Bob Hope was one of television's most renowned comedians and actors. He also worked in vaudeville, radio, and film, and, for the last eight decades of his Jong life, made audiences laugh at themselves, their contemporary culture and its foibles, their politics and politicians. For his efforts he received numerous awards and accolades. He was perhaps equally well known, and certainly equally applauded, for his efforts in entertaining U.S. soldiers overseas.

     Hope began his career in 1914 when he won a Charlie Chaplin imitator contest. He then made his way into vaudeville in the 1920s and his Broadway acting and musical debut in 1933, when he appeared in Roberta. Hope moved to Hollywood in 1938 after appearing in several short films and on radio. He made his film acting debut in the full-length film The Big Broadcast of 1938, where he first sang his signature song, "Thanks for the Memory," with Shirley Ross. In 1940 Hope made the first of seven "Road" films, The Road to Singapore, with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. He became a showbiz wizard by playing on his rapid-fire wisecracking technique in the "Road" films that followed. The best-known and probably most televised of these films, The Road to Utopia, was made in 1945. Hope regularly starred as a comic coward, caught in comic-adventurous situations, but he generally wound up winning the hand of the leading lady. In addition to the "Road" films, he also appeared in many other movies. He made his last "Road" film, The Road to Hong Kong, in 1962, and his film career virtually ended in the early 1960s.

     Hope was one of the biggest names in show business when television began to develop. Unlike some of his fellow stars, he jumped into the new medium, making his debut on Easter Sunday in 1950. On a regular basis he was seen on two budget variety shows, Chesterfield Sound Off Time and The Colgate Comedy Hour. In 1953 NBC broadcast the first annual Bob Hope Christmas Special. These specials were usually filmed during his regular tour to entertain the troops overseas. He also began a series of comedy specials for NBC-TV, where he became known for his mar­velous comic timing, his stunning array of guest stars, and his ease with both studio audiences and the camera. His guests regularly included top stars from film, stage, television, and the music industry. He was usually surrounded by Hollywood starlets and athletic figures. His humor poked gentle fun at the world of politics, usually leaning toward the conservative. He also made numerous guest appearances on various comedy shows such as 1 Love Lucy, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Jack Benny Show, where he was applauded for his wisecracking ability to throw new comic wrenches into already hilarious situations. In most cases, Hope simply played himself, and his appearance as a guest star was a guarantee of a larger audience. His ability to make both the audience and his co-stars feel at ease, eager for the wry comment that would put a new spin on any situation, was performance enough.

     In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of end of World War II, NBC broadcast an hour-long Bob Hope special chronicling the comedian's camp tours during the war. Hope, at the age of 92, narrated Memories of World War 11. The special was crafted from a video and CD collection originally produced for retail sales. An additional 20 minutes shows Bob Hope and his wife Dolores talking with friends and coworkers, including Charlton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, and Ed McMahon, about special photos and remembrances about the war, the entertainment, and their efforts to build and maintain morale. Many scenes extol Hope's comic abilities, patriotism, and human compassion. The recollections range from outrageously funny to heartfelt to harrowing. Still, some critics saw the special as self-congratulatory, inept, and awkward. Mike Hughes, a critic for the Gannett News Service, declared, "This doesn't mean Hope isn't a fine person. It doesn't mean the war effort wasn't worthy. It simply means that bad is bad, no matter the motivation." By this point in his long career, Hope seemed at times anachronistic, a reminder of a different world, and a different sort of television.

     In spite of such commentary, Bob Hope remained an American institution in the entertainment world, a quick-witted master of comic response, until his death on July 27, 2003, less than two months after his 100th birthday. He will be remembered as one of the foundational figures of U.S. television in the network era, and one of the kings of television comedy.