Bob Hope
never had a definitive biography. That sounds like the setup for a Red Buttons
routine. But seriously, perhaps the most towering comedian and entertainer of
the 20th century never got a definitive biography.
The key
word is “definitive.” Hope put his name on several ghostwritten memoirs. William
Robert Faith, a publicist, contributed the authorized, “A Life in Comedy.” Arthur
Marx (Groucho’s son) dished the unauthorized “The Secret Life of Bob Hope,”
which focused on Hope’s prodigious womanizing and the “dark undersides to his
character.” Publisher’s Weekly dismissed it as “a hatchet job” that “breaks new
ground in sleaziness.”
But now comes
“Hope: Entertainer of the Century” by Richard Zoglin, author of the essential
“Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-Up in the 1970s Changed America.” And for those
who remember only the downside of Hope’s career—unfortunate films such as “Boy,
Did I Get a Wrong Number” and “Cancel My Reservation,”; the lame NBC specials,
groan-worthy jokes about hippies, his close association with President Nixon and
hawkish stance during the Vietnam War—this book will be either a revelation or
a reminder of what a titanic figure in popular culture Hope was. And how funny.
Hope, who
died at age 100 in 2003, is not exactly forgotten. He’s just not part of the
conversation, and considering the sheer longevity and epic scope of his career
(the index in Zoglin’s book includes Al Jolson AND the Village People),
attention must be paid.
If John
Wayne was America’s cowboy, Hope was America’s comedian. He was the original
king of all media; a star of vaudeville, Broadway, film (he was the top box
office draw in 1949), radio and television. He even had his own comic book. He hosted the Academy Awards an unprecedented
18 times. He
tirelessly entertained America’s troops overseas from World War II to the
Persian Gulf conflict, which may serve as his most lasting legacy.
Hope created
a signature comic character, the delusional ladies man; the brash, but cowardly
wiseguy, as in “The Road to Utopia,” in which he must impersonate a vicious
killer. He steps up to a bar and with false bravado barks, “Lemonade” before
quickly correcting himself, “In a dirty glass.”
The “Road”
films, in which he was the “taken” to Bing Crosby’s “taker,” are his most
beloved and enduring, but there was much more to his career. Watch “Monsieur
Beaucaire,” to which Woody Allen paid homage in “Love and Death.” Listen to his
vintage radio shows and marvel at his exquisite timing. And read Zoglin’s
meticulously researched book, which answers the questions, “Who was Bob Hope,
and why does he matter?
Growing up, the “Road” movies were
my gateway into Bob Hope. What about you?
It was the
“Road” pictures. There was something so much fun about those two guys and the
way they related to each other, the way talked to the audience and the craziness
of the gags, like in ‘Utopia’ when an actor walks through a scene and says he’s
going to another move set. It was so liberating and fun. I even liked the
slapstick. I remember laughing so hard at the wrestling match with the gorilla
in ‘The Road to Zanzibar.’ (Even as a child, I thought) it was so hokey, but
that was really appealing.
You write that by the time he died,
Bob Hope’s reputation was already fading and tarnished. Why now to do this
book?
I had
thought about writing a Bob Hope book about 10 years ago or even longer, because
I think he was still alive at the time. I did ‘Comedy at the Edge’ instead, When
I was interviewing all those guys—George Carlin, Steve Martin, Richard Lewis,
Robert Klein, Jerry Seinfeld—I would always ask who their influences were. If
it wasn’t Lenny Bruce, it would be some of the older performers, but nobody
ever mentioned Bob Hope. I realized how off the radar he was. But in thinking
about standup comedy, you would have to say Bob Hope was about as close to a founder
as anybody. One big motivation to do the book was to show these guys that they
should appreciate the guy who basically invented their art form.
But I felt
there was something wrong that such a major figure in American entertainment did
not have a definitive biography. I thought it was really needed.
Before you began writing the book,
what was your impression of Bob Hope?
I went
through the Vietnam years when I wasn’t so thrilled with him. Nixon brought him
into the White House to explain why he was bombing and expected Bob would carry
the message to the American people. That’s a role no other entertainer has ever
had. And I certainly discovered all the blemishes in his personality. It
was said he could be a cold guy and egotistical. He was a distant father, He
was cheap. He was a philanderer. Things like that. I went into the book thinking I was going to expose
the guy a little bit, but I also wanted to celebrate his career.
The second
part of your question will be how I felt about him after writing it?
Nailed it.
In the end
I liked him a lot. I really responded to how driven he was, how successful he
was at everything he tried, how smart he was about managing his career and
figuring out where the audience was and where the audience was going. But also,
I do think he managed to keep his feet on the ground in a way that many
celebrities don’t. He didn’t have too ostentatious a lifestyle He was generous
to friends and relatives and to people who needed it. He authentically was a guy who enjoyed what he
did. He loved being famous. He was not burdened by fame. He didn’t complain
about lack of privacy. He loved being out there and dealing with fans. He was a
happy guy who found his niche and did it so well. You have to admire a guy like
that.
