Bob Hope Dead at 100, His Publicist Says . . .

Bob Hope Dead at 100, His Publicist Says

Monday, July 28, 2003

(9:37 AM ET)

By Bob Thomas

Associated Press Writer

After a few guest radio spots, Hope began working regularly on a Bromo Seltzer radio program. In 1938, he was hired by Pepsodent to create his own show, and that led him to Hollywood. Paramount signed him for ``The Big Broadcast of 1938,'' in which he introduced the song that became his trademark: ``Thanks for the Memory.''

Surrealist Painting of Bob Hope

This portrait of Bob Hope was created on the set of his 1940 haunted house comedy motion picture, The Ghostbreakers. The painting is based on the plot of the film.

Image Credit: Nothing is known about this artist of the surrealist school except his name, S.C. De Regil.

LOS ANGELES, Cal. -- AP
Bob Hope, ski-nosed master of the one-liner and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, less than two months after turning 100.

Hope died late Sunday of pneumonia, his longtime publicist Ward Grant said Monday. Hope's family was at his bedside at his home in Toluca Lake.

The nation's most-honored comedian, a millionaire many times over, was a star in every category open to him - vaudeville, radio, television and film, most notably a string of ``Road'' movies with longtime friend Bing Crosby. For decades, he took his show on the road to bases around the world, boosting the morale of servicemen from World War II to the Gulf War.

He perfected the one-liner, peppering audiences with a fusillade of brief, topical gags.

``I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, `Pardon me.' He said, `I don't do that anymore.'''

He poked fun gently, without malice, and made himself the butt of many jokes. His golf scores and physical attributes, including his celebrated ski-jump nose, were frequent subjects:

``I want to tell you, I was built like an athlete once - big chest, hard stomach. Of course, that's all behind me now.''

When Hope went into one of his monologues, it was almost as though the world was conditioned to respond. No matter that the joke was old or flat; he was Bob Hope and he got laughs.

``Audiences are my best friends,'' he liked to say. ``You never tire of talking with your best friends.''

He was admired by his peers, and generations of younger comedians. Woody Allen called Hope ``the most influential comedian for me.''

Hope earned a fortune, gave lavishly to charity and was showered with awards, so many that he had to rent a warehouse to store them.

Through he said he was afraid of flying, Hope traveled countless miles to entertain servicemen in field hospitals, jungles and aircraft carriers from France to Berlin to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. His Christmas tours became tradition.

He headlined in so many war zones that he had a standard joke for the times he was interrupted by gunfire: ``I wonder which one of my pictures they saw?''
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2003 © The Associated Press.

On the web:
* From Google.com
* From The Internet Movie Database
* From The Library of Congress

Thanks for the memories, Bob. And thank you, Dolores, for releasing him to us for the long tour.

Dan