Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Hope: Entertainer of the Century” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Hope: Entertainer of the Century

Richard Zoglin

3.84 · Rating details · 802 ratings · 149 reviews

“Revelatory…fascinating” (The New York Times): The first definitive biography of Bob Hope, featuring exclusive and extensive reporting that makes the persuasive case that he was the most important entertainer of the twentieth century.

With his topical jokes and his all-American, brash-but-cowardly screen character, Bob Hope was the only entertainer to achieve top-rated succ ...more

Get A Copy

ebook, 576 pages

Published November 4th 2014 by Simon Schuster

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Hope, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.84 ·

Rating details

· 802 ratings · 149 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Hope: Entertainer of the Century

Nov 10, 2014 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An excellent, sympathetic yet balanced biography of an iconic entertainer. His image in the public mind is probably similarly distorted as that of his contemporary (and associate) Bing Crosby - both are only dimly remembered by today's audiences and if they are, it's for the waning years of their lives, when they were far from top form. In Hope's case, this means his contributions to vaudeville, radio, movies, and television are largely forgotten and his tireless globetrotting to entertain the t ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2014 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Zoglin's chronicle of the life and career of comedian Bob Hope is one of the only works, I think, you can find that analyzes and dissects this masterful genius of comedy, without being a totally reverential and partisan portrayal. Hope was not only a genius of comedy timing, acting, and wit, but also an innovator of many parts of comedy's very beginnings as we know them today. There is much here to prove he "invented" the idea and blueprint of stand-up comedy after the demise of vaudeville. He i ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2019 Louis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of the highest compliments I can offer a biography is to say that it made me realize how necessary it was. This occurs when the subject may be well-known but not properly evaluated. Bob Hope is certainly such a figure. If you doubt that, pick up this bio. Zoglin makes an effective argument that Hope is one of the major figures not only of 20th-century entertainment but American cultural history as well. Too many dismiss Hope because his longevity (he lived to the age of 100) caused him to re ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2014 Raquel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, classic-film-books

Hope: Entertainer of the Century by Richard Zoglin was a terrific read. It's a long one and there will be some trudging to do especially during the Vietnam War era which is covered extensively in the book. The 500+ pages are well-worth the effort. You'll learn a lot and will be glad you did.

And don't you think that cover is so striking? Bob Hope's profile and ski-slope nose was so iconic! I love this line from Bob Hope:

"It's not true my nose is the way it is as a result of having been broken in ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2014 Katrina Knittle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Received from goodreads.

I was very interested in receiving this book. I have heard of Bob Pope but never knew too much about him. I was so happy to see how thorough this book was on his life and career. The book took me a little time to get through being 500 pages and having other books I was trying to get through. This author did a great job at putting together this work. I can see myself reading more from this author.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2014 Paul Pessolano rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Hope” by Richard Zoglin, published by Simon and Schuster.

Category – Biography Publication Date – November 04, 2014

Most of us know Bob Hope from his Christmas Military Tours where he gave up his holiday with his family to entertain American troops in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. Hope’s legacy goes way beyond these tours; he was a standout in vaudeville, radio, TV, and the movies. Hope was a leader and innovator in these mediums.

The book follows Hope’s life fro ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2014 Lori rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I was a goodreads first reads winner of "Hope:the Entertainer of the Century" this is an advanced reader copy of this book. I found the book a pretty interesting read. I learned a lot about Bob Hope. I liked the way the author set up this biography.The first part is called "the Making of an Entertainer" this part talks about his birth in England and moving the America at four years old. for many years he was known by his birth name of Leslie or Les for short. it also takes us through his work on ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2016 Harley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, audio, non-fiction, read-2016

I did not grow up a Bob Hope fan — not because I didn't like him but because we did not have a TV in our house and rarely went to movies. Hope was by all rights a significant and important entertainer during the 20th century. He could make people laugh and make them feel better about their lives, even soldiers in the midst of war.

Hope was a successful entertainer in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, on television, in movies and at live concerts. He spent his life making people smile.

Yet, Bob Ho ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2018 Malcolm Frawley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The tragedy of Bob Hope is that this man, almost certainly the most successful entertainer of the 20th century, is completely unknown to modern audiences. And the author identifies why. Although Hope starred on television for decades during the 50s, 60s, 70s, & even 80s, he specialized in variety shows. He never appeared in, or even flirted with, the sitcom. Through endless repeats many of his contemporaries (Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, etc) have never been off air. But variety sho ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2020 Deidra Tosh rated it liked it · review of another edition

Very interesting, enjoyable read.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2014 Don rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

The title of this book is a good choice. From his start in vaudeville in the 1920's through his TV specials that ran into the 1990's no other entertainer had the span of popularity as Bob Hope.

