Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled: Hardcover [Hardcover]

Lawrence J. Quirk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

Lawrence J. Quirk delves into every personal and professional aspect of Bob Hope's long, complex and dramatic life; rising by sheer dint of will to great wealth and fame. Why did Hope become so identified with sponsoring the Vietnam War? What's the real scoop on his relationship with Bing Crosby? How far astray did Hope's frankly oversexed nature lead him from the marriage he successfully maintained with Dolores for over sixty years? Quirk writes about Hope based on long experience. He knew and interviewed Bob Hope while serving as an army seargeant during the Korean War and later as entertainment editor, and interviewer of top stars for over forty years. Quirk approaches his subject with original observations born of years of studying this most celebrated, yet in some ways most mysterious of entertainment giants.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Premature tabloid accounts of his death notwithstanding, Bob Hope remains a beloved American icon. But as Quirk (Bette Davis), a celebrity biographer who has known Hope since 1950, makes clear in this sharply written biography, it has been a long road to the top. Rising from poverty in England and Cleveland, Ohio, Hope clawed his way to the apex of five entertainment fields successively: vaudeville, the Broadway theater, Hollywood movies, radio and television. Along the way he accumulated not only millions of fans but also friends and enemies among show business professionals, probably more of the latter, according to Quirk. Indeed, Quirk is at pains on every page to present a balanced portrait of Hope, whom he deems ruthlessly self-involved but nonetheless worthy of some admiration. Little is known about Hope's private life beyond his having been married to the same woman for 64 years and their having adopted four children. But on the basis of sources close to Hope, some unnamed, Quirk declares that the performer committed "countless" infidelities and neglected his children. At the same time, he was making sacrifices to entertain U.S. servicemen, whom he called "my boys," all over the world. The government always paid for these trips, Quirk contends, and by Vietnam, Hope's routines had grown thin and become synonymous with the "war machine." In the final chapter, one is left with an image of Hope, at 95, clinging pathetically to his old shtick as his body and marriage collapse, but whose vast sums of money and great popular success were the fulfillment of his own highest aspirations. Includes filmography, bibliography and more than 30 photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

If, as this biography suggests, Bob Hope ultimately is a crude vaudevillian who cannot resist a chance to shill for a buck, then it is also true that author Quirk hasn't escaped the tabloid trappings of his legacy. The spirit of Quirk's uncle, James, a renowned fan magazine editor during Hollywood's Golden Age, is palpable here in anecdotes that reek of "he said/she said" tell-alls. Yet Quirk proffers a political edge to seemingly frivolous movie-making hijinks and distinguishes between Hope's much-lauded wartime morale boosting and his later made-for-TV ballyhoos. The comedian's alleged sadistic streak and boorish charm are tempered by a humanitarian side; ultimately, he emerges as a hopelessly anachronistic figure (though his longevity makes him an easy target). Because Quirk not only met his subject and many of the stars in Hope's cosmos, this seasoned film biographer cannot be dismissed as less than authoritative. A hatchet job, but a wickedly riveting one. Recommended.?Jayne Plymale, Stamford,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books; First edition. edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557833532
• ISBN-13: 978-1557833532
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,750,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars GARBAGE!!!!, May 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled (Softcover) (Paperback)

I had the grave misfortune of picking up a copy of Larry Quirk's "book" on Bob Hope a few days ago, and was simply blown away by the amount of garbage I've suddenly digested. Coming away from this book I wondered did Bob Hope really hated homosexuals, or is this volume truly about a homosexual author (Quirk) who just simply hates his subject because he made gay jokes---in the 1940's? Hack is too good of a description for Quirk.... sleaze bucket sounds just about right.....

This book has been returned-----AVOID

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No thanks for these memories, January 21, 2000

By 

Hugh C (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled: Hardcover (Hardcover)

A book promising the "real story" of Bob Hope's rise from struggling vaudevillian to American comedy icon has a great deal to offer, but Lawrence Quirk's book fails to deliver on that promise. Among other things, the book is badly written as the author repeatedly goes off on tangents; One moment we're with Bob on Broadway, and then we're suddenly on the set of one of the "Road" pictures. Quirk seems to have an agenda with regard to sexual interests, suggesting that many stars thought to be completely heterosexual were, perhaps, not. However, these claims are attributed to no one and seem to be tossed in on a whim. A badly edited book (typos and contradictions about) I can think of nothing to recommend The Road Well-Traveled. I await the publication of a definitive Hope bio. I suspect that will come following the passing of the legendary comedian

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hope Bio Lays Egg!, June 18, 1999

By 

John Carter [e-mail] (Plainfield, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled: Hardcover (Hardcover)

I'm not a fan of Bob Hope but his omnipresence in rado, TV, and films has made him a part of the cultural landscape for all of my life. And I have warm memories of his TV specials, especially the ones from military bases around the world. Also, I am interested in early 20th century popular culture (early films, vaudeville, radio, early TV). I was disappointed in this book, mainly because the author's focus is narrow, and it's tone is gossipy. It lacked perspective and depth. While a professional historian might have produced a deadly dull book, author Quirk could have broadened his scope to include Hope's role in the history of radio and early TV. Ironically, for all of the stories of the ego-centered scene-stealing Bob Hope, we never get any understanding of how the image of this privately generous performer meshes with Bob the monster. Quirk seems to have repeated stories, interviewsm etc. without comment, analysis, or follow-up. I found myself flipping though the last few pages just to get through it.