Hosted 18 times, 11 times on his own, seven with others. (1940-1941, 1943,
1945-46, 1953, 1955, 1958-1962, 1965-68, 1978)
Look, the guy did give everyone under 50 the creeps. I watched poor teenaged
Brooke Shields standing next to him on that
variety show as a kid ... moreand thought, "No amount of money." But, there is no
denying that Bob Hope knew his way around a stage and an audience. He was
Hollywood's ultimate master of ceremonies, as evidenced by the number of times
he was asked back to the Oscars (it's also possible the producers were too
terrified by his power not to; he owned practically half of Los Angeles County).
He was a contradiction, able to act the rube but with an easy, natural grace,
particularly when he was young. He could have fun onstage with just about
anyone. To watch a clip of him and Humphrey Bogart having an absolute gas at the
podium together, clutching each other's faces for some nonsensical reason --
alcohol had to be involved -- is to get a glimpse of what life truly was
"inside" Hollywood back in the day. And Hope was supremely good with a quip. "I
wish I had his ball bearings," he said, as Bogie headed off stage right. In his
later years, Hope's self-deprecating wit tended to sound like the whine of an
irritating elderly uncle, but in his hale and hearty days, it worked.
The envelope, please: There's a reason he had the career he had.