Bill Cosby’s biographer, Mark
Whitaker, has come under increasing fire for not addressing at all the sexual
assault charges against the comedian, especially following this stream of new
revelations (Whitaker has since tweeted his mea culpa). Was there a request or pressure from Hope’s
family for you to not address the less admirable aspects of his private life?
The family
cooperated with me. They knew I was going to get into everything. They tried to
soft pedal it and certainly would have preferred for me not to get into it, but
his daughter, Linda Hope, realized I’m a journalist and I had to do my job. I
had to acknowledge it. (The womanizing) was too much known to everybody, and
the people who knew him well would not take the book seriously. But I was
careful. I only put in the material I
got from sources who went on the record. But it was very important to keep (his
character flaws) in perspective. The Arthur Marx book basically told all, but
it was as if that was Hope’s whole personality.
What made Bob Hope an innovative
comedian?
It was the
kind of material he did. Bob Hope came on the radio with no character to do,
really, and no comedy entourage, like Jack Benny who had his self-contained
comedy world and a character—the cheap guy. Hope told his writers to get jokes
out of the news or about his own life. (He was the logical heir to Will
Rogers).doing monologues about the real world.
Lenny Bruce once said that he only
considered those who created their own material as “funny.” Those who relied on
writers he termed “good actors.” By that strict definition, was Bob Hope funny?
I see the
difference. Lenny Bruce and his followers did stand up comedy to express
themselves. Bob didn’t do that, that’s true. But telling things funny even if
you don’t create them, that’s a talent, too. You have to have an instinct for
what’s funny to be able to deliver those jokes and nobody delivered them as well
as Bob Hope. It’s like asking if Frank Sinatra was less of an artist because he
didn’t write his own songs. Also, I talked to enough people who knew and worked
with him and they say he was a funny guy. He had a natural way. He could think
funny and he was quick. You could hear it in the ad-libs on his radio and TV
shows when there were flubs. Larry Gelbart said to me that Bob Hope was funnier
than any of his monologues.
Do you think he was underrated?
The fact
is Bob Hope’s movies themselves mostly weren’t that good. I make the point in
the book that he never worked with a major director. Some, like Norman Z.
McLeod and Frank Tashlin, were pretty good, some were hacks. They were mostly middle-level contract
directors. But he never made a movie
with a Billy Wilder or a Howard Hawks. Even Jack Benny did a Lubitsch film. Bob
Hope is the best thing in his films. You look at his films through the 1940s
and those are great performance. He’s totally in character, totally engaged and
has got so much energy.
For newcomers to Bob Hope, which of
his films would you recommend?
I would
start with the “Road” pictures. The four big ones; “Zanzibar,” “Morocco,”
“Utopia” and “Rio.” “The Road to Zanzibar” is my favorite for some reason, but
any of those four.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on
“Road to Bali” [which Zoglin dismisses in his book]. I rank it third behind
“Utopia” and “Morocco.”
You know
who else likes “Road to Bali?” Woody Allen. I just don’t agree. I remembered it
fondly, but when I watched all the films again, I thought it just didn’t
measure up. [After the “Road” films] I would go to “My Favorite Blonde.” He
works so well with Madeleine Carroll. I don’t rank “Monsieur Beaucaire” as
highly as Woody Allen, but it’s certainly the most polished of his films. He’s
great in it and it’s got good production values. It’s almost an ‘A’ picture.
Then I would say “Sorrowful Jones.” He’s excellent in that film; that scene in
which he’s praying with the little girl. I think that’s his best pure
performance as an actor.
He’s also good as Eddie Foy in “The
Seven Little Foys,” and that has James Cagney’s cameo as George M. Cohan.
That’s a
very good film and that clip is all over YouTube. Every couple of months,
somebody new sends me that clip and asks if I’ve seen it. (laughs). About 150
times.
In who, today, do you see Bob Hope’s
influence?
Some of
the buddy films with Seth Rogen have a little bit of the loosey-goosey, winking
at the audience (of the “Road” films). Bill Murray (early in his career) wisecracking
through sticky situations.
What do you hope readers take away
from your book?
That, yes,
Bob Hope got to be old hat and he was on the wrong side of the Vietnam War,
which alienated a generation. But look how much he accomplished. He conquered
vaudeville, Broadway, the movies, radio and television. He was pioneering in so
many different ways as I enumerate in the book, from branding himself to doing
TV commercials for his movies. He would say that Hollywood was too afraid of
television and that they should be using it to sell their movies. That was a
new idea. So I would hope people see how smart he was and foresightful.
What’s next for you?
Don’t
know. It’s hard, because everything else after Bob Hope, to me, seems
anticlimactic.
Images:
Simon & Schuster/Reuters
