| title = Comedian Bob Hope dies
| work = [[BBC News]]
| date = July 28, 2003
| access-date = August 18, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023204648/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3103751.stm
| archive-date = October 23, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Library of Congress">{{cite web
| url = http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/R?cp105:FLD010:@1(hr109)
| title = Committee Reports: 105th Congress (1997–1998): House Report 105-109
| publisher = [[Library of Congress]]
| access-date = August 3, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141008034548/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/R?cp105:FLD010:@1(hr109)
| archive-date = October 8, 2014
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="loc.gov Early Life">{{cite web
| url = https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/early.html
| title = Bob Hope and the American Variety: Early Life
| date = May 10, 2000
| publisher = Library of Congress
| access-date = August 3, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121015182643/http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/early.html
| archive-date = October 15, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="ohiohistorycentral">{{cite web
| url = http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2113
| title = Boys' Industrial School
| publisher = Ohio Historical Society
| date = July 1, 2005
| access-date = August 7, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628204203/http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2113
| archive-date = June 28, 2011
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Simpsons Season 4">{{cite web
| url = http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-4_episode-4
| title = The Simpsons: Lisa and the Beauty Queen
| publisher = Fox Broadcasting Company
| access-date = August 17, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120705153215/http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-4_episode-4
| archive-date = July 5, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Emmys 1993">{{cite web
| url = http://www.emmys.com/shows/bob-hope-first-90-years
| title = Bob Hope: The First 90 Years: NBC
| publisher = [[Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]]
| access-date = August 17, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304232208/http://www.emmys.com/shows/bob-hope-first-90-years
| archive-date = March 4, 2016
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Errico 1996">
{{cite web
| url = http://ca.eonline.com/news/33692/bob-hope-liberated-from-nbc-after-60-years
| title = Bob Hope Liberated from NBC After 60 Years
| last = Errico
| first = Marcus
| date = October 23, 1996
| publisher = E! Entertainment Television
| access-date = August 18, 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Seely 2005">{{cite web
| url = http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2005-11-30/film/bob-hope-s-laughing-with-the-presidents-1997/
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130202003100/http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2005-11-30/film/bob-hope-s-laughing-with-the-presidents-1997/
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = February 2, 2013
| title = Bob Hope's Laughing with the Presidents (1997)
| last = Seely
| first = Mike
| date = November 30, 2005
| work = [[The Riverfront Times]]
| access-date = August 17, 2012
}}</ref>

<ref name="K-Mart press release 1997">{{cite web
| url = http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/kmart/pressrelease/1997/pr971023.htm
| title = Kmart Launches Celebrity-Studded TV Ad Campaign for New Big Kmart
| last1 = Lorencz
| first1 = Mary
| last2 = Baldwin
| first2 = Paula
| date = October 23, 1997
| work = Press release
| publisher = [[Sears Holdings Corporation]]
| access-date = August 17, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130606070434/http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/kmart/pressrelease/1997/pr971023.htm
| archive-date = June 6, 2013
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="King">
{{Cite journal
| last = King
| first = Larry
| title = Interview Q&A between Hope-Smith and Z. Hope: Tribute to Bob Hope
| journal = [[Larry King Live]]
| publisher = CNN Transcripts
| date = August 27, 2003
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Thayer award">{{cite web
| url = http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=461
| title = 1968 Sylvanus Thayer Award: Bob Hope
| date = October 10, 1968
| publisher = West Point Association of Graduates
| access-date = August 6, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111128191543/http://westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=461
| archive-date = November 28, 2011
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="LA Times June 2009">{{cite news
| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-13-ed-colbert13-story.html
| title = A salute for Stephen Colbert
| work = [[Los Angeles Times]]
| date = June 13, 2009
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120715081610/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/13/opinion/ed-colbert13
| archive-date = July 15, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="The Muny 1958">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.muny.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=407:june-16-1958&catid=48:on-this-day&Itemid=283
| title = Comedian Bob Hope opened in The Muny's production of ''Roberta''
| date = June 16, 1958
| publisher = [[The Muny]]
