Excerpt:
By
Lyn McCloskey "Self-Appointed Arbiter" (Hoosierville USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Secret Life of Bob Hope: An Unauthorized Biography (Hardcover)
The people who panned this book *clearly* have their shorts in a wad (that's a colloquial phrase for "cognitive dissonance") over having their shiny perceptual "Bob Hope" bubbles painfully burst after discovering the rather unsavory truth. Too bad, that's what you get for putting somebody up on a pedestal. Especially somebody who doesn't deserve it. I give the book five stars because it soundly draws a clear distinction between Bob Hope's carefully crafted public persona and what he was REALLY like, "behind the scenes"... a mean-spirited, self-aggrandizing, womanizing opportunist! In other words, he was a first-class spoiled brat and a major league hypocrite. This book would be a lot less interesting if the dichotomy that is Bob Hope wasn't a fact of life, and admittedly, it will not be very interesting to the people who don't remember him. But for those of us that do, it is an excellent biography. Pretty soon we'll all be dead too, but at least we'll kick off knowing the value of "belief" in terms of accepting uncritically and without question whatever is tossed one's way by the public relations machinery.... an object lesson which translates neatly not just for the entertainment business, but for media and government as well. 12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Downside of a Legend, December 28, 2001
By
This review is from: The Secret Life of Bob Hope: An Unauthorized Biography (Hardcover)
Bob Hope, America's comedian -- at least among white middle-Americans of a certain age. But like any institution, and he is an institution, there is a downside to one of the country's favorite success stories. Arthur Marx pulls no punches in characterizing Hope's many flaws. Chief are the secretly promiscuous womanizing, the penny-pinching among staffers, the ceaseless self-promotion, and a generally curmudgeonly personality. Not really bad stuff, like mixing with gangsters or playing with drugs, the sorts of things Hollywood is generally prone to. But bad enough to tarnish a nurtured image as family man and patriot. Many readers will avoid a tell-all book like Marx's for that sort of defensive reason. Moreover, I get the feeling that like many in Hollywood Marx respects Hope the comedian at the same time he generally dislikes the man. Nonetheless, he is careful to point out Hope's many strengths as a performer -- his matchless ability with one-liners; his energy, verve and sass; his tireless dedication to servicemen,(which appears genuine); and his shrewd sense of the business. Additionally, Hope makes up for a lack of creative spark with a sound sense of comedy, which has helped him stay on top for a remarkable period. I like the way Marx has included excerpts from routines to provide period flavor. They furnish a sense of popular humor over time, and Hope was an expert purveyor of popular tastes until at least the 1960's when the unpleasant war-mongering side took over. Marx's style is easy and readable. Even so, as another reviewer has pointed out, there is a notable shortage of citations to back up fact. What there are consists of a list of persons interviewed for the book, which seems a little over general for a work of this type. Nevertheless, many allegations are also attributed by name from the list of interviewees. So, however you take it, be prepared for an eye-level approach to a legend who is also very much a flawed individual. 
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