Editing Bob Hope (section)

== Personal life ==
=== Marriage and relationships ===
[[File:Bob Hope and family.jpg|thumb|The Hope family; Back, from left: Tony, Dolores, and Linda; Front, from left: Kelly, Bob, and Nora]]

Hope was briefly married to vaudeville partner Grace Louise Troxell (1912–1992), a secretary from Chicago, Illinois, who was the daughter of Edward and Mary (née McGinnes) Troxell. They were married on January 25, 1933, in Erie, Pennsylvania.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=66}} They divorced in November 1934.<ref name="Sheridan 2014">{{cite news | last = Sheridan | first = Peter | url = http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/499930/Bob-Hope-the-bigamist | title = Bob Hope the Bigamist | work = [[Daily Express]] | date = August 16, 2014 | access-date = August 16, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140816091857/http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/499930/Bob-Hope-the-bigamist | archive-date = August 16, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The couple had shared headliner status with Joe Howard at the Palace Theatre in April 1931, performing "Keep Smiling" and the "Antics of 1931".<ref>The Scranton Republican, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Monday, April 27, 1931, p. 4</ref> They worked together at the RKO Albee, performing the "Antics of 1933" along with Ann Gillens and Johnny Peters in June of that year.<ref>The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, June 28, 1933, p. 35</ref> The following month, singer [[Dolores Hope|Dolores Reade]] joined Hope's vaudeville troupe and was performing with him at Loew's Metropolitan Theater. She was described as a "former [[Ziegfeld girl|Ziegfeld beauty]] and one of society's favorite nightclub entertainers, having appeared at many private social functions at New York, Palm Beach, and Southampton".<ref>Eagle Brooklyn, New York, Saturday, July 14, 1933, p. 5</ref>

His marriage to Reade was fraught with ambiguities. As [[Richard Zoglin]] wrote in his 2014 biography ''Hope: Entertainer of the Century'', {{blockquote|Bob and Dolores always claimed that they married in February 1934 in Erie, Pennsylvania. But at that time, he was secretly married to his vaudeville partner Louise Troxell, after three years together on and off. I found divorce papers for Bob and Louise dated November 1934, so either Bob Hope was a bigamist, or he lied about marrying Dolores in February that year. He had actually married Louise in January 1933 in Erie when they were traveling on the vaudeville circuit. When he claimed he had married Dolores in Erie he was miles away in New York, on Broadway. More intriguing, there is no record anywhere of his marriage to Dolores, if it happened. And there are no wedding photos, either. But he never forgot Louise and quietly sent her money in her later years.<ref name="Sheridan 2014" />}}

Dolores had been one of Hope's co-stars on Broadway in ''Roberta''. The couple adopted four children: Linda (in 1939), Anthony "Tony" (1940–2004),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holley |first1=Joe |title=Bob Hope's Son, Lobbyist Anthony Hope, 63, Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/07/04/bob-hopes-son-lobbyist-anthony-hope-63-dies/e1e4202b-be7d-4415-9d08-9211c14ff4f2/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref> Kelly (1946), and Eleanora "Nora" (1946).{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=86–87}} Bob and Dolores were also the legal guardians of Tracey, the youngest daughter of famous New York City bar owner [[Toots Shor|Bernard "Toots" Shor]] and his wife, Marion "Baby" Shor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krell |first1=David |title=Bob Hope |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bob-hope/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref> In 1935, the couple lived in Manhattan. In 1937, they moved to 10346 Moorpark Street in the [[Toluca Lake, Los Angeles|Toluca Lake]] neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they would reside until their respective deaths.<ref>1940 US Census via Ancestry.com</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/arts/music/dolores-hope-bob-hopes-widow-dies-at-102.html|title = Dolores Hope, Singer and Bob Hope's Widow, Dies at 102|date = September 20, 2011|accessdate = February 3, 2022|last = Gates|first = Anita|work = [[The New York Times]]|url-access = limited}}</ref>
[[File:Campaign event in California - NARA - 194741.jpg|thumb|From left to right: [[Spiro Agnew|Spiro]] and [[Judy Agnew]], Bob and [[Dolores Hope]], [[Richard Nixon|Richard]] and [[Pat Nixon]], [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] during a campaign stop for the [[Nixon-Agnew ticket]] in California, 1971]]
Hope had a reputation as a womanizer and continued to see other women throughout his marriage.{{sfn|Quirk|1998|pp=82, 90}} Zoglin wrote that Hope had several "affairs with chorus girls, beauty queens, singers and showbiz wannabes". Women who have claimed to have been romantically linked to Hope include [[Barbara Payton]], [[Marilyn Maxwell]], and [[Rosemarie Frankland]].{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=65}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|pp=66, 67}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=311}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=313}}{{sfn|O'Dowd|2006|p=313}}<ref name="Arthur Marx 1993"/>