| access-date = August 14, 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="bobhopetheatre 100th">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk/hundredth.htm
| title = Bob Hope's 100th Birthday
| publisher = [[The Bob Hope Theatre]]
| date = May 29, 2003
| access-date = August 14, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120222085335/http://www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk/hundredth.htm
| archive-date = February 22, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="panews May 1980">{{cite news
| url = http://panews.com/sportsbobwest/x681447531/Bob-Hope-hooked-for-life-by-golf-Hughen-students
| title = Bob Hope hooked for life by golf, Hughen students
| last = West
| first = Bob
| newspaper = [[The Port Arthur News]]
| date = May 31, 1980
| access-date = July 19, 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100718093050/http://panews.com/sportsbobwest/x681447531/Bob-Hope-hooked-for-life-by-golf-Hughen-students
| archive-date = July 18, 2010
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Golf Hall of Fame">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/bob-hope/
| title = Profile: Bob Hope
| publisher = World Golf Hall of Fame
| access-date = September 4, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131021191350/http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/bob-hope/
| archive-date = October 21, 2013
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Fox Sports 2012">{{cite web
| url = http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/Bob-Hope-name-missing-as-PGA-Tour-event-begins-new-era-011712
| title = New era dawns in California desert
| date = January 18, 2012
| publisher = Fox Broadcasting Company
| access-date = August 10, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226024125/http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/Bob-Hope-name-missing-as-PGA-Tour-event-begins-new-era-011712
| archive-date = February 26, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Business Wire">{{cite web
| url = http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111206005943/en/Humana-Challenge-Unveils-Tournament-Details-Structure-Media
| title = Humana Challenge Unveils Tournament Details and Structure at Media Day
| date = December 6, 2011
| publisher = [[Business Wire]]
| access-date = August 10, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120108163157/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111206005943/en/Humana-Challenge-Unveils-Tournament-Details-Structure-Media
| archive-date = January 8, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="bhcc History">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.bhcc.com/history.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000301231729/http://www.bhcc.com/history.html
| title = Tournament History
| publisher = Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
| archive-date = March 1, 2000
| access-date = August 17, 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Boxing-Scoop.com">{{cite web
| url = http://www.boxing-scoop.com/show_boxer.php?boxer_ID=11277
| title = Bob Hope
| publisher = Boxing-scoop.com
| access-date = April 11, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120723115331/http://www.boxing-scoop.com/show_boxer.php?boxer_ID=11277
| archive-date = July 23, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Windsor Star 1946">
{{cite news
| title = Bing Crosby Buys Chunk of Pirates As Club Sold to New Owners' Group
| newspaper=[[Windsor Daily Star]]
| date = August 9, 1946
| page = Second section, p. 3
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Rea 1982">
{{cite news
| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19820821&id=IFwxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1685,248388
| title = Why Bob Hope's Still on the Road
| last = Rea
| first = Steven X
| date = August 21, 1982
| newspaper = [[Montreal Gazette]]
| page = E–1
| access-date = August 10, 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Sports Illustrated cover">{{cite magazine
| url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/7822/index.htm
| title = SI Vault: Bob Hope
| magazine = [[Sports Illustrated]]
| publisher = [[Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network]]
| access-date = August 12, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130124234621/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/7822/index.htm
| archive-date = January 24, 2013
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Dawidziak 2003">
{{cite news
| url = http://www.cleveland.com/homegrown/index.ssf?/homegrown/more/hope/allroads.html
| title = For our favorite son Bob Hope, all roads lead back home to Ohio
| last = Dawidziak
| first = Mark
| date = May 29, 2003
| work = [[Cleveland Plain Dealer]]
| access-date = August 12, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607122530/http://www.cleveland.com/homegrown/index.ssf?%2Fhomegrown%2Fmore%2Fhope%2Fallroads.html
| archive-date = June 7, 2011
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Lodi News 1962">
{{cite news
| title = Reeves Buys Rams For $4.8 Million
| newspaper = [[Lodi News-Sentinel]]
| publisher = Marty Weybret
| date = December 28, 1962
| page = 9
}}
</ref>

<ref name="FWAA 2009">{{cite news
| url = http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2009/allamerica091212.html
| title = FWAA Names 2009 All-American Team
| date = December 12, 2009
| publisher = [[Football Writers Association of America]]
| access-date = August 12, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100120050312/http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2009/allamerica091212.html
