The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope
- ISBN-10
- 0275982572
- ISBN-13
- 9780275982577
- Category
- Performing Arts / Film / General
- Pages
- 204
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2005
- Publisher
- Greenwood Publishing Group
- Author
- Donald McCaffrey
Description
Although Bob Hope has been the subject of many biographies, no book yet has fully explored the comic persona he created in vaudeville and radio, brought to fruition in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1960s, and made a lasting influence on comedians from Woody Allen to Conan O'Brien. Now, in The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope, noted film comedy authority Donald W. McCaffrey finally places Hope in his well-deserved position among the highest rank of film comedians of his era. Drawing on archival materials and interviews with collaborators, McCaffrey analyzes each major film in depth, with due attention to particular sequences that reveal how Hope created a unique comic personality that lasted over dozens of very popular films, from the Road movies with Bing Crosby through such underrated classics as Son of Paleface, Monsieur Beaucaire, and Casanova's Big Night. In so doing, McCaffrey introduces readers to a Bob Hope now overshadowed by his own reputation. We see here that Hope's significance has been greater than any USO appearance or television special might suggest. Because many of these movies have recently been made available on DVD--the first time in decades that they've been easily available to the general public--the volume will also serve as an excellent introduction for those wanting to see these films for the first time.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Bob Hope: The Road Well-traveled
By Lawrence J. QuirkSTORY OF BOB HOPE BEGINNING WITH HIS EARLY YEARS OF PRIVATION IN ENGLAND, MOVING ON TO HIS STINTS AS A VAUDEVILLAIN HOOFER AND COMIC. BROADWAY MUSICAL STAR AND RADIO COMEDY PIONEER.
-
Road to Box Office: The Seven Film Comedies of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, 1940-1962
By Randall G. MielkeStarting with Road to Singapore in 1940, Paramount teamed Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in one of the most successful series of movies ever. All the road films...
-
Road Comic: Heartbreak, Triumph, and Obsession on the Comedy Circuit
By Barry FriedmanThis is the unvarnished, unadulterated story of not just one top comic, but all the rising comics who don't have their own sitcom. But hey -- if Barry had his own sitcom, he wouldn't have written this book. Book jacket.
-
I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics
By Ritch Shydner, Mark SchiffIn a hilarious look at real life on the comedy circuit, some of America's most famous comics share their own stories of life on the road, gigs gone wrong, and unexpected, zany moments, with contributions by Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris ...
-
Road Dog: Life and Reflections from the Road as a Stand-up Comic
By Dov DavidoffRoad Dog is comedian, actor, and writer, Dov Davidoff's unflinching memoir told through reflections of twelve months on the road.
-
ROAD TO RUIN A COMEDY IN 5 ACT
By Thomas 1745-1809 HolcroftThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
The Road to Ruin. a Comedy in Five Acts
By Thomas HolcroftThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
The Road to Mars: A Post-Modem Novel
By Eric IdleWith Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eric Idle proved he was one of the funniest people in the world. And with The Road to Mars he reaffirms this with a raucously...