=== Politics and beliefs ===
Hope had extensive relationships with US Presidents from [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to [[Bill Clinton]] and often made topical political jokes in his comedic material. He hosted the [[White House Correspondents Dinner]] three times in 1944, 1953, and 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whca.net/1944.htm |title=Big Names Abound at Press Banquet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501092117/http://www.whca.net/1944.htm |archive-date=May 1, 2013|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=March 6, 1944}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969): About this item|url=http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/blurringlines/hopeandpresidents/ExhibitObjects/Eisenhower.aspx |work=Library of Congress Eisenhower Archives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618190310/http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/blurringlines/hopeandpresidents/ExhibitObjects/Eisenhower.aspx |archive-date=June 18, 2013|access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ford">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061227/ai_n17077415 |title=Humor played big role in Ford's persona|work=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|date=Dec 27, 2006|first=Bruce |last=Fessier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422214758/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061227/ai_n17077415|archive-date=22 Apr 2008}}</ref> Hope was supportive politically of conservative Presidents such as [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bobhope/pubserv.html|title= Public Service - Bob Hope|website= [[Library of Congress]]|date= May 10, 2000|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/hope-and-the-presidents.html|title= Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture|website= [[Library of Congress]]|date= July 11, 2010|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref>

In an interview with Hope biographer Richard Zoglin on [[NPR]] he stated that "Bob Hope was the establishment. Bob Hope was friends with [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]. Bob Hope was speaking in favor of the [[Vietnam War]]. Bob Hope was expressing that kind of backward, suburban, [[WASP]] view of minorities, [[homosexuals]], the [[women's movement]]."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2014/11/24/366137941/the-rise-and-fall-of-comedian-bob-hope|title= The Rise And Fall Of Comedian Bob Hope|website= [[NPR]]|accessdate= November 28, 2024}}</ref> Hope's beliefs and attitudes of the social issues are a part of the plot of the 2020 film ''[[Misbehaviour (film)|Misbehaviour]]'', which follows the [[Women's liberation movement|Women's Liberation]] protests at the [[Miss World 1970]] competition that Hope hosted; [[Greg Kinnear]] plays Hope.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gilbey|first=Ryan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/06/greg-kinnear-on-misbehaviour-and-metoo-where-were-human-resources-in-the-1990s|title=Greg Kinnear on Misbehaviour and #MeToo: 'Where were human resources in the 1990s?'|date=March 6, 2020|work=The Guardian|access-date=March 8, 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308214602/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/06/greg-kinnear-on-misbehaviour-and-metoo-where-were-human-resources-in-the-1990s|archive-date=March 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1981, Hope advocated for gun control. Hope told [[Tom Shales]] of ''The Washington Post'', “I’m for gun registration. I don’t think any jerk that’s coked up or anything should be allowed to walk in a store and buy a gun and turn around and shoot 19 people, you know? … And what the hell, hunters can have their guns, they’re registered. I’ve got a gun in each house for a warning thing; that can be registered … They gotta tell me what’s wrong with having them registered. That’s all I wanna hear.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=1981-06-06 |title="Bob Hope steps out in favor of gun control" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/293273171 |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> When Hope shared these views during an [[ABC News Radio|ABC Radio]] interview, he quickly realized the repercussions. Vice President [[George H. W. Bush|George H.W. Bush]], who was visiting [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] the same day Hope taped a special there, had declined to meet with him. Additionally, at a luncheon in Washington that same week, Hope had planned to sit with Nancy Reagan, but she canceled at the last minute.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1981-05-21 |title=Bob Missed Nancy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-05211981-reagans-ditch-hope/102707131/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=Daily News |page=296}}</ref>

