Bob Hope was the first comedian to become a true American icon.
Hope was born in 1903, well before stand-up comedy was the format we know today. He began his career in Vaudeville, which eventually led to Broadway appearances and a radio show.
By the 1930s, he was a certified movie star and one of the most recognizable faces in America. It was during World War II he first went overseas to entertain the troops and continued to do so during every major American conflict up to the 1990s.
A friend to Presidents across the decades and a mainstay of entertainment for almost all of the 20th century, Bob Hope is truly a showbiz icon.
1
Publicity photo of Bob Hope from a television special.
1969
2
Douglass Montgomery, Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard and John Beal in “The Cat and the Canary”.
1939
3
Hope and his comic sidekick, Jerry Colonna in a promo photo for “The Pepsodent Show”.
1940
4
Hope putting a golf ball into an ashtray held by President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office.
1973
5
Spiro and Judy Agnew, Bob and Dolores Hope, Richard and Pat Nixon, Nancy and Ronald Reagan during a campaign stop for the Nixon ticket in California.
1971
6
Hope and his wife Dolores on Capitol Hill as he received an award.
1978
7
Hope at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
1990
8
Hope and actress Ann Jillian perform in the USO Christmas Tour during Operation Desert Shield.
1990
9
Bob Hope and actors meeting General George Patton in Sicily during World War II.
August 21, 1943
10
Hope with his brother Jack, who produced his early 1950s show, with comedian Jack Benny.
Circa 1950s
11
Hope with James Garner.
1961
12
Bob Hope with Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and David Niven.
Circa 1950s
13
Hope and Bing Crosby sing and dance during the number "Chicago Style" in “Road to Bali”.
1952
14
Hope at a USO show.
Circa 1970s
15
Bob Hope doing a set at a USO tour show in Vietnam.
Circa 1970s