| archive-date = January 20, 2010
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<!--unused<ref name="NY Times July 2004">{{cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/us/anthony-j-hope-63-head-of-panel-and-bob-hope-s-son.html
| title = Anthony J. Hope, 63, Head Of Panel and Bob Hope's Son
| work = The New York Times
| date = July 2, 2004
| access-date = June 10, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120610221925/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/us/anthony-j-hope-63-head-of-panel-and-bob-hope-s-son.html
| archive-date = June 10, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>-->

<ref name="Arthur Marx 1993">
{{cite book
| last = Marx
| first = Arthur
| title = The Secret Life of Bob Hope: An Unauthorized Biography
| location = Fort Lee, New Jersey
| publisher = Barricade Books
| year = 1993
| isbn = 978-0-942637-74-8
| url = https://archive.org/details/secretlifeofbobh00marx
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Fight for Sight">{{cite web
| url = http://www.fightforsight.org/About-Us/History/
| title = History: Fight for Sight Leaders: ''Lights On'' Fundraiser, Celebrity Supporters
| publisher = [[Fight for Sight (U.S.)|Fight for Sight]]
| access-date = August 14, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120327064113/http://www.fightforsight.org/About-Us/History/
| archive-date = March 27, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Wilson 1971">
{{cite news
| title = Sergio Franchi & Yvonne de Carlo featured at "Fight for Sight" Benefit
| last = Wilson
| first = Earl
| date = April 14, 1971
| work = [[The Milwaukee Sentinel]]
| location = [[Milwaukee, WI]]
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Turner Movies">{{cite web
| url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/414251/a-masterpiece-of-murder
| title = A Masterpiece of Murder (1896)
| publisher = Turner Classic Movies
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130607181719/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/414251/Masterpiece-Of-Murder-A/
| archive-date = June 7, 2013
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="TV.com">{{cite web
| url = http://www.tv.com/shows/the-bob-hope-show/happy-birthday-bob-1234104/
| title = The Bob Hope Show: Happy Birthday, Bob!
| publisher = [[CBS Corporation]]
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130325075543/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-bob-hope-show/happy-birthday-bob-1234104/
| archive-date = March 25, 2013
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Kennedy Center">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history.cfm
| title = History of Past Honorees
| publisher = [[Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]]
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081209052332/http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history.cfm
| archive-date = December 9, 2008
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="CBC News">{{cite web
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/hope_bob/index.html
| title = Bob Hope: Thanks for the memory
| last = Ward
| first = Linda
| publisher = [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121108122256/http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/hope_bob/index.html
| archive-date = November 8, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Gallo 1998">
{{cite web
| url = https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117477843?refcatid=32&printerfriendly=true
| title = The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
| last = Gallo
| first = Phil
| date = September 12, 1998
| work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]
| access-date = August 16, 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="myloc hopeforamerica">
{{cite web
| url = http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/Pages/default.aspx?sc_id=wikip
| title = Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture
| publisher = Library of Congress
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120729223241/http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/Pages/default.aspx?sc_id=wikip
| archive-date = July 29, 2012
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="loc bobhope">{{cite web
| url = https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/?sc_id=wikip
| title = Bob Hope and American Variety
| date = May 10, 2000
| publisher = Library of Congress
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121103053929/http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/?sc_id=wikip
| archive-date = November 3, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="seeing-stars St Charles">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.seeing-stars.com/Churches/StCharles.shtml
| title = St. Charles Catholic Church
| publisher = Gary Wayne
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120826102838/http://www.seeing-stars.com/Churches/StCharles.shtml
| archive-date = August 26, 2012
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="c-span June 1998">{{cite video
| url = http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/HouseSession1679
| title = House Session
| date = June 5, 1998
| time = 6:01:45
| publisher = C-SPAN
| access-date = July 15, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121018101054/http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/HouseSession1679
| archive-date = October 18, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="CNN June 2000">
{{cite web
