Product Description
Now in paperback -- one of America's greatest entertainers shares his favorite jokes and memories.

Bob Hope died at the age of 100 in July '03. His legendary career spanned the entire 20th century, from impersonating Charlie Chaplin in front of the firehouse in Cleveland in 1909 to celebrating an unprecedented 60 years with NBC in 1996. He entertained millions worldwide with his performances in vaudeville and on Broadway, on his top-rated weekly radio show, in beloved movies such as his Road pictures with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, and, most notably, in the countless television appearances that made him a superstar and a welcome guest in every living room in the country.

With My Life in Jokes, readers can enjoy the very best of his humor and, in the process, learn about the amazing life and career of a true national treasure.

On the early years:
"I wouldn't have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me."

On growing old:
"Age is only a number. However, in my case, it's a rather large number." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

100 Years of Great Humor
What makes this book stand out is that it gives us a thumbnail history of the 20th century.Some may wrongly say they don't get the humor and that is because for the most part it is topical.If you read the book without any understanding of what was going on during the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, etc. then you will miss a great deal.What made Bob Hope an icon to all of us, whether military or civilian, was his ability to take everyday situations at the time and get us to laugh.Both at the situations and ourselves.This is a brilliant collection and it brought back so many great memories.

OK
It would have been better if it was an actual biography.If you're just looking for jokes then this is the book for you.I'm not over 50 so a lot of the jokes weren't funny but the rest are timeless.

"Thanks for the Memories..."

There are many books about Bob Hope and what seems to be an endless amount of movie,newsreels and recordings that we have enjoyed for a long,long time. Thanks to all this material, and so many memories of his entertaining life,we can continue to enjoy it over and over again.
Bob was born in England on May 29,1903 and was given the name of Leslie.When he told students and friends his name was Les Hope;they teased him by calling him "Hopeless".He saw the humor in this,but started to call himself "Bob";but maybe that was what ignited something that resulted in a lifetime of humor. At the age of 4 the family left for America. Bob developed an amazing career around humor and by the time he died on July 27,2003 ,at 100,he could arguably qualify as the greatest man of comedy during his lifetime;and maybe ever.Just the fact that he was seen and known by so many and carried on for so long;would qualify him for that honor.
This little book is quite different in that it breaks Bob's life down into its 10 decades and presents his life and humor during those decades. By presenting his life and humor in this fashion;we are able to see how much it followed the history and events of the time. Even though his humor went on for such a long period;it was always current and appropriate for the time.
His style of getting humor across was to be short and blunt. His jokes seldom lasted more than a couple of lines. Another aspect of Hope's comedy was that his humor I can't ever remember any joke of his that could offend anyone,he just didn't deal with that sortof thing.He was so good,he did not have to resort to vulgar language or thoughts to entertain the masses.
Bob Hope defined what we have come to know as "A Class Act" ;and his daughter has given us a great testimonial to it. Thanks Linda ,what wonderful people you were blessed to have had for parents.

enjoyable

Trevor Gibson

Bob Hope was one of the most widely known people of the twentieth century. He was recognized for his skills in acting and comedy, and he was also well known for his entertainment of the troops overseas in a time of war. This book was written by Bob Hope and his daughter Linda Hope. It was an unusual way of telling someone's life. The story of Bob Hope's life in this book was told througha combination of jokes and paragraphs. In the next few paragraphs, you won't find very many things about Bob Hope's public life. What you will find is topics on Bob Hope's personal life, outside of acting and entertaining.
Bob Hope was born in England in 1903. He grew to the age of 8 in England, and then moved to America. He was the youngest of eight children and this might have helped him develop a good sense of humor. In his early teen years, he found himself with a friend in show business. This is predominantly how he started acting and performing comedy. For the rest of his teen years, Hope struggled to pitch in to the family's money by acting in a part of a show every night for a few months at a time. The shows would travel around the country from time to time, but Bob was getting a little tired of traveling. To solve this annoyance, Bob Hope applied for a job on a movie set in Hollywood, California. He got the job and started in the movie acting business.
By his mid-thirties, he had been making movies for about a decade, and decided to try acting a little on his own. He started to add, little by little, jokes here and there to spruce up his movies. He never actually produced any movies, but he was the main actor in most of his movies. Of all the movies Hope was in, sixty of them were top movies of the year. He starred in over forty of those sixty movies. He is most famous for his acting and comedy work in the "Road" series of movies, which were very popular in the 1950's.
During the 1930's and early 1940's Bob Hope performed his comedy and acting in Hollywood. In the late 1940's, though, he started to leave Hollywood occasionally to go and entertain military troops overseas. He put his life in danger to go and help the minds of soldiers who were in a warzone for years at a time. His benefit performances helped the soldiers forget about the war for an evening or so.It also helped remind the soldiers of home. One of his quotes from a presentation in Vietnam said, "Look at me, fellas, these are the kind of clothes you'll be wearing when you get home!" After that day in Vietnam, 50 guys from that presentation group re-enlisted.
As Bob Hope grew older, he took up the game of golf, and came to enjoy it. He also acted less frequently. Instead of acting, he used up his valuable time to further entertain the troops fighting in various countries for America. I think he did thisbecause he was a strong supporter of American spirit, and wanted to do anything to help or better serve the people that give him freedom. America is his adopted country. Bob Hope continued this tradition as he grew into his fifties and sixties, and finally set its place in him in his seventies and on. He performed for the troops in every warzone until the late 1990's. Even so, Bob Hope will always be what he was; a famous actor who based his lines and roles on comedy. He died recently at the age of one hundred and one, but his legacy will go on forever.

