BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Oct. 20, 2008) — For seven decades the world invited Bob Hope into their homes like he was family. "Audiences are my best friends," he liked to say. "You never tire of talking with your best friends."
 
And those friends, both famous and private, turned out in Beverly Hills, Calif., this weekend to pay respects bidding on 680 lots of the entertainer's memorabilia, including costumes, clothing, sports, presidential and movie related items, as well as furniture and decorations.

In two days of the Julien’s auction at the Beverly Hilton $601,000 was raised for the Bob and Delores Hope Charitable Foundation.
 
During the preview party on Friday night (Oct. 17), Jane Russell recalled stories of working with her Paleface co-star while Bob Hope Desert Classic host and funnyman George Lopez ogled Hope's putters and golf caps.

"They were both fanatical golfers," said producer Ann Lopez, George's wife, in an interview with The Associated Press. "George hosted the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic for two years. He wants to wear the hats on the course to keep Mr. Hope out there in spirit, still golfing."
 
The Lopezes were but two of hundreds of fans and dealers who bid from the floor and online through auctionnetwork.com.

Hosting with Tava Smiley and joined by Worthpoint.com's Christopher Kent, we watched repeatedly as bidding wars broke out in cyberspace. Every item sold, a tribute to Hope's continued relevance five years after passing away at age 100.
 
As seen in past celebrity auctions, the items that represented the most important and/or unique moments of Hope's career and the ones that were most intimate to his personal life also tended to be the items that bidders sought out and brought the highest prices. And, as also seen in prior sales, estimates were only a loose guideline because each individual item had it's own "celebrity factor" which could only be determined in the final bidding.
 
Named Entertainer of the 20th Century, Hope performed and socialized regularly for presidents and royalty. Therefore, it was no surprise that a personally inscribed photo of occasional golf partners Duke and Duchess of Windsor sold for $27,500 (estimate $300-$500) and presidential cufflinks (lot 101) gifted to Hope with a personal letter his from close friend Richard "Dick" Nixon (who appreciated Hope's continued loyalty after his 1973 presidential resignation) reached $10,000 ($1,000-$1500). A photo of Nixon and Hope putting in the White House (lot 95) and another (lot 98) inscribed by Nixon ("To Bob Hope / Like Me, He Nose All!" / From Dick Nixon) settled at $5,000 ($400-$600).
 
Hope first met Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was a general leading the Allied Forces in North Africa in 1943 and Hope's USO tour stopped in Algiers to entertain the troops. Terrorized by a 10 1/2 hour bombing raid plus their unbounded passion for golf bonded the two together for life. While Eisenhower signed photos have generally sold at auction in the mid-hundreds, this one-of-a-kind World War II vintage photo (lot 86), inscribed to Hope, rose to $5,500 ($800-$1,200).
 
Hope's paneled personal executive power desk (lot 550), which he sat behind for 50 years, sold for $18,750 ($5,000-$7,000). "Presidents sat in front of it and Mr. Hope conducted countless meetings from behind it," said Darren Julien. "Everyone cheered when it sold. It wasn't the most expensive item, but it was the most exciting sale."

A Louis Saphier oil on canvas portrait of Hope that hung in the office (lot 546) found a new home at $16,300  ($1,000-$1,500).

While our used suitcases would be handed down or thrown out, Hope's well traveled Gucci travel bag rolled to $7,500 ($200-$300), many times for what it sold for new!
 
In 1932 Hope first met Bing Crosby when they played a bill at the Capitol Theater together. Hope later said, "It was love at first sight. We started to insult each other from the moment we met."

When Hope moved to Los Angeles in 1937, the duo’s impromptu shows at Crosby's Del Mar Turb Club prompted Paramount producers to pair them for first Road To … movie, igniting a partnership that lasted through seven movies and innumerable golf matches.

A 1951 Crosby handwritten letter that addressed Hope as "Dear Flab" jiggled to $5,000 ($600-$800); a gold tone money clip gift to Hope (lot 486) finished at $3,750 ($1,000-$1,500) and a 1962 script for the Bing Crosby Show (lot 490) exited at $4,800 ($200-$300).
 
