| Once when he was a little boy in England, | | | | for Hope in the ambition department. She |
| Leslie Hope (He later renamed himself Bob | | | | lobbied the comedian to hire her little-known |
| after a race car driver he idolized) wanted | | | | band leader husband Desi Arnaz for his radio |
| to pick an apple off a tree. Symbolic of his | | | | show. She later regretted it when Desi slept |
| career, he didn't want just any apple but the | | | | with every showgirl who applied for a job, |
| highest one possible. He lost his balance, | | | | with rumors flying about Hope ending up with |
| fell and permanently changed the shape of his | | | | his second choices. Delores Hope was as long |
| nose.His big break in Hollywood was getting | | | | suffering as Lucy was. One time she was among |
| the part Jack Benny turned down in the | | | | a crowd waiting backstage for him after a |
| Paramount film "The Big Broadcast Of 1938". | | | | live show. A reporter asked her,"Are you |
| The director Mitchell Leisen could not stand | | | | connected to Bob Hope in some way Miss?" "No, |
| the star of the film, the ornery WC Fields, | | | | I'm just his wife."In the late 30s, Hope made |
| who would run off the movie set and come back | | | | fun of veterans on his radio show. Performing |
| too soused to do the required scenes, flub | | | | at army bases was a way to bring up ratings. |
| his lines and scream for his lawyer. Liesen | | | | Then came World War II with Hope and a number |
| found Hope much more cooperative, although he | | | | of other stars recruited by the government |
| was a nervous ham in front of the camera. | | | | for a war bond selling, victory caravan tour. |
| Desperate to be a more traditional leading | | | | Unlike many of the pampered celebrities who |
| man like Fred Macmurray, Hope begged | | | | complained about the cramped quarters on |
| Paramount to pay for a nose job but they | | | | their shared train, the ex-vaudevillian Hope |
| refused. It was in this film he got to sing | | | | was exhilarated by the travel. It was no |
| "Thanks For The Memories" which along with | | | | problem for him to go overseas to entertain |
| his ski nose became Hope's trademarks.For his | | | | the troops.At first Hope found America's |
| radio show when Hope found out that Jack | | | | homesick young fighting men to be the easiest |
| Benny hired two writers for $1,000 a week, he | | | | audience he ever faced. Jokes that would die |
| in turn hired ten writers for $100 a week | | | | in the states would get uproarious laughter |
| each and hated paying. At times he would | | | | from the troops. In the beginning Hope stayed |
| gather the staff at the bottom of a stairwell | | | | out of combat areas, but then he reasoned |
| and toss their paychecks down as paper | | | | that those in actual battles needed him the |
| airplanes. Other times Hope would interrupt | | | | most. Hope became addicted to the to the |
| his scribes intimacy with their wives by | | | | danger of flying in planes that might get |
| calling their houses very late at night to go | | | | shot down or performing in places that had |
| over new material. For their part, the | | | | recently been attacked. But he was greatly |
| writers created the Hope movie character, | | | | moved by the injuries he saw in hospital |
| egomaniacal, womanizing and cowardly, all but | | | | wards, and quietly help set up several of the |
| the last trait were true.Hope's relationship | | | | soldiers he met in their own businesses after |
| with Bing Crosby was love-hate. In one of | | | | the war ended. Later he could not understand |
| their early road movies Paramount Studios | | | | the Vietnam situation, getting in trouble |
| filmed two endings in which each of the boys | | | | when he repeatedly suggested we should bomb |
| ended up with Dorothy Lamour, to see which | | | | the enemy into submission. Hope's love for |
| result audiences preferred. They | | | | the troops stayed constant, even in Nam when |
| overwhelmingly chose Bing which annoyed Hope, | | | | they booed him.Hope got along great with all |
| who got his costar back by constantly | | | | the Presidents he met, whether he agreed with |
| reminding him that he wore a toupee. In one | | | | them or not. He once said that Roosevelt |
| scene both had to lie on the same bed | | | | laughed so hard at his jokes he almost voted |
| together (innocently, they were resting) and | | | | democratic. He loved telling the story about |
| Bing refused to take his hat off. No amount | | | | a marine in World War II who was disappointed |
| of coaxing from Paramount executives could | | | | that he had not killed a Japanese soldier. At |
| get Crosby to change his mind, he did not | | | | the edge of a jungle he tried to smoke them |
| want to hear Bob's toupee barbs. Hope later | | | | out, by shouting," To hell with Hirohito!" It |
| said the greatest acting performance he ever | | | | worked, a Japanese soldier came out and |
| gave was smiling when Bing won his academy | | | | shouted," To hell with Roosevelt!" But the |
| award for Going My Way (1944).His frequent | | | | marine lowered his weapon," Darn it, I can't |
| leading lady, Lucille Ball, was an even match | | | | shoot a fellow Republican. |