Thanks for the memories
Bob Hope was never a great favorite of mine. And this though like every American movie- going and later television- watching child of my time I spent a lot of time watching him fool around with Bing and Dotty Lamour. Bob was a bit of a wise- guy and a bit cold somehow. He lacked the warmth of favorites like Uncle Miltie and Jack Benny and Amos and Andy.
But as the years went by I began to appreciate him a bit more. And this especially when he became much older and became almost the sole survivor of a whole generation of American comedians.
This joke- book compiled by his daughter gives jokes, decade by decade, ten chapters for ten decades of his one- hundred year old life.
While there is not much laughing out-loud material there are quite a few smiles to be gotten out of this collection.
There is also the story of a self- made hardworking kid who really made it big in America and appreciated it very much. And did work hard to give it back.
Thanks for the memories, Mr. Hope. ... Read more

Product Description
One of America's best loved entertainers, Bob Hope starred on stage, in movies and on TV - but he achieved his earliest and greatest fame on radio.Hope's Pepsodent Show was radio's top ranked series during the War Years, and his remote broadcasts from military bases helped to boost American morale during some of our darkest days.Radio Spirits presents 40 of Bob Hope's all-time greatest broadcasts, available now for the first time since they aired more than 50 years ago.Celebrate the glorious career of the beloved comedian who has left generations of loyal fan's proclaiming, "Thanks for the Memory."Includes guest appearances by many of Bob's old friends: Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Lucille Ball, Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

was a gift
I had gotten this for a gift .
It was just about impossable to find this in the store .
I am happy I found it on here . ... Read more

Product Description
Bob Hope was an American legend whose wisecracks kept America entertained for more than 60 years. Discover in this biography all the glamour and fun of Bob Hope's fabulous life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bob Hope's journey through history
This is an excellent biography of Bob Hope.It is also a great history book.It also offers up a nice slice of history in America and some of the world during Bob Hope's lifetime.The 1920s and 1930s are describedas being like a completely different country:regional and national acts seemed to stop at small cities across Ohio.

Bob Hope was talented, and a hard worker.He was also sort of a Cad or a Lout, but it was more acceptable to be that way back then.I like the part about how he thought there would be no war in Europe, based partly on the fact that Nazi Germany was the biggest export market for American movies back then.During virtually all of Bob Hope's peak earning decades, most of his income was in the 71 to 85 percent tax bracket.He, and many others, got around this by claiming it in corporations which employed more people and had a lower tax bracket.It seemed to work well.

Bob Hope-A Tribute by Ray Strait
This is an excellent tribute to Bob Hope written within months
of his death. The work has many memorable pictures of Bob with
Dorothy Lamour, James Cagney, Lucille Ball, Charlie Chaplin,
Bing and the famous USO Tours which were a trademark for the
performer. The author describes Bob's early work in Cleveland,
performances with the Jolly Follies, the Ziegfield Follies of '36,Casanova's Big Night and various co-host performances for the '56 Academy Awards, Christmas caravans and virtually every tour of any consequence. This work is a fitting tribute to
Bob Hope. It will be treasured by his many fans throughout the
USA and the world. The book would make a great gift for any
of his many fans .

A Great, Readable Book
This one's definitely worth reading.You get a very human version of Hope, a lot of respect but no mindless worship.And Strait knows how to tell a story and write for an audience in a way that keeps you constantly entertained. ... Read more

Product Description
Reveals how Hope's image as a happily married entertainer of U.S. troops was a myth created to hide his womanizing, the casting couch he operated out of his office, and his sadistic treatment of his staff. 30,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

This guy was evil
This book shows you that Bob was a womanizer, but Bob was way worse than what this book says. Check out another book about Bob Hope called "Thanks For The Memories" by Brice Taylor. Yep, Bob and Michael Jackson had something in common, only Bob had underaged girls not boys.

Public Persona vs. the Genuine Article
The people who panned this book *clearly* have their shorts in a wad (that's a colloquial phrase for "cognitive dissonance") over having their shiny perceptual "Bob Hope" bubbles painfully burst after discovering the rather unsavory truth. Too bad, that's what you get for putting somebody up on a pedestal. Especially somebody who doesn't deserve it. I give the book five stars because it soundly draws a clear distinction between Bob Hope's carefully crafted public persona and what he was REALLY like, "behind the scenes"... a mean-spirited, self-aggrandizing, womanizing opportunist! In other words, he was a first-class spoiled brat and a major league hypocrite. This book would be a lot less interesting if the dichotomy that is Bob Hope wasn't a fact of life, and admittedly, it will not be very interesting to the people who don't remember him. But for those of us that do, it is an excellent biography. Pretty soon we'll all be dead too, but at least we'll kick off knowing the value of "belief" in terms of accepting uncritically and without question whatever is tossed one's way by the public relations machinery.... an object lesson which translates neatly not just for the entertainment business, but for media and government as well.

BOB SAIDS THANKS FOR THE MAMMARY'S !
Well -as you'll note from other reviews, how dare Arthur Marx pick on a great American legend!A man that has entertained us for most of the 20th century. A man that has risked his life to bring comfort to the troops of America's numerous wars and conflicts. A man that just couldn't make enough money or women!It was always known in Hollywood and in the Pentagon, what a flagrant womanizer Bob Hope was -in fact just about to the very end of his life. His wife knew it and with the patience of a saint, she stuck by him through countless affairs and one-nighters, both here and overseas. Thats the way it was. The man who always managed to have an ad-lib ready for any occassion -they were all carefully scripted in advance. Again, thats the way it was. No one likes to hear such stories about their heroes and role models, afterall it kind of makes suckers out of us if we go along and believe something like this book. We figure if Bob was that bad, we would have heard about it long ago. Thats where all those great PR people come in and Bob had the best. Worshiped by the public, the servicemen and all those American presidents from both parties. So who wants to make suckers out of all them, it's worse than burning the flag and then spitting on it. Yes, his image was greater than anyone on Mount Rushmore. What's more, Bob Hope knew it, flaunted it and fully exploited it -all the way to the bank. He became the single biggest private owner of real estate in California. Whereas Jack Benny always traded off his showbiz image of being tight with money, in reality he was the total opposite. However, Bob the benevolent was as tight as they come, extremely shrewd and always politically savvy. Not that all thats a crime, but was he really worthy of becoming the most decorated American in history?

