About This Quiz
Bob Hope explored every entertainment arena, from TV specials to movies, from singing to comedy, and everything in between. Hope's contributions to entertainment are limitless, and he is as well-respected for his USO shows as he is for drawing crowds to the box office. Take our quiz to see how much you know about this comedy legend.Hope was an avid golfer and often took a golf club on stage as a prop. He also founded the Bob Hope Classic, a popular golf tournament.
Hope co-starred with Lucille Ball in the 1950 flick, "Fancy Pants." Hope played an actor named Arthur Tyler, who pretends to be the butler for a wealthy family as they prepare to host the President.
Hope played a con man who gets himself in big trouble betting on horses in the 1951 film, "The Lemon Drop Kid." This one was based on a Damon Runyon story.
Advertisement
To thank him for his years of USO performances, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Bob Hope in 1998. Because he was American rather than British, his knighthood didn't come with the title of "Sir." Hope had become a U.S. citizen back in 1920.
Actress Dorothy Lamour co-starred in most of the "Road" films with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. In "Road to Singapore," she played exotic local dancer Mima, who goes on the run with her two male co-stars.
Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starred in a series of movies with titles starting with "Road to...." followed by a far-flung locale. The pair did seven of these films together, and many were quite successful.
Advertisement
Hope picked up another signature song to add to his repertoire in "The Paleface." He sang the song "Buttons and Bows" in the film, and the tune won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Bob Hope has been closely associated with the song "Thanks for the Memory" for most of his career. The song lyrics speak of good times gone by, with sweet little memories of married life.
Hope was an amateur boxer in his early years. He fought under the name Packy East but gave up the sport to focus on show business.
Advertisement
Loyal to his Ohio roots, Hope bought a share of the Cleveland Indians in 1946 and sat on the team's Board of Directors for many years after.
Hope is almost as famous for his work with the USO as he is for his work in Hollywood. His first show for the troops took place at a California base in 1941, and he continued working with the armed forces throughout his lifetime, including a number of trips to Vietnam during the war. In 1997, he was named an Honorary Veteran by President Bill Clinton.
Hope starred as Painless Potter, a dentist, in the 1948 film, "The Paleface." The western also featured Jane Russell as Calamity Jane.
Advertisement
Hope landed his first big movie role in the 1938 film, "The Big Broadcast of 1938." In the film, Hope sang his iconic song, "Thanks for the Memory," with singer Shirley Ross. His very first movie role was in 1934's "Going Spanish."
The first of the Hope/Crosby films was the 1940 flick, "Road to Singapore." Crosby played Josh Mallon, while Hope played Ace Lannigan. The pair flee to Singapore to escape mounting girl troubles back home.
Hope hosted the Academy Awards more times than anyone else in history. He played host a total of 19 times, starting before the show was even televised and ending with the ceremony's 50th anniversary in 1978.
Advertisement
The famous duo made their seventh and final "Road" film in 1962. In "The Road to Hong Kong," Joan Collins replaced Dorothy Lamour in the lead female role, due to Lamour's age. Lamour had a small cameo role, however.
In a classic scene from the 1955 film "The Seven Little Foys," Bob Hope and James Cagney perform a complex tabletop dance together. The film was so successful that it spawned a TV show and a stage musical.
He may be an American icon, but Bob Hope was actually born in England. He traveled to the U.S. with his parents and six brothers when he was just four years old, and the family settled in Ohio.
Advertisement
Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart appeared alongside a two-year-old Tiger Woods on a 1978 episode of "The Mike Douglas Show."
Hope married twice, starting with Grace Louise Troxell in 1933. The marriage lasted a year before he left Troxell and wed Dolores Reade. Hope and Reade stayed together until his death in 2003, resulting in one of the longest marriages in Hollywood history.
Though he continued to make cameo appearances, Hope's final leading role was in the 1972 film "Cancel My Reservation." He played TV star Dan Bartlett, who finds himself in hot water after the body of a young girl is found in his trunk.
Advertisement
Architect John Lautner designed Hope's Palm Springs home to look like a volcano. The property hit the market in 2013 for $50 million, but a bargain buyer picked it up for $13 million in 2016.
Hope performed the song "Silver Bells" in "The Lemon Drop Kid," and continued to perform the carol in performances throughout his life. The song was originally called "Tinkle Bells," but was changed to "Silver Bells" to avoid the urination connotation.
In the 1953 film "Off Limits," Bob Hope played Wally Hogan, manager to fighter Bullet Bradley. Mickey Rooney co-starred in the film, which also featured Charles Bronson in a small role.
Advertisement
Hope played the barber to the French King, Louis XV. The barber is exiled for bad behavior, but he gets back in the King's good graces when he wins a swordfight. The story was based on a Booth Tarkington novel.
Bob Hope was under contract to NBC for 60 years, starting with his radio show in 1935, moving to TV in 1950 and ending in 1996. The 60-year contract is one of the longest entertainment contracts in Hollywood history.
Born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, the entertainer changed his name to Bob Hope when he started making it big in showbiz. The switch also helped eliminate a hated childhood nickname -- Hopeless.
Advertisement
Hope played an actor named Wally Campbell in the film. Campbell is an old friend of heiress Joyce Norman, played by Paulette Goddard, and ends up engaged to Joyce after he saves her life from others who want to claim her fortune.
Hope and his wife adopted four kids. His son Tony went on to work for four presidents in various roles.
Hope had minor roles on Broadway starting in 1927, but is wasn't until 1933 that he had his first starring role, as Huck Haines in the musical "Roberta." Hope also starred in a 1969 TV movie version of the musical.
Advertisement