| url = http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/07/bob.hope.03/
| title = Bob Hope released from hospital
| publisher = CNN
| date = June 7, 2000
| access-date = August 18, 2011
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121001045357/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/07/bob.hope.03/
| archive-date = October 1, 2012
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="guardian September 2001">{{cite news
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/04/news1
| title = Bob Hope stays in hospital
| newspaper = [[The Guardian]]
| date = September 4, 2001
| access-date = August 7, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140509221820/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/04/news1
| archive-date = May 9, 2014
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="CNN July 29, 2003">{{cite news
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/29/zachary.hope.cnna/
| title = Hope grandson: Laughter until the end
| last = O'Brien
| first = Soledad
| publisher = CNN
| date = July 29, 2003
| access-date = August 7, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107035517/http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/29/zachary.hope.cnna/
| archive-date = November 7, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Doyle 2005">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0504809.htm
 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050824165108/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0504809.htm
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=August 24, 2005
|title=Bob Hope Memorial Garden opens at San Fernando Mission
 |last=Doyle
 |first=Paula
 |date=August 23, 2005 |publisher=Catholic News Service
 |access-date=August 13, 2012 }}
</ref>

<ref name="fac-assoc.org">{{cite web
| url = http://www.fac-assoc.org/memorial/memorial04-hope.html
| title = In Memory of Bob Hope
| publisher = Forward Air Controllers Association
| access-date = June 10, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120719173520/http://www.fac-assoc.org/memorial/memorial04-hope.html
| archive-date = July 19, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="usa-patriotism.com">{{cite web
| url = http://www.usa-patriotism.com/gap/hope_b.htm
| title = Great American Patriot Bob Hope
| publisher = USA Patriotism
| access-date = August 7, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717174941/http://www.usa-patriotism.com/gap/hope_b.htm
| archive-date = July 17, 2011
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name = "Horchow Award">{{cite web
| title = National Winners: Public service awards
| work = Jefferson Awards.org
| publisher = Jefferson Awards for Public Service
| url = http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national
| access-date = August 2, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101124043935/http://jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national
| archive-date = November 24, 2010
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="National Medal of Arts">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html
 |title=Lifetime Honors: 1995
 |publisher=[[National Endowment for the Arts]]
 |access-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721054307/http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html
 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Times Union 1997">
{{cite news
| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cZo_AAAAIBAJ&pg=3639,6395851&dq=bob+hope+receives+ronald+reagan+freedom+award&hl=en
| title = Hope Gets Freedom Award
| date = May 30, 1997
| work = Times-Union
| access-date = August 14, 2012
| location = Warsaw, Indiana
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Mohawk Group">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.themohawkgroup.com/pages/PDFs/bob%20hopetheater%20profile.pdf
| title = Durkan Plays the Supporting Role in the Restoration of Bob Hope Theater
| publisher = The Mohawk Group
| access-date = August 15, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111214041332/http://www.themohawkgroup.com/pages/PDFs/bob%20hopetheater%20profile.pdf
| archive-date = December 14, 2011
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Daily News 2010">
{{cite news
 |url         = http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15206064
 |title       = Burbank airport honors namesake
 |last        = Castro
 |first       = Tony
 |date        = June 1, 2010
|work        = [[Los Angeles Daily News]]
 |access-date  = August 15, 2012
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130417171213/http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15206064
 |archive-date = April 17, 2013
|df          = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="FAS 2011">
{{cite web
| url = https://fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/sealift/takr300.html
| title = T-AKR USNS Bob Hope Large, Medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships [LMSR]
| year = 2011
| publisher = Federation of American Scientists
| access-date = August 15, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120920091904/http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/sealift/takr300.html
| archive-date = September 20, 2012
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Warplanes Online Community">
{{cite web
| url = http://community.warplanes.com/2011/07/28/boeing-c-17-dedicated-to-the-spirit-of-medal-of-honor/
| title = Boeing C-17 Dedicated to the Spirit of Medal of Honor
| publisher = Warplanes Online Community
| access-date = August 15, 2012