Hope’s views on the gay community also evolved. At the height of [[Anita Bryant|Anita Bryant’s]] campaign to reverse the progress of gay rights and anti-discrimination legislation in Florida in 1977, he, as well as many other comedians, ridiculed her in their routines, but also expressed his disagreement with Bryant: “We’re all entitled to our own sexual habits [and] I believe what these people do behind closed doors is their business … Most of us today are aware of Anita Bryant’s stand [but] I still think jobs should be based on talent, not whether a person is homosexual or heterosexual.”<ref>{{Cite web |title="Bob Hope: Why I don't agree with the war on homosexuals" |website=[[Library of Congress]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/blurringlines/controversy/Assets/}}</ref> However, Texaco and Chrysler, sponsors for many of his TV specials, asked him to refrain from making further jokes about the subject.<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Larry |date=1978-02-07 |title="From 'starvation' to war—Hope survived it all" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-02071978-larry-king-gri/101610342/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=The Miami News |pages=13}}</ref> In February 1986, he joined [[Elizabeth Taylor]], to cohost a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Arizona AIDS Fund Trust in [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale, AZ]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coolidge |first=Joy |date=1986-02-08 |title="Anti-AIDS crusade: Benefit activities to generate funds for education, service" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-02081986-bh-to-ap/101937042/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=The Arizona Republic |pages=34}}</ref> Though expressing these supportive views, he occasionally used epithets and told jokes at the expense of the community yet showed remorse when called on it. During a performance at [[Liberty Weekend]] in 1986, Hope remarked, “I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS, but she doesn't know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Ferry.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1986-07-30 |title=Hope's Joke |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-30-me-18831-story.html |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Two months later, Hope took responsibility for telling the joke and apologized, explaining that he overheard the joke and thought it was funny.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1986-08-24 |title=hope apology to wayne friday re statue of liberty joke via herb caen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-hope-apology-to-wayn/122642609/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=Ventura County Star |pages=105}}</ref> When Hope used the word “fag” on a 1988 ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|Tonight Show]]'' appearance, [[GLAAD]] asked for a statement apologizing for the slur. He agreed to tape a public service announcement opposing "bigotry" on their behalf<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDO34rXZJg4 |title=1989 Bob Hope GLAAD Public Service Announcement |date=2011-10-28 |last=floridalgbtqmuseum |access-date=2025-02-07 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy and estate ===
Hope, who suffered from vision problems for much of his adult life, served as an active honorary chairman on the board of [[Fight for Sight (U.S.)|Fight for Sight]], a nonprofit organization in the United States which funds medical research in vision and ophthalmology. He hosted its ''Lights On'' telecast in 1960 and donated $100,000 ($1.04M in 2024) to establish the Bob Hope Fight for Sight Fund.<ref name="Fight for Sight"/> Hope recruited numerous top celebrities for the annual "Lights On" fundraiser. As an example, he hosted boxing champion [[Joe Frazier]], actress [[Yvonne De Carlo]], and singer-actor [[Sergio Franchi]] as headliners for the April 25, 1971, show at Philharmonic Hall in [[Milwaukee]].<ref name="Wilson 1971"/>

Hope's [[Modernist]] {{convert|23366|sqft|m2|0|adj=on}} [[Hope Residence|home]], built to resemble a volcano, was designed in 1973 by [[John Lautner]]. It is located above [[Palm Springs]], with panoramic views of the [[Coachella Valley]] and the [[San Jacinto Mountains]]. It was put on the market for the first time in February 2013 with an asking price of $50&nbsp;million.<ref name="NYTimes February 2013" /> Hope also owned a home which had been custom built for him in 1939 on an {{convert|87000|sqft|m2|0|adj=on}} lot in Toluca Lake. That house was put on the market in late 2012.{{sfn|Mikailian|2012}} The Palm Springs house sold in November 2016 for $13&nbsp;million to investor [[Ron Burkle]], far below its 2013 asking price.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13643418/bob-hope-lautner-home-palm-springs-sold|title=Bob Hope's Lautner-designed Palm Springs home finally finds a buyer|first=Elijah|last=Chiland|date=November 15, 2016|website=Curbed LA|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112130035/https://la.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13643418/bob-hope-lautner-home-palm-springs-sold|archive-date=November 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Advanced age and death ===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan talking with Bob Hope.jpg|thumb|left|Hope (left) with [[Nancy Reagan]] and President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981]]
In July 1997 at age 94, he attended the funeral of [[Jimmy Stewart]], where many pointed out his frail appearance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/USA-CELEBRITIES-ATTEND-MEMORIAL-CEREMONY-FOR-ACTOR-JIMMY-STEWART/5f9bc3ae3916555240cf17d55d304f72?query=CELEBRITY+NEWS&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=30&referrer=search&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DCELEBRITY%2520NEWS%26allFilters%3DBob%2520Hope%3APeople&allFilters=Bob+Hope%3APeople&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1&b=304f72 |title=AP |access-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728035741/http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/USA-CELEBRITIES-ATTEND-MEMORIAL-CEREMONY-FOR-ACTOR-JIMMY-STEWART/5f9bc3ae3916555240cf17d55d304f72?query=CELEBRITY+NEWS&current=3&orderBy=Relevance&hits=30&referrer=search&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DCELEBRITY%2520NEWS%26allFilters%3DBob%2520Hope%3APeople&allFilters=Bob+Hope%3APeople&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1&b=304f72 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the age of 95, Hope made an appearance at the 50th anniversary of the [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] with [[Milton Berle]] and [[Sid Caesar]]. Contemporaries [[Fay Wray]] and [[Gloria Stuart]] were also present.<ref name="Gallo 1998"/> Two years later, he was present at the opening of the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment at the [[Library of Congress]]. The Library of Congress has presented two major exhibitions about Hope's life: "Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture" and "Bob Hope and American Variety".<ref name="myloc hopeforamerica"/><ref name="loc bobhope"/> He last made an appearance at the Hope Classic in 2000, where he hugged Swedish golfer [[Jesper Parnevik]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/2404924/Hope-left-golf-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank.html|title=Hope left golf laughing all the way to the bank|first=Art|last=Spander|date=May 28, 2003|access-date=April 7, 2020|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118103857/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/2404924/Hope-left-golf-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank.html|archive-date=November 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2001, Hope was hospitalized for [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2001/08/bob-hope-hospitalized-for-pneumonia/|title=Bob Hope Hospitalized for Pneumonia|magazine=Wired |via=www.wired.com}}</ref>

