BIOGRAPHY

The fifth of seven sons, he was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason -- his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, an aspiring concert singer. In 1907, Leslie's father brought the family to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1920, by virtue of his father's naturalization, 'Bob' -- the name by which the world would later know him -- and his brothers became US citizens. (Bob Jokes, "I left England at the age of four when I found out I couldn't be king.") The fifth of seven sons, he was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason -- his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, an aspiring concert singer.As a youth in Cleveland he earned spending money selling newspapers and as a constant entrant in amateur shows. During his years at East High School he worked as a delivery boy in his brother Fred's meat market. He was also a soda jerk, a shoe salesman, and a pool hustler. After high school, Bob took dancing lessons from entertainer King Rastus Brown and from vaudeville hoofer Johnny Root. A natural, he took over some classes for his teachers. Bob also worked briefly as a newspaper reporter and tried amateur boxing under the name of Packy East. Bob gave up boxing when he " was not only being carried out of the ring, but into the ring." At 18, Bob persuaded his girlfriend, Mildred Rosequist, to become his dance partner. Appearing at nearby vaudeville houses they worked their way to the princely wage of $8 a night and were ready to take their show on tour. However, the curtain fell abruptly on Hope and Rosequist when Mildred's mother finally saw the act. Bob then teamed up with a friend, Lloyd Durbin. After developing their act in local bookings they were hired by the Bandbox Theater in Cleveland as a "cheap act" for the Fatty Arbuckle Show. One year later, Bob teamed with George Byrne for a tour with tab shows. They polished their act and soon were playing major houses including Keith's Flushing in New York city. In New York they were chosen for the Broadway show "Sidewalks of New York" which starred Ruby Keeler and Smith & Dale. The show enjoyed a long run. Hope & Byrne did not! On the advice of their agent, Hope and Byrne headed west to change their act and start over again. They secured a three-day date in a tiny theater in New Castle, Pennsylvania. On opening night Bob was asked to announce the coming attractions to the theater audiences. Encouraged by the audience responses and the theater manager, Bob enlarged his introduction routine to five minutes. At the conclusion of the three-day engagement, Bob became a single.

Broadway: In 1932 Bob was on Broadway again in "Ballyhoo." But Bob's first major recognition, by critics and the public, came in 1933 for his wise-cracking role as Huckleberry Haines in the highly successful Broadway musical, "Roberta."Bob's personal life changed during "Roberta." One of his co-performers in the musical, George Murphy, introduced him to a young singer, Dolores Reade, then appearing at the Vogue Club on 57th Street. After a brief courtship, the couple married in February 1934. They have four children: Linda, Anthony, Nora, and Kelly; and 4 grand children. Following "Roberta," Bob opened in the Broadway musical "Say When" (1934) followed by the 1936 edition of "Ziegfeld Follies" in which he shared the spotlight with Fanny Brice. Bob's success in "Follies" led him to a role in "Red, Hot, and Blue" (1936) with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante. Although Bob had made seven one-reel comedies for Educational Films with Warner Bros. in New York, it was his performance in "Red, Hot and Blue" and that opened the door to his first major feature film for Paramount Pictures, "The Big Broadcast of 1938." Radio: Bob's first radio hit grew out of a personal appearance at New York's Capitol Theater. In the interest of using radio to promote its box-office attractions, the "Capitol Family Hour" hosted by Major Edward J. Bowes originated from the theater every morning. Bob, as one of the theater attractions, was booked for the show. The show at the Capitol proved to be another career milestone for Bob. It marked the first time he appeared with singer Bing Crosby. Bob's first major radio appearance was on the "Fleishmann Hour," which starred Rudy Vallee. In May 1937, Bob signed a twenty-six week radio contract for the "Woodbury Soap Show" which was broadcast from NBC in New York. Later in the year, he traveled to Hollywood to film "The Big Broadcast of 1938," but continued doing his radio show via transcontinental hookup. In 1938, Bob was signed by Pepsodent for his own show on NBC. He became a Tuesday night habit and his show was soon rated number one with American listeners. Bob did his last regular radio show in April 1956. Bob employed show regulars Jerry Colonna, Brenda and Cobina (Brenda Frazier and Cobina Wright, Jr.), Vera Vague, the vocal group Six Hits and a Miss, Skinnay Ennis and His Orchestra and announcer Bill Goodwin. Later, Les Brown and His Band of Renown and Wendall Niles joined the show. Featured singers on the show included Judy Garland, Frances Langford, Doris Day, and Gloria Jean.

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