A CENTURY OF HOPE

Above all else, Bob Hope was funny. On the radio, on television, in the movies, around the world entertaining the troops, anywhere he and his much-heralded nose went, he was sure to elicit laughs, whether he was mocking a president or an unsuspecting soldier. He did this without special props or costumes, just a rapid succession of one liners. Trained in the days of vaudeville, Mr. Hope, who passed away at 100 Sunday, was one of the most prolific entertainers of the century.

Best known of late for his television specials – he did more than 280 of them – Mr. Hope also appeared in more than 50 movies and entertained U.S. troops from World War II to the Gulf War. He has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one each for radio, film, TV and live entertainment. His jokes, written by 100 people and long locked in a fireproof safe in his California home, fill 88,000 pages and have been donated to the Library of Congress.

Always in search of a chortling audience, Mr. Hope began his career in the 1930s, appearing in vaudeville and theater productions. In 1938, he began his long-running Tuesday night radio shows and made his first motion picture, which featured what became his signature song, “Thanks for the Memories.”

His best known films featured he and his friend Bing Crosby on the road. Together the duo made seven “Road” films, the best known had them perched atop camels in Morocco. But Leslie Townes Hope, w ho was born in England in 1903, may best be remembered for the USO shows that began during World War II.

During the war, he performed nearly all of his 400 radio shows at military bases and delighted troops stationed overseas with stage shows. It was hard to know which they enjoyed more – his jokes or the pinup girls. During the Vietnam War, he entertained the sons of World War II and Korean War veterans. His last tour was during the Gulf War. Although many female entertainers were cut from the show in Saudi Arabia, Delores Hope joined her husband on the stage as she had done for nearly 70 years.

Mr. Hope, who tried his hand and singing, dancing and boxing, once said: “The only thing I have is timing – and lots and lots of experience. It’s not a great talent.”

Generations of soldiers, radio listeners and TV viewers likely would come to a different conclusion.