[[File:Bob Hope Grave.JPG|thumb|upright|Graves of Bob and Dolores Hope, on the grounds of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España]]
Hope celebrated his 100th birthday on May 29, 2003.<ref name="USA Today May 2003"/> To mark this event, the intersection of [[Hollywood and Vine]] in Los Angeles was named "Bob Hope Square" and his centennial was declared "Bob Hope Day" in 35 states. Even at 100, Hope maintained his self-deprecating sense of humor, quipping, "I'm so old, they've canceled my [[blood type]]."<ref name="bbcdeath"/>

Hope converted to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] seven years before his death.<ref name="seeing-stars St Charles"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kendall |first1=Mary Clark |title=Bob Hope and His Ladies of Hope |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryclairekendall/2012/09/19/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope/#1536da7de6e0 |website=Forbes |access-date=January 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124033213/http://www.forbes.com/sites/maryclairekendall/2012/09/19/bob-hope-and-his-ladies-of-hope/#1536da7de6e0 |archive-date=November 24, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1998, five years before his death, a prepared obituary written by [[the Associated Press]] was inadvertently released, resulting in Hope's death being announced on the floor of the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]].<ref name="c-span June 1998"/>{{sfn|Quirk|1998|p=313}} However, Hope remained in relatively good health until late in his old age, though he became somewhat frail in his last few years.{{sfn|Grudens|2002|p=148}} In June 2000 at age 97, he spent nearly a week in a California hospital being treated for [[gastrointestinal bleeding]].<ref name="CNN June 2000"/> In August 2001 at age 98, he spent close to two weeks in a hospital recovering from [[pneumonia]].<ref name="guardian September 2001"/>

On the morning of July 27, 2003, Hope died of pneumonia at his home in [[Toluca Lake, Los Angeles|Toluca Lake, California]].<ref name="bbcdeath" /> His grandson Zach Hope told TV interviewer [[Soledad O'Brien]] that, when asked on his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, Hope is alleged to have told his wife, Dolores, "Surprise me."<ref name="CNN July 29, 2003"/> His remains were temporarily placed in a mausoleum vault at the [[San Fernando Mission Cemetery]] before the construction of the Bob Hope Memorial Garden at the [[San Fernando Mission]], located next door to the cemetery, in Los Angeles. Dolores died in 2011, aged 102.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/bob-hope-buried-after-private-funeral/article_ceec5199-0eb0-500c-8d8a-f0cff71aa5b7.html|title=Bob Hope buried after private funeral|website=Sioux City Journal|date=July 30, 2003 |access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071417/https://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/bob-hope-buried-after-private-funeral/article_ceec5199-0eb0-500c-8d8a-f0cff71aa5b7.html|archive-date=September 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Doyle 2005"/> After his death, newspaper cartoonists worldwide paid tribute to his work for the USO, and some featured drawings of [[Bing Crosby]], who had died in 1977, welcoming Hope to Heaven.<ref name="fac-assoc.org"/>