Arthur Marx, son of Groucho, a veteran TV writer, playwright, novelist and biographer, took on an impossible and thankless task of showing Bob Hope in the true cold light of reality. But he strongly felt it was something he had to do. Theres no doubt that Bob Hope was extremely talented, his timing was always spot on. Theres no doubt he was the best MC you could ever get, specially at the Academy Awards. Why is it then, that we can take the good and bad when it comes to someone like Frank Sinatra, but not in super-patriot Bob?
And thats what this book is all about really. It's worthy of your making up your own mind and not blindly believing in all the PR hype. Politicians court showbiz because they crave that same insatiable fan worship. Superstar's today don't seem to mind if you think of them badly or not, as long as their name stays in the headlines and the money keeps coming in. But thats right, Bob was of another era.

Just 'Cause It's in Print Doesn't Mean It's True!
I think it is amazing how quickly people attempt to destroy a great American hero's reputation as soon as it's safe to do so.How credible can Mr. Marx's accusations be when most of his sources are unnamed or too old or already deceased to confirm his claims?Surely some of these women would have come forward a long time ago with a "Hope's love child" story.I don't buy it Mr. Marx.If I could, I would give a less than one star.

Thoughts on a Great Man by a Pathetic Loser
Oh, for gosh sakes. Arthur Marx is a complete loser who managed to squeak out a living as a comedy writer only by working his father's connections. Groucho thought Arthur was a lousy comedy writer, and this book proves he's a lousy human being, as well. Hope was one of Arthur Marx's employers, and it was Hope that turned his father's career around by insisting that he work off the script when he invited Groucho to come on the air with him. Little did he imagine at the time that the thanks he would get for his benevolence to Groucho (a benevolence he displayed throughout his career) would be a knife in the back from his pathetic lowlife son. The book is a collection of snide, filthy, innuendos from unnamed sources, former employees, and the sort of enemies that competent, hard-working, brilliant individuals like Hope always make within their own industries. ... Read more

Product Description
Reporter: "What's it like to be Bob Hope?"
Hope: "I wouldn't have it any other way."

From Bob Hope's early career as an upstart among professionals like Jack Benny and Milton Berle in the rollicking world of traveling comedians, to his blazing success as a radio, television, and film star, this completely revised and updated version of William Faith's acclaimed biography takes a straightforward, appreciative, and very funny look at Hope's life and times on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Filled with anecdotes, photographs, and plenty of jokes, the book reveals the real Bob Hope from his boyhood in England and youth in Cleveland to his present status as a living legend--a full-blooded, authentic appraisal of the man and his humor, a comic institution who is also a brilliant businessman, manipulator of the media, and politically influential figure. And of course Hope is the man who brought laughter and cheer (and long-legged beauties) to GIs throughout the world. At a time when patriotic fervor has never been running higher it's worth recalling the singular tribute paid Hope by none other than John Steinbeck: "When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list.... He gets laughter wherever he goes from men who need laughter." Happy 100th, Bob! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An enjoyable read
I found this book to be an enjoyable read.All those years of watching Bob Hope make it all look so easy - now I realize how hard he worked to become an amazing entertainer.

Well researched, average writing, average book
William Robert Faith's bio of Bob Hope was OK but I wouldn't break down the Barnes and Noble door to go get it. The author did a great job detailing the details of Hope's career, specifically his work with the USO and his work in film. Faith also did a great job in detailing Hope's early career on the road working for next to nothing in small comedy clubs.

My biggest hangup with the book is Faith didn't detail or analyze Hope's personal relations to the degree he should have. Infedility in his marriage and strain with his four adopted children are often referenced but there is no real in depth analysis of how this effected Hope. There is also no judgement passed which suggests to me that Faith may have been too close to Hope personally and didn't want to pass judgement while Hope was still alive.

The biggest shortcoming in the book was Faith's lack of commitment when it came to Hope's philandering. It was suggested that Hope wasn't unfaithful to Delores throughout the book and that Delores didn't mind but just how wide spread was it and who was it with. There was only one time where Faith suggests a specific woman that Hope may have had a relationship with. I wasn't looking for some Hollywood tell-all but I was looking for more of a definite stance on just how much Hope played around. For instance, I read a bio of John Wayne and it did detail Wayne's relationships but did so in a way that said... this is what the guy did and here is who he "messed around with" and it was wrong.

Again, not looking for Faith to muck rake but to me it was just vague when it came to Hope's personal relationships. It also talked about how several of his kids had issues with Hope and his constant travel or his celebrity. The book didn't really talk about what this was all caused by and how it effected Hope. It just mentioned "strain" with his kids.

To an extent, the book was almost a very long wikipedia article that detailed Hope's life's work and his love of the military and the USO but didn't really offer the sort of in depth analysis that you normally get from a bio.

Best bio since Grant
This was the best bio I have read since Grant's two volume bio. The author gets into Mr. Hope, and I understand the man who brought so many laughs to us through the years. This was a book I couldn't down. Would wake up in the middle of the night and HAVE to start reading it. If you enjoyed Bob Hope you need to read this book.

