Trivia of Bob Hope

 Trivia of Bob Hope (29 May 1903 - 27 July 2003)

*Bob Hope’s name wasn’t actually Bob Hope; he was born Leslie Townes Hope in London in 1903. From age 12, Hope earned pocket money by singing, dancing, and performing comedy on the street.He entered numerous dancing and amateur talent contests as Lester Hope, and won a prize in 1915 for his impersonation of Charlie Chaplin.

*Bob Hope and Bing Crosby first met in the early 1930s at a stage show that Hope was emceeing. Crosby was a big radio star at the time. During the stage show, the pair ad-libbed some vaudeville routines, and the crowd loved it. After Hope became a radio star himself, he followed Crosby to Hollywood where the pair performed similar routines for a benefit at Crosby's Del Mar racetrack.

*Paramount Pictures signed him for film The Big Broadcast (1938) after Jack Benny turned down the role.The song "Thanks for the Memory", which later became his trademark, was introduced in the film as a duet with Shirley Ross, accompanied by Shep Fields and his orchestra.The song won the Academy Award for Best Song at the 1939 awards ceremony.

*After Fred MacMurray and George Burns turned down the chance to make Road to Singapore (1940) film, producer Harlan Thompson offered it to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.With Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, Hope went on to make six more “Road to…” films that would cement his place among the Hollywood legends.

*Bob Hope never won an Oscar for a film performance, but received five honorary Academy Awards for his contributions to the motion picture industry.He also a frequent host of the annual Academy Award ceremonies.

*From 1941-1990, Hope spent most of his Christmases with U.S. troops rather than at his home in Toluca Lake, California. His daughter Linda described Christmas at the Hope house:

"Dad was gone. Holidays for the Hope kids took on a new meaning.I remember saying, 'Why does Dad always have to be away? All these other families have their dads home for Christmas," Linda said. But she is quick to add that Mom would put it in proper perspective for her.

"She said, 'No, not all have them are home for Christmas. Think of boys and girls who don't have their dads for years and years because they are serving overseas. Remember the boys and girls whose fathers may never come back.'"

*After his death in 2003, an airport in Burbank, California, was named "Bob Hope Airport" in his memory.