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130623234048/http://community.warplanes.com/2011/07/28/boeing-c-17-dedicated-to-the-spirit-of-medal-of-honor/
| archive-date = June 23, 2013
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Manitoba Historic Society 1988">{{cite web
| title = History and Live Theatre in Winnipeg
| url = http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/16/winnipeglivetheatre.shtml
| publisher = The Manitoba Historical Society
| last = McCarten
| first = Barry
| date = August 12, 2012
| access-date = August 31, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121026075202/http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/16/winnipeglivetheatre.shtml
| archive-date = October 26, 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Air University">{{cite web
| url = http://afehri.maxwell.af.mil/Pages/Sword.htm
| title = Members of the Order of the Sword
| publisher = Air University
| location = [[Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base]], Montgomery, Alabama
| access-date = August 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930152654/http://afehri.maxwell.af.mil/Pages/Sword.htm
| archive-date = September 30, 2011
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="awardsdatabase">
{{cite web
 |title       = Academy Awards Database
 |url         = http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp;jsessionid=B4A6C4523F7A7C6E53E371BB9689AF4D?curTime=1345206779367
 |publisher   = Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences
 |access-date  = August 18, 2012
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194626/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp
 |archive-date = October 29, 2013
|df          = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

<ref name="USA Today May 2003">{{cite news
| title = Bob Hope's 100th birthday greeted with good wishes
| url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2003-05-30-bob-hope_x.htm
| newspaper = [[USA Today]]
| agency = [[Associated Press]]
| date = May 30, 2003
| access-date = November 16, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160318095050/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2003-05-30-bob-hope_x.htm
| archive-date = March 18, 2016
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="NYTimes February 2013">{{cite news
| last = Higgins
| first = Michelle
| title = Bob Hope Estate in Palm Springs Is Up for Sale
| newspaper = The New York Times
| date = February 25, 2013
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/realestate/bob-hope-estate-in-palm-springs-is-up-for-sale.html| access-date = February 25, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130227081506/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/realestate/bob-hope-estate-in-palm-springs-is-up-for-sale.html?hp
| archive-date = February 27, 2013
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
| last = Faith
| first = William Robert
| title = Bob Hope: A Life in Comedy
| year = 2003
| publisher = Da Capo Press
| location = Cambridge, MA
| isbn = 978-0-306-81207-1
| url = https://archive.org/details/bobhopelifeincom00fait
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Friedrich
| first = Otto
| title = City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in 1940s
| year = 1986
| publisher = University of California Press
| location = Berkeley; Los Angeles
| isbn = 978-0-520-20949-7
| url = https://archive.org/details/cityofnetsportra00frie
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Grudens
| first = Richard
| title = The Spirit of Bob Hope: One Hundred Years, One Million Laughs
| year = 2002
| publisher = Pine Hill Press
| location = Sioux Falls, SD
| isbn = 978-1-57579-227-9
}}
* {{cite magazine
| author-link = John Lahr
| last = Lahr
| first = John
| url = https://www.newyorker.com/archive/1998/12/21/1998_12_21_062_TNY_LIBRY_000017087
| title = Profiles: The CEO of Comedy
| magazine = [[The New Yorker]]
| date = December 21, 1998
| pages = 62–79
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Maltin
| first = Leonard
| title = The Great Movie Shorts
| year = 1972
| publisher = Da Capo Press
| location = New York
| isbn = 978-0-517-50455-0
}}
* {{cite book
| last = McCaffrey
| first = Donald W.
| title = The Road to Comedy: The films of Bob Hope
| year = 2005
| publisher = Praeger
| location = Westport, CT
| isbn = 978-0-275-98257-7
| url = https://archive.org/details/roadtocomedyfilm00mcca_0
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Mikailian
| first = Arin
| title = Bob Hope's Toluca Lake Home Hitting the Market
| date = December 5, 2012
| work = North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch
| url = http://northhollywood.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/bob-hope-s-toluca-lake-home-hitting-the-market
| access-date = June 8, 2013
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Moreno
| first = Barry
| title = Ellis Island's Famous Immigrants
| year = 2008
| publisher = Arcadia
| location = Charleston, SC
| isbn = 978-0-7385-5533-1
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Nachman
| first = Gerald
| author-link = Gerald Nachman (journalist)
| year = 1998
| title = Raised on Radio
| publisher = Pantheon Books
| location = New York
| isbn = 978-0-375-40287-6
| url = https://archive.org/details/raisedonradioinq00nach
}}
* {{cite book
| last = O'Dowd
| first = John
| title = Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story
| year = 2006
| publisher = Bear Manor Media
| location = Albany, GA
| isbn = 978-1-59393-063-9
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Quirk
| first = Lawrence J.