Bob Kozlowski

disappointed
I have to say when I read this I was very disappointed in it.It was such a slow read and the author had trouble holding my attention.A very very dull read. Not really anything new that we didn't already know about Bob Hope from Bob Hope all these years.I expected more from the author.Don't waste your time or money I'm sorry to say. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Name dropper
I knew, as everyone knows, that Bob Hope was famous and also knew, as everyone knows, that he knew a lot of famous people but this book is like Golf Digest's "Top 100 Golf Courses You'll Never Play". Apparently Bob didn't know anyone unimportant.

Great, Great Memories
I probably should have posted this review here instead of commenting on the previous review.
________________

I definitely agree that if you love Bob Hope and golf as I do then this book is for you. There are many, many wonderful black and white pictures too numerous for me to name. A few that comes to mind is Sam Snead, Joe Louis on the golf course, Jackie Gleason, Gerald Ford, Jack Nicklaus, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope at different ages, Bing Crosby, Dwight Eisenhower, Forrest Tucker, Dorthy Lamour and many, many others. Just the pictures of these famous people is a treasure.

Now the bonus is that there is an index of ALL of the people whose picture is in the book at some point. So I guess the real value of this book would be to someone about 40 years or older who know of the celebrities that are in the book and can appreciate history and nostalgia.

However, I am referring to the hardcopy and not the paperback. I haven't seen a copy of the paper back and the paper may not be as crisp as the ones in the hardcopy which may affect how the photos appear.

Hope shares his memories of Golf with great humor, as always
In this book, Bob Hope chronicles many of his experiences on the Golf Course, with such people as Gerald Ford, Bing Crosby, etc. Although Hope's marvelous sense of humor comes through in the book, there are many other works by Hope that are far more personal and fascinating pertaining to Bob Hope himself. I would recommend that you purchase this book only if you love Golf as well as Bob Hope. ... Read more

Product Description
"At long last, a book that pays homage to television's unsung heroes -- those wit wizards who face a blank page every day and somehow manage to create something John Barrymore claimed was more difficult than dying:laughter.In his book, Bob Mills not only keeps the reader laughing, but -- like a comedic Houdini revealing his secrets -- shows us how it's done.The Laugh Makers is a "must read" for anyone even thinking about a career in comedy. " - Shelley Berman (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boston Legal)"In the 70s and 80s, Hollywood Squares often taped next to The Bob Hope Show studio.Judging from the laughter we often heard in the hallway, I always suspected Hope's writers were having a great time over there and now I know why.The Laugh Makers is afascinating, heartwarming and revealing book on the day-to-day life of comedy writers working for a legend. It also revives long-ago memories of an era and that was so much fun and that I'm sure we'll never see again." - Peter Marshall (Host of The Hollywood Squares)"The author and I have lots in common -- we're both San Franciscans, our comedy careers were launched by a KSFO disc jockey named Don Sherwood, and we're fellow college alumns.Now that I've laughed my way through his backstage stories andpriceless recollections of a long and exciting tenure on the road with Bob Hope, I can finally say definitively and without fear of contradiction that Bob Mills is the second-funniest graduate of S.F. State." - Ronnie Schell (Good Morning, World, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.)"When I was first introduced to the author, I said "How do you do?" and he replied, "I make a nice living."Though an incurable smart ass, Bob Mills is one of the warmest, most talented members of our comedy fraternity -- attributes clearly evident on every page of his landmark homage to Bob Hope and his gag writers. So buy his book... please.He's gotten used to that nice living."" - Jack Reilly (Mr. Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show, Stu Pickles on The Rugrats)"It's hard to praise the work of a longtime friend without sounding like you're angling for a free lunch.But Mills has really created something unique here -- an accurate, compellingly readable, hilarious and heartwarming inside view of one of America's most popular variety shows, its legendary host, and its guest stars.And I say that not because I got a free advance copy.Actually, it wasn't from the author -- a hotel where I was staying ran out of Gideon Bibles." - Chuck McCann (The Projectionist, Boston Legal)"In The Laugh Makers, Bob Mills takes us on an exciting backstage journey from London to Stockholm...Bora Bora to Beijing, covering thousands of miles and nearly as many laughs.Today, Mills has more milage on him than Bob Hope's luggage.His book is a real gem that's got sex, violence, intrigue -- and the second page is good, too.Actually, that's a joke Mills wrote for Hope, but I couldn't resist.I have to confess, I read the book in one sitting -- stuck in traffic on the 405." - Pat Harrington (The Steve Allen Show, One Day at a Time) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Good read, good fun
Bob Mills was one of "The Laugh Makers" for Bob Hope, generating gags and keeping notes for the 18 years he was with the comedian. Everybody loves behind-the-scenes anecdotes, me included, and this turned out to be a grand-slam picnic of them. (There's a bundle from the other side of the curtain, too.)

The writers worked by themselves, each creating scripts for an upcoming show, then Hope picked what he liked from each one. ("Hope loved being inundated with lines.") Hope established this unprecedented process, could spot a recycled gag years after it first appeared on his desk, and delivered the gags in monologues at an astounding average of four per minute.

People who work with, or have spent time with, a star hear it over and over ... "What was he REALLY like?" Bob Hope fans won't be disappointed.

He was penny-wise and pound-generous, asking things like how much did the fax machine cost while giving millions to charities.

In 1979, Bob Hope became the first American entertainer to perform in China after President Nixon opened relations with the Communist country. Big Birdwent, too, but Bob Mills - in a terrifying final few minutes - almost didn't get back.

Hope's writers created local and topical gags from information gathered in questionnaires that had been distributed to townspeople, local politicians, etc.

I had always thought Hope did much of his own writing. Not true. In fact, according to Mills, he never changed even a word in a gag or asked for something to be rewritten.