Although he was born in England, his family moved to Cleveland when he was 4 years old. As a young boy he sold newspapers from the curbside and once sold a paper to John D. Rockefeller, his first association with the rich and famous. He wasn't much of a student and never attended school past the 10th grade The title of this book is a good choice. From his start in vaudeville in the 1920's through his TV specials that ran into the 1990's no other entertainer had the span of popularity as Bob Hope.

Although he was born in England, his family moved to Cleveland when he was 4 years old. As a young boy he sold newspapers from the curbside and once sold a paper to John D. Rockefeller, his first association with the rich and famous. He wasn't much of a student and never attended school past the 10th grade. He was arrested for some crime as a juvenile and sent to a boy's home for a couple of years. The record of his crime has disappeared, no doubt as a favor when he became famous.

Numerous people in the book point out that Hope had few interests beyond entertaining, making money, promoting his image, and golf. He wasn't a reader and not given to introspection. He was always on, looking for an audience to preform to.

He was famous for hiring the best joke writers available and was fanatic about his monologues which he first did for his radio show and later in live appearances and TV specials. Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and all other comedians copy this style that began with Hope.

For decades, no one in the business worked harder than Hope. He would regularly perform 250 or more days a year. He could always sell out a show, but he was extremely generous in making himself available to do shows for charity.

His wife(?) Delores (there is no record or witnesses of them getting married) was a devout Catholic who did not believe in divorce so she put up with his womanizing when we has on the road. Hope managed to keep this out the public eye for the most part during his life. He and Delores had 4 adopted children who did not know their father very well because he was gone so often.

Although not well known to modern audiences, Hope was a top movie star in the 1940's. He is best known for the zany Road pictures with Bing Crosby, but many of his other pictures where he usually plays a coward who has to take on some challenge are still fun to watch. He became the go to host for the Oscars during the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. You can find many of his Oscar appearances on YouTube.

He was a shrewd investor in real estate and at one point was probably the private citizen who owned the most land in California. His net worth grew to over $100 million. Hope was a conservative Republican but he was welcomed by pretty much all the presidents, especially those who liked to golf. Once he played two rounds of golf with Eisenhower, the first as his partner and the second as his opponent. He played terrible when on the same side as Ike and they lost. He played great when he switched over and it made Eisenhower upset to lose again.

Hope is probably best known for his love and support for the men and women serving in the military. Beginning with World War II and continuing with Korea, Vietnam, and even the first Gulf War, he did tours (regularly during Christmas time) to entertain soldiers and sailors who would rather be home with family. Even during peace time, Hope would entertain troops throughout the world. On a few occasions his life was in danger. A flight into Anchorage during WWII when his plane was flying on one engine almost didn't make it (the base broke the blackout to light a way for the plane to come in). In Korea his plane flew near the front lines ready to put on a show and landed at an abandoned airport before U.S. troops had arrive to take control of it. The hotel he was near in Vietnam exploded ten minutes before he arrived (he was 10 minutes late in arriving).

Zoglin ends the book with a story that shows us what Bob Hope really thought was important. During WWII a unit of U.S. troops in England heard that Hope was entertaining at a location 10 miles away. They marched through the rain the 10 miles only to find out there was no more room in the building for them to watch the show, so they turned around to march back. After finishing his show, Hope heard about the men who had missed his show so he commandeered a truck and chased them down. He set up improvised stage and entertain the men for 40 minutes in the rain. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2014 JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies

There are three people that come to mind as being for the masses, and for the ages: John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart...and Bob Hope. Having read the definitive John Wayne, still waiting for the Humphrey Bogart; I turned my attention to the soon-to-be-released biography Hope. It is a volumnious work, nearly 500 pages, and the most thorough account of Bob Hope's life and career.

He was not an easy man to know; it isn't even clear whether he knew himself or not. For it appears that Bob Hope was a creatio There are three people that come to mind as being for the masses, and for the ages: John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart...and Bob Hope. Having read the definitive John Wayne, still waiting for the Humphrey Bogart; I turned my attention to the soon-to-be-released biography Hope. It is a volumnious work, nearly 500 pages, and the most thorough account of Bob Hope's life and career.

He was not an easy man to know; it isn't even clear whether he knew himself or not. For it appears that Bob Hope was a creation, someone he imagined himself to be and became. He was not a perfect human being: he took advantage of his wife, was rarely in his childrens' lives, and treated his employees with the consideration of since he was paying them, he owned them. His worse offense was his womanizing: of all the things he was adept at, this was one of his best. I mean that in the sense that he was able to keep it out of the public eye for so many years that no one would have believed it. He seemed such a consummate role model for a long and happy marriage that no one could have thought it true. Yet it was, and went on until his own frailness deemed it impossible anymore.