| title = Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled
| year = 1998
| publisher = Applause
| location = New York
| isbn = 978-1-55783-353-2
| url = https://archive.org/details/bobhoperoadwell00quir
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Steinbeck
| first = John
| title = Once There Was A War
| year = 1958
| publisher = Viking Press
| location = New York
| oclc = 394412
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Hope
| first = Bob
| author-link = Bob Hope
| title = Don't Shoot, It's Only Me
| date = 1990
| publisher = G.P. Putnam's Sons
| location = New York
| isbn = 0-399-13518-9
}}
* Hope, Bob (1985). Confessions of a Hooker: My Lifelong Love Affair with Golf. New York: Doubleday. {{ISBN|978-0385174428}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Perret, Gene and Bolton, Martha (1998) ''Talk About Hope'', California, Jester Press, ISBN 978-1-8886-8802-3
* {{cite book
| last = Mills
| first = Robert L.
| title = The Laugh Makers: A Behind the Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers
| year = 2009
| publisher = Bear Manor Media
| location = Albany, GA
| isbn = 978-1-59393-323-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Wilde
| first = Larry
| author-link = Larry Wilde
| title = The Great Comedians Talk About Comedy
| date = 2000
| publisher = Executive Books
| isbn = 978-0-937539-51-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Young
| first = Jordan R.
| title = The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age
| year = 1999
| publisher = Past Times Publishing
| location = Beverly Hills, CA
| isbn = 978-0-940410-37-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Zoglin
| first = Richard
| author-link = Richard Zoglin
| title = Hope: Entertainer of the Century
| date = 2014
| publisher = Simon & Schuster
| location = New York
| isbn = 978-1-4391-4858-7
}}
* Bolton, Martha (2021), Hope, Linda (2021) ''Dear Bob... Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of WW2,'' Mississippi, University Press of Mississippi, ISBN 978-1-4968-3265-8

== External links ==
{{Archival records|title=Music from the Bob Hope collection, 1932–1997|location= Music Division, Library of Congress|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu012018}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons}}
* {{Official website|https://www.bobhope.org/}}
* {{IBDB name|45540}}
* {{Playbill person|bob-hope-vault-0000089507}}
* {{IMDb name|1362}}
* {{rhof|216}}
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html Congressional Gold Medal Recipients]
* [https://www.congress.gov/105/plaws/publ67/PLAW-105publ67.pdf Law making Bob Hope an honorary veteran]

{{Bob Hope}}
{{navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Bob Hope|Awards for Bob Hope]]
|list =
{{Academy Honorary Award}}
{{Cecil B. DeMille Award 1952–1975}}
{{EmmyAward GovernorsAward}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{Hasty Pudding Man of the Year}}
{{Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1980s}}
{{National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1990s}}
{{Ronald Reagan Freedom Award}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward LifeAchievement 1960–1979}}
{{TCA Career Achievement Award}}
{{1987 Television Hall of Fame}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Bob}}
[[Category:Bob Hope| ]]
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Actors from Fairfield County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Actors from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:American burlesque performers]]
[[Category:American male boxers]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American male dancers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male radio actors]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American men centenarians]]
[[Category:American people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American veterans activists]]
[[Category:Beauty pageant hosts]]
[[Category:Boxers from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Boxers from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Catholics from California]]
[[Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Comedians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Comedians from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Comedians from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in California]]
[[Category:English emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:Knights Commander with Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams owners]]
[[Category:Male actors from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Peabody Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Eltham]]
[[Category:People from Lancaster, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Toluca Lake, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Cleveland]]
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of National Security Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Sword (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award]]
[[Category:Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award]]
[[Category:Singers from California]]
[[Category:Singers from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Singers from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Super-featherweight boxers]]
[[Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients]]
[[Category:World Golf Hall of Fame inductees]]