Some fun stuff I loved: Danny Thomas packed a rod - he wore a Derringer in a holster strapped to his ankle. Lucille Ball was a perfectionist, a characteristic Hope loved. George Burns and Bob Hope did a personal tour, with Hope dressed in drag. Queen Elizabeth made the normally-cool Hope nervous. And he never refused or tried to avoid signing an autograph.

I appreciated that "The Laugh Makers" didn't read like it came out of a public relations department. Some of the goofs and gaffes are in there, too. It was also nice to sit down with a book and want to stay with it. I had to take some breaks, but I sure didn't need to.

Good book, good fun, good read.

Takes You Right Into the Experience
What a wonderful book!For all of us who loved Bob Hope and the humor he brought into our lives, for everyone interested in Hollywood history, and for everyone studying comedy ... this book is a must.If you're young enough not to remember Bob Hope, buy this book anyway and draw some wisdom and direction from this very talented man who found a way to bring joy even during very difficult times.

Excellent overall
Great price, fast service, and the book was exactly as described. I'd certainly buy from them again.

A great read for all fans of Bob Hope & classic showbiz
This is a well written memoir from one of Bob Hope's veteran comedy writers, Robert Mills.Mills gives you a good look behind the scenes at one of America's most beloved comedians - so beloved and iconic in fact, they renamed Burbank airport after him!

Besides giving you incredible and insightful 'inside' stories, (Hope walking, unrecognized, on the street in China comes to mind), there are remembrances of some very witty lines written by Hope's staff, as well as some great ad-libs from a performer, who at the time, was in his 70's.

I highly recommend this to people who remember Hope vividly, and the events of the 70's and 80's vividly.Actually, that's a pre-requisite, so they 'get' the jokes.

I commend Mills on skillfully recounting an era in which a Court Jester was the true King of Showbiz.And he does it all in an entertaining fashion that keeps the pages turning.Even the subtitles had a lot of humor in them.

The inner world of Bob hope explained as never before, it's a must read!!
Couldn't put this book down, it was just great! Here are the adventures of Bob Hope and his writers explained from the inside.Bob Mills opens a window that isinsightful, and a masters class in how a big big star runs an operation. Incredibly interesting and funny as well. If you laughed at a Bob Hope's jokes or sketches here's a chance to hear from one of the men who made it all happen. Total home run, loved the book!!! ... Read more

Product Description

"If I had my life to live over again, I wouldn't have time."
-- Bob Hope

The legendary wit and unmistakable voice of America's favorite showman are captured here in the master entertainer's memoir of his first fifty years in show business.

From his one-night stands in vaudeville to countless performances for servicemen on U.S. military bases across the globe, this delightfully candid book of funny life stories is pure Hope. In his own words, Hope recalls his brief career as an amateur prizefighter; his flops and successes in vaudeville; memories of sharing the stage with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante; his courtship of the young singer who would become his bride; his forgettable first screen test; his friendship with Bing Crosby and their high jinks on the sets of the famous Road pictures; poignant and hair-raising trips to entertain the troops; a personal request from General Patton; and eighteen holes of golf with President Eisenhower.

Bob Hope was the unchallenged king of the one-liner, a consummate performer, and a beloved supporter of our men in uniform, and his irrepressible spirit shines through in these hilarious, nostalgic, and truly memorable stories from a life lived to bring laughter to others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Hope for Bob!!!
This book cracked me up from page 1 to the final chapter.Great story behind a great man.I always enjoy reading about Bob Hope.He gave so much of himself in everything he did.His family can be proud.America sure is!Thanks for the memories, Bob!

A few good old Hope jokes -- otherwise, a joke
You'll find out a very little about the life and times of Bob Hope in this book.(For one thing, it was written decades before he died!)

It's only for the Americans
A big disappointment. The jokes are not that good and when everything is made humorous it gets banal. Bob Hope may have been nonneurotic and optimistic, but too much is too much. I admit I enjoyed his Paleface films, but perhaps he must be heard and seen in order to appreciate his jokes. I have almost read Buster Keaton's memoirs and these I really enjoyed. I like visual, not verbal humor; that may be the reason I do not care the Hope humor. Of course, much of the humour of Hope is directed to American political affairs - or political persons, because Hope nearly never takes stands in politics. He is not cruel, which is a good thing.

Bob Hope is America
"Have Tux, Will Travel" is an easy-going journey into Bob's life
and what entertainment was like in the vaudeville and early radio
days. Being written in the early 50's, it has a genuine feel about
it and it's easy to hear Hope's words in each story. Being a native
Clevelander, it was especially entertaining. If you're a fan, you'll
like this insight into Bob's early years.

Have Tux
If you are a Bob Hope fan and enjoy reading about his life you will enjoy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
1964 - 1st Edition - Pocket Cardinal Edition - Paperback - I Owe Russia $1200 - By Bob Hope - With 65 Photographs - VG Condition - Collectible ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bob Hope It's Only Me Book Review
This book is hilarious.I was laughing out loud from the very first page.I think that even people who don't consider themselves big Hope fans will be able to read this and find it funny, entertaining and insightful to a time gone past.It's a great part of American history;Bob Hope has his place therein.He was the perfect man to pull off all the things he accomplished during his amazing career.Entertaining the troops, putting himself in dangerous situations, making people laugh and forget the real world for a short time through films, radio, stand-up performances, Hope did it all and was the true king of all media.The book is very well-written and easy to follow the stories and jokes.You can just hear Hope's voice as you read his narration of events.I strongly suggest this book.

