Evening star., 1953-03-01
Enterprises, Indeed

$4,000 to show up with his
wife at a formal Manhattan
soiree. Cant make it, he
wired back. Can I phone for
$5,0O0?" But he made it in
person last Friday for the New
York Friars, honoring Bob's
Is years as a star.
With five daily and one
nighttime radio shows week.
ly, % hours of rehearsal for
his monthly televiSion hour,
plus long toll with pictures,
Hope is the busiest boy in
Hollywood. Still publicizing
his latest film Road to Bali"
Bob already is planning his
next, collaboration with
Bing Crosby titled Road To
The Moon"
Bob once did six benefit
shows in one day and notched
up more than 1000 last year.
Between other chores he man
ages his business interests.
ranging from oil to baseball
and football and takes to the
skies in a chartered plane for
one-night stands in ball parks
and indoor arenas, earning as
much as $650,000 in q days.
Sundays you'll find him golf
ing with Crosby or Dean Mar
tin, and Jerry Lewis.
The peripatetic funster
keeps going because he never
takes himself too seriously.
Last October President Tru-
man called him to the White
House to receive scroll signed
by 100000 GIs and every
brass hat in the Army, Navy
and Air Force from Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower and the
Chiefs of Staff on down. Hope
accepted the tribute and then
gave the President advice per-
tinent to his whistle stop tour
In behalf of Adlai E. Steven
son.
British Love Him
Take along Jane Russell on
your train. you'll get bigger
and better whistles that way!"
Some months back Hope got
to Europe on an entertainment
spree for. the armed forces and
was finally located by his agent
via telephone from Holly
wood.
"They want you at the
new Sahara in Las Vegas"
screamed the 10 per center.
Lots Of money. Better take
It,"
mo" said Bob. "I' won't go
any place there's gambling"
where are you now?" in
Quired the agent.
Monte Carlo" replied Rob-
ert.
Bob was born in England
and the British love him, even
If the Canadians bubble over
his much quoted-"The Irish
Sweepstakes offer the only op-
portunity for Americans to get
their money out of Britain.
Or, eyes, I've tasted your cof-
fee. I think I'll use it instead
of ink and write few poison
pen letters"
Bob's Road" films and
"Paleface" have crossed well
over $4,00O,000 each and rank
among the industry's all-time
biggest profit makers. Hope
claims that "Son of Paleface"
will bring in $6,5OO,000. He
should know - he helped
finance it through Hope En-
terpriseS Corp. Road To
Bali" was a three-way part
nerShip with Paramount and
Crosby.
A Complex Set-Up
Hope Enterprises. in which
the comedian is partnered
with Paramount and the Ma
tional Broadcasting Company.
also controls his personal ap-
pearances, his comic-book in
terests and whatever fees he is
paid for endorsing CONNER
cial products. The complex
financial set-up actually gives
NBC a share of Hopes movies
and Paramount an interest in
his radio and TV activities.
But the corporation has no
connection with his stock
"Just a roofing interest!"-in
the Cleveland Indians or his
Is per cent ownership of the
Los Angeles Rams football
club. He also owns a hunk of
the Hope Tool Company in
Cleveland, run by brother Ivar.
He has an Ohio farm run by
tenant farmers, and owns
Radio KOA. Denver.