Yet here was a man who gave his all for the public: his very life. Everything he did was for his audience, whoever they may be. He was tireless in his efforts, doing something every minute of every day; and he expected no less from those who worked with him, calling them day and night. He gave years of service to the Armed Services, literally hundreds of shows, many of them at Christmas, for those in uniform.

From his beginnings in vaudeville he moved to radio, with a weekly show for years, and to the movies, garnering an impressive career, many of his works still timeless today. Simultanously working in radio and film, he moved into television, drawing some of the highest viewing records ever. In between he managed to host an unparalleled number of Academy Award shows as host; fill charity seats and gather awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Bob Hope is an icon for the times. Watching his earlier movies you can see his comic timing, his expressive eyes, his play off the other actors. His jokes were always top-notch; he knew exactly when to hit a punch line, when to wait for the laughter. He knew how to market himself - he knew what needed to be done, how to do it, what would work best. There will never be another like him; no one with such boundless energy, such comic timing, a sense that he belonged not to himself, but to us, the world. Bob Hope's greatest feat (and gift to the world) was Bob Hope: the man who created himself.

In this biography, Mr. Zoglin has gathered together all the pieces of the man and put them in one place as not only an excellent profile of Bob Hope, but the definitive one as well. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but it in no way affected my review.
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2015 Andy Miller rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The introduction was addressed to readers like me, people whose impression of Bob Hope was fixed by his being at odd with the times in the sixties and seventies whose jokes seemed to be based not in humor but in sarcasm and anger and were stale compared to the hip new comics.

But this biography is of Hope's entire life, how he overcame an early poverty like life largely due to very hard work and a willingness to change with the times. He started in vaudeville, was actually a good singer, adapted The introduction was addressed to readers like me, people whose impression of Bob Hope was fixed by his being at odd with the times in the sixties and seventies whose jokes seemed to be based not in humor but in sarcasm and anger and were stale compared to the hip new comics.

But this biography is of Hope's entire life, how he overcame an early poverty like life largely due to very hard work and a willingness to change with the times. He started in vaudeville, was actually a good singer, adapted to the demise of Vaudeville by shifting to Broadway and then changed his style to successfully shift into movies and then into radio and finally television. All the while he perfected his comedy routines and the author, Richard Zoglin, convincingly argues that Hope invented the stand up comedy monologues that are so ubitquitous now. Just as his stand up routines laid the foundation for Carson, Pryor, and Seinfield, his asides to the movie audience in the On the Road movies paved the way for present day shows like the Office. The author liberally cites jokes, movie lines, and routines to show that in his day Hope was genuinely funny--and that his humor was not only cutting edge during most of his career, but was risque, he was repeatedly attacked by church groups for the lack of morality of his routines and radio shows

The book also discusses Hope's family and personal life which necessarily includes Hope's constant womanizing throughout the biography, but not in a way that overwhelms the story. It gives a balanced view of his alleged cheapness, he was known to quibble about reimbursing employees for taxi fare, fax machines, benefits but his charitable contributions were huge and throughout his life he bailed out old friends with generous help

The biography details how Hope got out of touch with the times in the sixties and seventies especially in his college campus visits which were limited because of the booing and small crowds he would attract.

The two things that were not touched upon were civil rights and his personal experiences during McCarthyism. Hope was very popular during the days of discrimination but there are no stories one way or another on whether he was Sintra like in refusing to perform in venues that did not allow integrated acts or audiences. The biography does cite a time when Hope was asked about Joe McCarthy and he replied that he thought that McCarthy was usually right and doing a service for the country. The audience responded with boos and Hope never made public statements on McCarthy again, but he had to have had some experiences with blacklisted writers and performers that were not discussed in the book

But this is not to take away from a well written, well researched biography of the compelling entertainer of the 20th century

...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2015 Randall Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Entertainer of the century? I tend to agree with that subtitle. (Although my wife probably thinks Prince is.) When you think of how long a career Bob Hope had and how important he was to several generations, it’s hard to think of anyone else who fits that bill. He lived a full century, from 1903 to 2003. And he was tremendously successful in every form of mass entertainment. He worked his way to the top in Vaudeville, Broadway, movies, radio and television. His books were best-sellers. And he ev ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2016 Graceann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Bob Hope Fans

