My great-grandfather went to see Bob Hope entertaining the troops and the only paper he had with him was his daughter's birth certificate. He signed it "Happy Life - Bob Hope".

Bob, the son a stonemason and ... Though born in Eltham, south London, Hope moved to Cleveland, Ohio, when he was just four, where, as a youth, he entered local talent shows. His casual careers ...

He was not just a movie star or a TV star, he wrote books, he wrote a newspaper column — he had a golf tournament with his name on it. Everybody knew what Bob Hope stood for and what his image was.

Bob Hope died 22 years ago. His name has not been on the marquee of this week’s PGA Tour event since 2011. But make no mistake, the tournament now known as the American Express would not be what ...