30. His Wife Knew All His Secrets
It’s hard to imagine that Hope could carry on all of these affairs without his family knowing. Well, as it turns out, they did know. In a 1978 interview, a reporter asked his wife Dolores Reade if she believed Hope was 100% “true-blue.” Reade answered, “I doubt it. I think he’s perfectly human and average and all that.” Not so sure about "average," Dolores.
United States Air Force, Wikimedia Commons
31. He Suffered A Huge Shock
Hope and Bing Crosby worked together for decades in the “Road to…” film franchise, but their friendship came to a tragic end. In 1977, the two were planning to join forces again on yet another “Road to…” film when Crosby passed away unexpectedly. Despite their possibly prickly relationship, Hope was so distraught at the loss of his friend that he couldn’t sleep for days.
32. He Was Witty
Having toured extensively with USO, Hope was no stranger to danger, and had stepped into active combat zones armed with nothing but his wit. At the height of the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, Hope set off to the Motherland. Upon returning, he quipped about his great vacation, “We had a very successful trip to Russia. We made it back.”
FOTO:Fortepan, Wikimedia Commons
33. He Was A Sugar Daddy
Hope may have had scores of lovers, but he almost never forgot about his paramours. Indeed, he even continued to support his first (possibly only) wife Louise Troxell even while he was with Dolores Reade. The entertainer sent his ex a tidy sum of money for the rest of her life, which is a deal I definitely wouldn't turn down.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
34. He Was Addicted To Intimacy
Long after most men would have retired to their rocking chair in an assisted living community, Hope was still chasing down women. Get this: The actor kicked off yet another affair when he was in his 80s. This time he skipped out on the chorus girls and picked up with one of his writers, Sandy Vinger. But it seems like Hope had lost his touch…
Allan warren, Wikimedia Commons
35. His Ex Got Revenge
Not surprisingly, Hope’s affair with Vinger didn’t last too long—he was, after all, a husband, a father of four, and super freaking old. But it did not end happily. After their split, Vinger sued Hope for breach of contract, claiming that the geriatric actor had agreed to support her for the rest of his life; they settled out of court. Talk about going out with a bang.
36. He Had The Longest Happily Ever After
With a 69-year union, Hope’s marriage to Dolores Reade lasted longer than anyone could have possibly expected—and longer than anyone in Hollywood could match. While most Tinseltown marriages end as tabloid fodder in just a few years (or days), Hope and Reade held the record for the longest Hollywood marriage of all time until recently.
37. There Was One Thing He Never Got
Believe it or not, Bob Hope never won an Oscar. In fact, the "Entertainer of the 20th Century" never got so much as an nomination, even after he had hosted the Academy Awards a ridiculous 19 times. One of those times, Hope hit back at his Hollywood “friends” with a real zinger. “We’re all here to celebrate Oscar,” he said, “or as he’s known at my house, The Fugitive!”
38. He Was Funny In Every Language
Despite never clinching that competitive Academy Award, Hope was still famous…maybe too famous. The actor once commented that the only place where he could stroll around incognito was in the People’s Republic China. But even then, someone recognized him from one of his films before the Chinese Revolution. I want to feel bad...but I don't.
mybody isatemple, Wikimedia Commons
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39. He Almost Ran For President
Bob Hope was so popular, people often suggested he should run for president. Yet even though First Lady Nancy Reagan referred to him as America’s “favorite clown,” he was never interested. As Hope once quipped, “I thought about it. But my wife said she wouldn't want to move into a smaller house.” But that didn't mean Hope kept out of the Oval Office entirely...
Official White House photographer, Wikimedia Commons
40. He Advised The White House
In 1948, a seemingly unpopular Harry S. Truman was facing re-election, and he'd only got the job in the first place after Franklin D. Roosevelt's passing. To Truman’s shock, he actually won the vote, and received some sage advice from Bob Hope in the process. In a one-word congratulatory telegram, Hope told the president to “Unpack.”
41. He Had An Obsessive Hobby
Hope was famously golf-crazy, and he might be the only Hollywood actor who can say that he beat Tiger Woods in a round of golf. Still, Woods had a significant handicap: He was a toddler. Hope and the soon-to-be-legendary golfer made an appearance together on The Mike Douglas Show in 1978, when Woods was just two years old.
Undetermined, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Had A Bromance
Although they had a famous and legendary friendship, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope had rather humble beginnings. Hope only met Crosby by chance in 1932 when he was emceeing a show where Crosby performing. Still, the pair ended up hitting it off, and were each excited by the other's comedy chops. And thus began a beautiful bromance.
