Hope: Entertainer of the Century by Richard Zoglin

Hope: Entertainer of the Century
by Richard Zoglin
Simon & Schuster
Hardcover - ISBN: 9781439140277
576 pages
November 2014

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"He was the most popular entertainer of the twentieth century; the only one who achieved success... in every major genre of mass entertainment in the modern era." - Richard Zoglin

Bob Hope's life was his work. If ever there was a man who was born to entertain it was him. The medium didn't matter. As long as there were funny jokes and an audience to laugh at them Bob Hope was happy.

"He transcended comedy; he was the nation's designated mood-lifter." - Richard Zoglin

Hope was born in England in 1903 but was considered an all-American entertainer. He went on to live for a century and much of his 100 years on earth was dedicated to his career. Hope started off in vaudeville at the time when that medium of entertainment was starting to die off. He had luck on his side and was successful in vaudeville even with the Depression rearing it's ugly head. Always being on the road and performing for live audiences gave him the early training for his long stretch of military tours later on. After vaudeville, Hope went on to Broadway, radio, movies and TV. He was a success in all three, especially TV. Nielsen ratings of his shows and specials broke records and his work hosting the Oscars set standards for future ceremonies. Hope was the father of stand-up comedy and the modern stand-up monologue.

"To survive the vaudeville grind you had to be resourceful, vigilant, watchful of money, always on the move. These were qualities Hope would never lose." - Richard Zoglin

During WWII, Bob Hope found his calling entertaining the troops. It became his mission to bring entertainment to American military troops around the world during times of war and peace. He worked tirelessly through WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. That last war would prove to be the most damaging to his career. The patriotism of WWII that drove him was notably absent during the Vietnam War with a nation protesting our involvement. (Hat tip to the author for mentioning America's invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965. Bob Hope and Tuesday Weld went to the DR to perform for the troops. It's a little known piece of American and Caribbean history. My mother and her family lived through it and I was glad to see it at least get a mention somewhere).

"... no one else pursued his public-service mission so tirelessly or made it such an integral part of his image." - Richard Zoglin

Author Richard Zoglin is a journalist who writes for Time Magazine. He approaches this book very much as a journalist would and covers Hope's career in a very unbiased way. We see the good, the bad and the ugly. Altogether we see a complete portrait of Bob Hope, flaws and all.

Hope's biggest downfall was his longevity. Zoglin writes "Hope needed to keep performing because he couldn't stop believing that the audience needed him." Even when Hope was very old and frail he still wanted to work. And even when he was younger and in better health, he would still find himself working more than he should.

Did you know Bob Hope was loyal to NBC for over 50 years? It was a relationship that benefited both parties, Hope gave NBC great ratings and NBC in turn gave him many spotlights over the years.

This book truly is about Bob Hope's career more so than it is about a life of an entertainer. That's because you really can't separate Hope's career from his life. The two are inextricably intertwined. However, this means Hope as a person wasn't all that interesting. He didn't have a rich inner life and he had only one hobby: golf.

Zoglin does discuss Hope's relationship with his wife Dolores Hope. As you may have read elsewhere, it's revealed in the book that he and Dolores may not have been legally wed. This is despite the fact that Dolores Hope was very Catholic. Zoglin also reveals Hope's first very secret marriage to entertainer Louise Troxel which ended in divorce. There is some information about Hope's string of infidelities and a particularly lurid scene you will not be able to unread. No matter how hard you try! However, I wouldn't categorize this book as salacious. Dolores Hope is portrayed as the stabilizing influence in her husband's life. She sought affection from him but he was very distant. She couldn't conceive so they adopted several children. The Hope family always lived in the shadow of Hope's immense fame something that was more of a curse than a blessing.

So many entertainers are foolish with money. It's almost a cliche. Hope didn't drink, do drugs or gamble. He was frugal to a point and sometimes that meant he short-changed his employees. But overall, he made good investments in real estate, business ventures and in his production company Hope Enterprises.

The book is sprinkled with Hope's one-liners and dialogue from his skits and movies. We learn a lot about his comedy techniques (including some fascinating details about pacing), his staff of writers and his partnerships. Hope and Bing Crosby had chemistry on screen but off screen they weren't friends. Hope got a lot of flack for depending on cue cards and for not writing jokes himself. He always seemed to play the same character on screen what Zoglin refers to as "the wise-cracking, girl-chasing, blustering coward." However, no one can say Bob Hope didn't entertain. That he didn't make people laugh. Because he did and for a very long time.

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 an accident. It came the way it is from the manufacturer."

Each chapter of the book represents a different phase of Bob Hope's life and career. The last one entitled "Legend" is particularly difficult to read because of Hope's decline. Grab a tissue because you'll get a good cry at the very end. Zoglin leaves you with a very touching account of Bob Hope entertaining troops during WWII. It's like a one-two punch that will leave you a bit emotional at the end.

Thank you so much to TCM and Simon & Schuster for sending me a galley of this book to read!

Flash Giveaway - Bob Hope #InfluenceofHope

Tune in to Turner Classic Movies tonight at 8PM EST for their "Starring Bob Hope" 6 film tribute!