Joke a minute
This is an interesting combination of autobiography and history lesson.Hope (with co-writer Mel Shavelson, who was one of Hope's joke writers) tell Bob's show-biz career story through the lens of world events.It's not straight storytelling- jokes come at a quick clip, which makes for amusing reading. ... Read more

Product Description
For harried readers caught up in the stress and rush ofeveryday life, hilarious humorist Martha Bolton comes to the rescuewith sharp, funny monologues, quick stories, and one-liners that pokefun at our all-too-human foibles. Taking a tongue-in-cheek look atpressures that affect every family, like oversleeping, burning dinner,and warding off pesky telephone solicitors, Bolton enables readers togain the perspective that God is there and he cares even when it's"one of those days."

This book was previously published by Regal Books in 1989. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Despite the jokes, his mission was a serious one
This recollection of many of Bob Hope's jaunts around the world to entertain American troops in the fifties and early sixties is a whirlwind of jokes. There are so many that it is at times difficult to separate the jokes from the seriousness. For of course, there is a very serious side to what he and his fellow travelers were doing. This was the height of the cold war and American troops were stationed in many places around the world. Some of those places were very inhospitable, both in terms of weather and hostility.
In Europe, his plane was buzzed by Soviet fighters, and they were informed that they would be fired upon if they strayed outside the flight corridor. In Korea, his helicopter followed the roads to the front lines, for if they were shot down, the only place they could land was the road. All areas on the sides of the roads were heavily mined. In Alaska and Greenland, there was bitter cold and perpetual darkness, severe frostbite could happen in a matter of seconds. Hope jokes a great deal about how scared he was, and some of that was genuine. However, he was fundamentally a brave man, as he literally was risking his life in traveling to such places to entertain the troops.
From the book, you also get a taste of what the times were like. Some of the jokes ridicule Cuban President Fidel Castro and the Soviet Union. It was a time of great paranoia on both sides of the Iron Curtain and Hope at many times could literally reach out and touch it. Bob Hope was a great man, brave and very patriotic. Many entertainment personalities accompanied him on his trips, and they are also to be commended for their actions. In this book, you learn a great deal about their journeys, how they always put the troops ahead of themselves, doing shows in all conditions. With his recent passing, we may never see the likes of him again.

Bob (and his writers) come up with a doozy!
Laugh-filled travelogue through the making of "The Road To Hong Kong" and USO tours to Alaska, Korea - and Russia.If you like to laugh you'll love this book.If you like backstage stories you'll love this book.If you like Bob Hope and his Christmas USO tours, you'll LOVE this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Although Bob Hope has been the subject of many biographies, no book yet has fully explored the comic persona he created in vaudeville and radio, brought to fruition in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1960s, and made a lasting influence on comedians from Woody Allen to Conan O'Brien. Now, in The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope, noted film comedy authority Donald W. McCaffrey finally places Hope in his well-deserved position among the highest rank of film comedians of his era. Drawing on archival materials and interviews with collaborators, McCaffrey analyzes each major film in depth, with due attention to particular sequences that reveal how Hope created a unique comic personality that lasted over dozens of very popular films, from the Road movies with Bing Crosby through such underrated classics as Son of Paleface, Monsieur Beaucaire, and Casanova's Big Night.

In so doing, McCaffrey introduces readers to a Bob Hope now overshadowed by his own reputation. We see here that Hope's significance has been greater than any USO appearance or television special might suggest. Because many of these movies have recently been made available on DVD—the first time in decades that they've been easily available to the general public—the volume will also serve as an excellent introduction for those wanting to see these films for the first time.

Customer Reviews (4)

Exploding the five myths of Bob Hope
Professor McCaffrey (perhaps a distant clansman of the preminent Canadian poet Steve) has given us a jolly and penetrating look at the five myths that surround the filmwork of 100 year old comedian Bob Hope, born in Britain but one who became more American than the Americans.As an outsider, Hope had perhaps a keener take on our foibles, for good and for bad.He warmed up to American women especially, treating them with respect and admiration, and a lot of lust of course--compare his screen attitude toward the opposite sex with that of cold, boastful Bing Crosby.A woman like Paulette Goddard--sensual, giving, carefree--set off some bells in a man like Hope, and she gave him something other screen partners couldn't.He isn't that great with Katharine Hepburn, but Jane Russell made him shine.His pictures with Lucille Ball are a subject of passionate controversy, but Professor McCaffrey argues that they are among his best, even (in the case of THE FACTS OF LIFE) approaching the kind of sophistication we associate with Billy Wilder or Max Ophuls.I don't think so.

The five myths that Hope suffers from are:

He's always the same in all of his pictures.McCaffrey counters this with his sensitive, somewhat Method depiction of the real life figures James Walker and Eddie Foy Senior in a pair of biopics which are among Hope's worst.

His visual humor is weak, compared to his love of puns and nonsense.Actually Hope is funniest in his expressions and his reactions, his double-takes, his grimaces.Visually he's no Jerry Lewis but that's a good thing, right?

Number three, he was always G-rated and that means, hee was out of his depth when it deals with real life sexual and romantic situations.McCaffrey shows us that, no surprise, Hope was capable of a good deal of blue humor.Why, when you got him among his cronies he was like the white Rudy Ray Moore.

The films he made in the 60s are terrible comedowns.McCaffrey points to a few overlooked successes, and in my opinion he could have extended this list further.CRITIC'S CHOICE by the genius Ira Levin, A GLOBAL AFFAIR, the first movie really to take globalism seriously, I'LL TAKE SWEDEN with Tuesday Weld, and THE PRIVATE NAVY of SGT O'FARRELL is better than Joseph Heller's CATCH-22 by anyone's atandards.The problem is that McCaffrey has an irrational dislike of Phyllis Diller, Hope's mistress and preferred screen partner during the years in question, and he throws out the baby with the bathwater when he declares that Diller's presence spoils the Hope films she's in.What happened, Professor, did Phyllis Diller scare your mother while she was pregnant with you?Your overreaction to her "plainness" amounts to a common form of male hysteria!Maybe you should have fired off your salvos in another direction for your continual attack on the magnificence of Phyllis Diller is shrill and unworthy.