EugeneBiscardi, Wikimedia Commons
43. He Looked Like Charlie Chaplin
When Hope was still a young boy, he idolized the comedy legend Charlie Chaplin, like just about everybody else his age. But unlike everybody else, Hope tried to be Chaplin—literally. During his youth in Ohio, Hope entered a Chaplin look-a-like contest and came out with the top prize. It might have been a good omen, but Hope's next move wasn't.
United Artists, Wikimedia Commons
44. He Had A Hidden Talent
It might surprise you to know that the reedy Bob Hope had a very rough hobby: Boxing. When he was a teenager, he decided to enter the ring under the professional boxing name "Packy East." Weighing in at an astonishing 24-karats of future Oscar gold, Hope racked up three wins and one loss. Not bad for a man who spent more of his life loving than fighting.
Undetermined, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Was A Doctor
Hope might have been a clown and a high school dropout, but no one can call him uneducated. Over the course of his career, Hope racked up more than 2,000 honors and awards. As if being one of only two honorary veterans of the Armed Services wasn’t enough, Hope received his praise from academia as well, and had 54 honorary doctorates.
SSGT. Bill Gomez, United States Military, Wikimedia Commons
46. He Came Back To Life
In 1998, with Hope well into his 90s, a strange thing happened. A newspaper accidentally released a pre-written obituary for the comedian, leading the US House of Representatives to announce Hope's death while he was, in fact, still alive. Certain congressmen—some of whom Hope had entertained while touring with USO—took the news hard. Thankfully, it was only minutes before the paper corrected the error.
47. He Had The Last Laugh
Despite falling trees, questionable marriages, a flurry of affairs, and a few close calls, Hope’s life was full of…hope. Entertaining audiences was Hope’s single focus, and he accomplished that with his wicked sense of humor. In his own words, “I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.”
unknown, Released to public, Wikimedia Commons
48. He Saw A Century
Just think about how much happens in a century. Computers are invented, phones become mobile, air travel turns to space flight, and the list goes on. Well, Bob Hope would have witnessed it all. He lived to be exactly 100 years old, passing less than a month after his centennial on July 27, 2003. And you can bet your bottom dollar he was full of wit and great one-liners right to the end.
Photographer not credited, Wikimedia Commons
49. His Humor Survived As Long As He Did
At the very end, Hope still had a joie de vivre that no one could beat. While lying on his deathbed, his wife asked him where he wanted them to bury him when he was gone. Hope had his zinger all lined up, and joked in response, “Surprise me.”
Chris English, Wikimedia Commons
50. He Had A Special Offer
For a comedic wit like Bob Hope, late night talk shows provided the perfect opportunity to try out new material and promote upcoming films. To that end, NBC—Hope’s parent network—gave Hope an open invitation to walk onto the set of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson any time he wanted. This ended up backfiring in the most awkward way possible.
Keystone Features, Getty Images
51. He Was Johnny Carson's Most Hated Guest
Hope took up the NBC invitation in a big way, walking on the set again and again...and again. Even worse, Hope would often show up with stale, scripted gags, unwilling to engage in any of the show's signature banter. Eventually, the inimitable Johnny Carson got so fed up, he called Hope his least favorite Tonight Show guest. Ouch. And it only got worse as Hope got older…
Keystone Features, Getty Images
52. He Infuriated Johnny Carson
Hope appeared on The Tonight Show well into the 1980s, and well into his decline. The aging actor had difficulty hearing Carson’s questions, forcing the quick-witted host to stick to dreaded pre-written notes from Hope’s team. Carson's reply was so disturbing, it's impossible to forget. After one particularly bad show, Carson snapped to his writers, “If I ever end up like that, guys, I want you to shoot me.”
CBS-Gabor Rona, photographer. Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
53. He Seduced A Wholesome Star
Of all Hope's affairs, the most scandalous might have been his naughty acts with a famous "good girl" screen siren: None other than the wholesome Doris Day. According to Hope, the two had a fiery affair while touring together to raise funds for charity in 1949. But before the two stars had time to catch feelings, it ended abruptly...
William P. Gottlieb, Wikimedia Commons
54. His Wife Lashed Out
When Hope and Day returned to California from their charity efforts, the lovers got a nasty surprise. Dolores Reade—Hope’s wife, remember her?—was waiting at the airport to give her husband a nice, big, and pointed welcome home hug. Day interpreted the gesture as a shot across the bow and backed off, squelching the dalliance.
Pictorial Parade, Getty Images
55. He May Have Been Cursed
Loving Bob Hope was a dangerous game in more ways than one. Yes, you were dealing with a serial cheater...but an eerie curse seemed to follow him around as well. Many of Hope's mistresses passed tragically sometime their affairs ended, with Barbara Payton, Ursula Halloran, and Rosemarie Frankland all dying young from overdoses.
Steveshelokhonov, Wikimedia Commons
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
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