8:00 PM EST - The Cat and the Canary (1939) 

9:30 PM EST - My Favorite Blonde (1942)

11:00 PM EST - My Favorite Brunette (1947)

12:45 AM EST - The Seven Little Foys (1955)

2:30 AM EST - The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

4:15 AM EST - Road to Bali (1953)

Thanks to the folks at TCM and Simon & Schuster, I am giving away two hardcover copies of the new biography Hope: Entertainer of the Century by Richard Zoglin. Stay tuned as I'll be sharing my review of the book later today.

UPDATED! To enter the contest you have to share one of three different Bob Hope related prompts on Twitter or Google+ using hashtag #InfluenceofHope. I'll be sharing my favorite Bob Hope jokes, video clips and other fun stuff on my Twitter @Quellelove as well as my blog's Google+ page +Out of the Past throughout the day.

Complete one of  the three prompts and fill out the form below before 6:00 AM EST tomorrow to enter. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER! Congrats to the winners Terry and Mike!

Life Beyond Measure by Sidney Poitier

Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Grandaughter
by Sidney Poitier
April 2008
HarperOne
285 pages

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"All I know for sure is that "stories" are the bedrock on which each human life is built." - Sidney Poitier

Inspired by the birth of his great-granddaughter Ayele LaBarrie in 2005, legendary screen actor Sidney Poitier set out to write 23 letters, each on a different subject, passing down his wisdom and observations to a new generation. The letters are addressed to Ayele but his words are for all of us. Both young and old, everyone can learn a lot from Sidney Poitier.

“Those who stop their questioning... cut short their explorations and end up with permanently unfinished lives.” - Sidney Poitier

From the onset of the book, we come to understand that family is very important to Poitier. The book opens with a family tree mapping out the lineage of the Poitier family from Sidney Poitier's grandparents down to Ayele. He recounts Ayele's birth, his early encounters with her and how his own family grew over the years.  Poitier also goes back to his own childhood and shares many stories of his parents and his siblings.

Poitier was born in Miami, Florida in 1927, grew up in the Bahamas and came back to the United States when he was a teenager. His experiences living in Cat Island, Nassau, Miami and New York all became distinct phases in his life. And each set of experiences taught him many things.

The beginning of Poitier's life is much different than that of Ayele's or pretty much anyone else who reads this book. Some of the most stunning passages in the letters are Poitier's remembrances of his early life experiences. The first time he saw his own reflection in a mirror at the age ten, the first time he had ice cream, the first photograph ever taken of him at age 16 and the first time he ever auditioned for an acting role. Poitier's education came from life. He learned volumes from experiences both good and bad.

Poitier's writing is beautiful. I marveled at the passage where he describes eating ice cream for the first time. Having grown up in the Bahamas he didn't understand what it was like to feel cold. Not knowing how to eat the cold treat, he took one disastrous big bite. From reading Poitier's words I can just imagine the shock and pain of that innocent first experience.

The school of life taught Poitier very much. Although Poitier's education was little and he didn't even read an entire book until he was in his 20s, no one reading this work would think Poitier anything other than a wise and intellectual man. Poitier's writing is reflective and poetic.

“I vividly recall – crinkled with laughter, stung by embarrassment, frozen in shyness, darkened by disappointment, anger, or fear, lit by wonder and innocence, or mesmerized by the spell of the daydreams to which I surrendered so often during those years.” - Sidney Poitier

In Life Beyond Measure, Poitier is passing on his wisdom to Ayele and to us the reader. He discusses a variety of subjects including family, love, addiction, bravery, fear, doubt, shyness, his heroes, logic and reason, science, technology, climate change, war, faith and death. Even though Poitier is essentially teacher in this text, his writing never comes off as pedantic. The narrative voice is gentle and almost passive. There is a sweetness about his tone.

Passing down the wisdom of the ages is important. There are experiences new generations will never have because of advancements in technology and differences in circumstances. We can learn so much from other's lives and there are so many things we take for granted that a young Sidney Poitier grew up without.

“So I sit comfortable after all these years, and I am very protective of my aloneness. I am very protective of my shyness; it never triggers any displeasure in me, any resentment of itself. It’s a part of me.” – Sidney Poitier

I was particularly struck by Poitier's reflections on his own shyness. As an introvert, I very much appreciated his reflections and insights on his own struggles with being shy. Watching Poitier on screen, I've always noticed an intensity about him. His passion drove his actions. He was never held back by any limitations. Poitier says,  “... I rarely took the path of least resistance. Most of the time, in fact, I walked a proverbial razor-sharp edge.”

There isn't much about Sidney Poitier's acting career in the book. It's not the point of the text. We do get to hear some interesting stories from his acting days. These are mostly relegated to his near death experiences including a car accident during the filming of Edge of the City, his trip to the South with fellow actor Harry Belafonte during the Civil Rights Movement and a dramatic real-life car chase while filming Cry, the Beloved Country in South Africa during the apartheid era.

Poitier discusses death at length. The death of family members, his experience with prostate cancer and leaves Ayele with some thoughts about mortality.

I read Life Beyond Measure as an ebook but I really wish I had a hardcover copy instead. Both are available. There are two inserts in the book (and in the ebook as well) with photos of Poitier with his family.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Life Beyond Measure. I was so struck by Poitier's writing and I'm looking forward to reading his other books. I have so much admiration for Poitier and I value the wisdom our elders pass down to us that to me this book is truly a treasure.