Shelves: film-history, biography

Richard Zoglin is incredibly thorough and very even-handed in his treatment of this legendary performer from vaudeville, theatre, radio, film and television. The man was with us for 100 years, and active for a great deal of that time, so there's a lot of ground to cover. He wasn't a monster, but he wasn't an angel, either, so if I were looking to this book for either hagiography or character assassination, I would have been bitterly disappointed. While I believe the editing could have been a bit ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2015 Simon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Even-handed. Hope was too opaque a personality to make conventional biography easy, but Zoglin does as good an estimation of his career as we are likely to get. He divides the book by stages in Hope's work, with exhaustive descriptions of radio, television, live concerts and movies. With the exception of Monsieur Beaucaire and the Road pictures, Hope never really made a decent film --- and never worked with a first-rate director. His reputation rests primarily upon his radio work, the carefully ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2015 John Behle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Watching Bob Hope specials as a kid made me feel grown up. Bob Hope spanned every demographic group, toured the globe and literally spanned a century (he passed at 100 in 2003). He told me what could be lampooned. Here was the American comedian laureate, joining us, as he always said, "right in our living room."

Zoglin's book takes us by the hand down this tireless man's life. We meet his wife, Delores, the writers (who were on constant phone call alert), the four adopted children (a not always h ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2015 Mary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am not sure why I read this book. Bob Hope was pretty much at the end of his entertainment career as I was growing up, but I remember watching his specials as he entertained the troops. Also, I would really like to see the inside of spaceship house he built in Palm Springs.

I enjoyed this book and the author tells you right up front that if you are reading to learn about Bob Hope's personality, you will be disappointed. He was a very private man who didn't share his inner thoughts and feelings ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2015 Jeffrey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This long-awaited, definitive biography is subtitled, ENTERTAINER OF THE CENTURY, and that is the persuasive case that author Richard Zoglin makes: that Bob Hope was indeed the most important entertainer of the twentieth century.

Hope lived for a century, from 1903 until 2003, and is the only entertainer to achieve top success in every field of show business, from vaudeville, to film and television and everything else in between.

He actually invented stand-up comedy and what is now commonly known ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2015 Shawn Thrasher rated it liked it · review of another edition

Really well done, well written biography of Bob Hope. Zoglin's thesis that Hope invented modern stand up comedy and as the entertainer of the last century rings true. And while this isn't a hatchet job (Zoglin had the cooperation of Hope's daughter, which I imagine dulled the hatchet somewhat), Hope doesn't come out of this sitting pretty. A friend of mine who works in Hollywood once described a reletively famous actress he worked with on a daily basis: "she's a professional who hits her marks, ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2014 Mal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

good reads have sent me amazing books.this is a comprehensive book of the life of bob hope...the good and the bad..but who is perfect? my uncles during the world war could not rave about him more..he went continually to entertain the troops where no one else would. he was applauded as one of the best entertainers and rose to the top..but during the vietnam war slid down much to his surprise. he was best friends with spiro agnew and richard nixon...actually he was good friends with many president ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2015 Terry Collins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having read other Hope biographies, I went into this one with open eyes and previous knowledge and was amazed at the both the audacity of the thesis (Hope was the entertainer of the century) and the proving of same. Exhaustive, but not exhausting. Kind, but not a puff piece. Hands down the most balanced portrait of Hope, with extra attention paid to his vaudeville days, his journeys overseas, and his sad decline during the last decade of his NBC specials. The kind of book that makes you look at ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2014 Brenda Osborne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I grew up watching Bob Hope on television and movies, yet I really didn't know much about him. This well-written and even-handed book changed that. I loved reading about his early days in vaudeville. His trips to entertain the troops were more extensive and altruistic than I had imagined. This book didn't shy away from talking about his womanizing, temper or shameless self-promoting. Even so, I came away from this book admiring the entertainer as well as the man. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2015 Ronnie Cramer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Excellent warts-and-all biography of the legendary comedian; the 100 years and 600 pages really flew by. I particularly like the way the author would relate an anecdote, then quote how Hope handled the same story in his autobiography.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 19, 2016 Al Berry rated it liked it · review of another edition

A decent read that should have been 700 pages rather than 450, as some parts of his life and career are looked at unde a microscope and some parts are completely glossed over. All in all a decent look at one of the 20th Century's most prominent entertainer. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2014 Felix rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A must read for any Bob Hope fan. Shows the man basking in the glory of celebrity & the warts of being a man. Well worth your time...

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2014 Trav S.D. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hope: Entertainer of the Century http://t.co/Xvq2rM2oQ0 ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2015 Nicole Marble rated it liked it · review of another edition

A really long, and clear, bio of Bob Hope.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 01, 2015 Mark rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a very enjoyable book about a genuinely funny man. While reading this book I rented from Netflix "Sorrowful Jones" a movie with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball (1948). It was hilarious. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review