And the fifth myth is that the final two "Road" pictures are crummy.Well, they are, pretty much, but points go to McCaffrey for his splendid attempts to rehabilitate them here.

By the end of the book a few of the myths remain intact, but others are decimated.Add a star if you too, like Professor McCaffrey, despise Phyllis Diller, for you might enjoy the unseemly misogyny here.

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF HOPE'S LONG CAREER
There have been a number of books written about Bob Hope, but The Road to Comedy by Donald W. McCaffrey is the first to do a thorough critical analysis of the star's film career.It's possible that many people who were born after the late 1960's make not even be aware of Hope's long film career.Bob had one of the greatest lines in history when as host of the Academy Awards one year he welcomed the guests to the awards or, "as we call it in my home, Passover!"Classic...McCaffrey begins by tracing Hope's career in vaudeville and radio where he honed his trademark wit and timing and even covers Hope's early two-reel comedies.His first feature was in the Big Broadcast of 1938 and would set him on a movie career that would last over 30 years.

McCaffrey analyzes Hopes film in various stages such as his war-time films like Old Dark House-style films Cat & the Canary and Ghostbreakers, My Favorite Blonde, and Caught in the Draft.He also explores Bob's films made with perhaps his best screenwriter Edmund L. Hartmann in classics like The Paleface, Casanova's Big Night, and The Lemon Drop Kid.McCaffrey reserves a special chapter dedicated to perhaps Hope's most famous films, the seven "Road" pictures that he did with Bing Crosby from 1940 to 1962.As a Hope fan, I was ecstatic to see McCaffrey devote so much space to some of Hope's lesser known films.One of those was "Thanks for the Memory" that gave Bob his signature theme music but is really a well-done comedy that rarely is seen on TV (although it is on video).

McCaffrey also does a wonderful job of showing just how much influence Hope's films had on comedians and filmmakers who came after him such as Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen, Alan Alda, and Steve Martin.Perhaps the best chapter was the one dealing with Hope's legacy and some of the more common misconceptions about his films and talents.McCaffrey provides numerous examples to debunk these myths such as the one that claims Hope plays essentially the same character in every film.That myth clearly disregards his outstanding dramatic work in The Seven Little Foys.He also takes on the myth that Hope could not do physical comedy, and again provides several examples to the contrary.While many would also argue that Hope's best films were his early work of the 40's, McCaffrey points to several 1960's films like Bachelor in Paradise where Hope is still in top form.

The Road to Comedy is extremely well-researched.McCaffrey provides detailed plot synopses of the films and notes on cast and crew.Research is bolstered by interviews done with those who worked with Hope including many of his writers.If I do have one complaint about the book it is that McCaffrey does come off a bit snobbish in parts.When discussing Road to Utopia, he talks about the scene where Hope & Crosby are riding a dog sled and encounter Santa Claus in his sleigh.When the boys tell Santa that they don't believe in that "kid's stuff", he drives off, only to reveal two beauties in his sack of toys.Bob and Bing ga ga like babies.McCaffrey says the scene isn't very funny but audiences of the day and present "like that sort of nonsense".He also takes several shots at people like Jerry Lewis and Jim Carrey as being over-actors.

Despite that minor complaint, I heartily recommend the book for any Bob Hope fan.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Blends archival materials with critical surveys & interviews
Many biographies have been written about Bob Hope; but no book yet has focused on the extent of the comic persona he created in film, vaudeville and radio alike - not until Donald W. McCaffrey's The Road To Comedy: The Films Of Bob Hope. Noted comedy film critic McCaffrey blends archival materials with critical surveys and interviews with Bob Hope's contemporaries and collaborators to analyze each major film in depth.

Good analytical examination of Hope films work
Professor Don McCaffrey's latest text goes into the wit and comic talent of the late comedian Bob Hope, who died just shortly after his one hundreth birthday. Over the years, McCaffrey has worked on a breakdown of various kinds of humor (exaggeration, understatement, role reversal, referential humor-the breaking of the fourth wall which happened quite frequently in the Road films,) that helps explain how ski-nose became so talented at making people laugh.

His analysis is readable and not burdened down with academic jargon. It's well-researched and is profusely illustrated.

The popularity of the Bob Hope films cannot be underestimated. While some of today's young audience may not be cognizant of this type of humor, sales of these films' DVDs are still strong at Amazon.Com, Sam's Club, and Wal-Mart, etc.

Parodies of Hope's and Bing Crosby's Road pictures still turn up. The Alftales cartoon program of the late eighties did one, with the Alf puppet doing the Bob Hope role. Most comedy writers would do well to pay attention to what has worked in decades pass to make the audiences laugh.

What's funny then is funny now.

McCaffrey does a great breakdown of the comedy pictures, even beginning to note the fading of originality as the Road pictures progressed. As Hope gained more experience perfecting his comic skills, he became more proficient in taking staid old jokes, and making them work in different settings and situations.

Another of the critics' strengths is being able to seque into several sequels and remakes effectively. Comparing and contrasting Hope's interpretation of his own unique "anit-hero"" with other modern-day comedians such as Steve Martin, Woody Allen, and others, brings out what makes the late comedian so special.

Also mentioned is the author's meeting of one of Bob Hope's writers, Edmund Hartmann, who is able to provide some backstory into the films of the thirties, forties, and fifties. McCaffrey also spends some time on Hope's neglected and underrated films that might find some new life in the DVD revolution.

Over the book's analysis, McCaffrey asserts that of all of Hope's female co-stars, it is possibly Lucille Ball, who was his most successful partner. Where other actresses might have felt compelled to just stand there as Hope spun out his one-liners and put downs, it is Miss Ball, who gave as well as she got. And it is perhaps this talent that makes her his best foil. However, I find myself disagreeing with McCaffrey's low opinion of Miss Diller as a co-star to Bob. Pointing out where she focused more on physical exaggeration of her looks, as opposed to Ball, something can be said for arguement.
But still, Diller was coming into her own with her own brand of physical comedy, (such as references to her husband "Fang," which became of her running gags) that I would give her a higher rating than McCaffrey would.

Another observation by McCaffrey on the Hope films, is how they reinforced the status quo. When somebody went to a Hope film, for the most part they knew what they were going too. A few dramatic performances from the actor, notwithstanding. When people went to a Road film, they went to see Hope and Crosby verbally spar, the beautiful girl, and eventually the good guys winning, with Hope (for the most part) losing the girl.

One shortcoming to the book, that even McCaffrey points out, is the lack of time spent on Hope's numerous television specials, which came out frequently on the NBC network. On these telecasts, Hope would rely a bit on burlesque humor with one-liners on sports heros, politics, and parodies of Star Wars and Batman tv shows. (I myself would love to see ski-nose's sixties Batman satire,where he was himself dressed as some-sort of "crab-man" coming out of a giant clam, no less.)

The reason for this shortcoming is that while most of Hope's films and tv movies have made it to DVD, there hasn't been as much extensive release of his television material. This may change in the years ahead.

McCaffrey concludes his book by going over what some critics the best and worst Hope films, and analyzing their importance in the comedian's canon.

A good text, and it might help the reader appreciate the work Bob Hope did. I don't know how this book compares with other material on Mr. Hope, but it does provide some welcome information on his comic strengths.

Sincerely,

JThree
Williston, ND 58801
carolyn@dia.net

... Read more

Product Description
Lawrence J. Quirk delves into every personal and professional aspect of Bob Hope's long, complex and dramatic life; rising by sheer dint of will to great wealth and fame. Why did Hope become so identified with sponsoring the Vietnam War? What's the real scoop on his relationship with Bing Crosby? How far astray did Hope's frankly oversexed nature lead him from the marriage he successfully maintained with Dolores for over sixty years? Quirk writes about Hope based on long experience. He knew and interviewed Bob Hope while serving as an army seargeant during the Korean war and later as entertainment editor, and interviewer of top stars for over forty years. Quirk approaches his subject with original observations born of years of studying this most celebrated, yet in some ways most mysterious of entertainment giants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Bad as others have said
This book is truly as bad as others have said. If you want a worse one, try Quirk's book about James Stewart -- long on innuendo, but no proof.

Lawrence Quirkthe psychic
First of all Save your money and do-not purchase this book.Mr.Quirk seems to know what Bob Hope is thinking from his birth to the early 90s.This book ranks up with one of the worst books I have ever read. Mr. Quirk talks about homosexuality throughout this book,that makes you wonder ifMr.Quirk is gay himself.He states in his book, that in Vietnam homosexuality activity became more common among servicemen because of their womanless environment.This is an outright lie, there were thousands of Vietnamese prostitutes throughout Vietnam.In fact they would set up brothels outside every American base in Vietnam. Another misconceptions that comes out of his mouth (who knows what goes in it) is his assertion that the soldiers in Vietnam were mostly from working-class boys and blacks suggesting that they are uneducated, this is another lie, we had the highest educated soldiers at that time in Vietnam than any of America's previous wars.Two more little-known facts, are that most of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam where volunteers, and of the 58,000 who died in Vietnam, over 50,000 were white. One more thought about Vietnam, no one ordered us to see Bob Hope's show, in fact it was just the opposite it was extremely hard to get off duty to see one of his performances. This book is a perfect complement for an outhouse, so throwaway your old Sears catalog, because the pages of this book holds a load of crap.

Pure "T" Trash!!!!
Please don't waste a cent on this mess of a book. It's an absolute disgrace to the great talent of one of the world's finest entertainers *Bob Hope*. It was undoubtedly the most poorly written biography I've ever read, full of spelling errors and simple bad editing. One star was as low as I could go in this review.

GARBAGE!!!!
I had the grave misfortune of picking up a copy of Larry Quirk's "book" on Bob Hope a few days ago, and was simply blown away by the amount of garbage I've suddenly digested.Coming away from this book I wondered did Bob Hope really hated homosexuals, or is this volume truly about a homosexual author (Quirk) who just simply hates his subject because he made gay jokes---in the 1940's? Hack is too good of a description for Quirk.... sleaze bucket sounds just about right.....

This book has been returned-----AVOID

Does Quirk work for the Enquirer?
Like many I am happy Mr. Hope made it to 100.Like many, I grew up watching his specials - like many I wanted to read more about this man.My mistake was getting this book.Naturally, it does cover his career; albeit, I think Mr. Quirk really couldn't find any true "dirt" so he implies alot.I think Mr. Quirk is more hung up on the homosexuals of the industry and how hard they had it that he makes out Mr. Hope to be some homophobe.Not a very good read, not really enjoyable.I do not find that I am a fan of Mr. Quirk's "writing" style.In all fairness he does make some interesting points, but they are not worth the read in what could have been a potentially good book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dr. T's Review
To Whom It May Concern,

Both books arrived sooner than expected and in great condition!They're now in my main bookcase in the BOB HOPE Section.

Thanks so much!

Dr. John E. Touchton Sr. ... Read more