Fans bid on more than 150 lots of Hope sports memorabilia, possibly hoping that some magic would rub off on them.

A Tiffany sterling silver putter (lot 177), given to Hope on his 95th birthday by NBC dropped at $9,100 ($2,000-$3,000) while a special putter featuring a paper mache caricature head of Hope (lot 170) reached $11,950 ($700-$900).
 
Lot 423, a Johnny Carson Friars Club Roast program from 1974 signed by a who's who of stars (Jimmy Stewart, George Burns, Dinah Shore, etc.) estimated at $500-$700, rose to $10,800. Signed photos of Lucille Ball generally sell in the $50-$300 range, but this photo (lot 347), with blacked out teeth, sold for $6,562, thanks to this unique inscription: "For Rapid Robert / Because he appreciates beauty." A giant photo of Hope in top hat and tails (lot 466), signed by dozens of stars and gifted to Hope in 1992, hoofed to $7,500 ($500-$700).
 
The flip side is that in large sales such as this, there is always something for everyone. Here fans could find many items to win in the $200-$700 range including lots of teaching golf clubs, putters, hats, shoes, shirts, ties, decorations, fan gifts, signed college team and All-America footballs, fishing poles and even pairs of Hope's USO Army boots!
 
In this sale, a 1970s era Nudie designed rhinestone cowboy suit worn by Hope in an NBC special with Barbara Mandrell (lot 407), sold for only $4,800, which is probably what it cost new. Granted, the wagon wheel motif was a little over the top, but Nudie designed iconic outfits for Hank Williams, Elvis and Johnny Cash and it was a featured item in the sale, so it was surprising that it didn't receive more interest.

Likewise, with most of the cufflink lots selling in the thousands, I thought that the pair of record shaped cufflinks gifted by Tony Bennett to Hope in 1951 as a thank you gift (lot 348) would far exceed the selling price of $4,650, particularly since Hope discovered the young Joe Bari in a Greenwich Village club, convinced him to shorten his name from Benedetto and took Tony on the road with him.
 
It is the unpredictability that makes auctions exciting. Bidders fight to get what they want and sometimes they also get souvenirs of their favorite stars for less than dinner at a fancy restaurant. No one knows exactly what is going to happen until it's all over and when it's all said and done, it's the bidders who decide the market.
 
In the end, this weekend sale was a great celebration of fans saying to Hope … "Thanks for the Memories."

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Like Hope, Leila grew up a sports fan, rooting for her native Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. Also, like Hope, Leila fell in love with golf, and has three-putted at historic courses such as Merion and Pinehurst. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.  

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2008) — Born in the United Kingdom, Bob Hope immigrated to the United States during his childhood and immediately fell in love with American baseball and football. At 16, he briefly boxed as a lightweight under the name Packy East when his friend Whitey had taken Packy West.

However, it was golf that was Hope’s ultimate passion, so much so that he often said, "Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees."

The 200-plus lots of signed footballs, basketballs, baseballs, putters, markers, tees, shoes and hats (some that would make Elton John blush), clothing and fishing equipment in session two of the Hope estate auction, plus clubs and mounted fish in session four, reveal Hope as a lifelong avid sportsman.

The vast majority of clubs in the sale are putters, mostly gifts from friends such as Ted Weiner and Bob Goldwater, or pros who were also club makers, such a Toney Penna and Otey Crisman or as thank yous from fundraising organizations such as Cornell’s Phi Delta Epsilon medical fraternity.

Raised in Cleveland and after he became a star, Hope bought part of the Cleveland Indians from 1947-58, just in time to see them win the championship in 1948 and make it back to the World Series in 1954.

Hope's four decades of NBC Christmas specials were highlighted by his introductions of the Associated Press All-America college football players. Hope would meet each of the players on the stage, introduce them individually, and tell a joke about them. He also made time to see games during his travels, especially during his college campus tours from the 1960s-80s.

But golf was the ultimate obsession.

In 1930, when Hope first started playing golf, clubs were still hickory shafted and called colorful names as “brassie,” “mashie,” and “niblick.” There were no pro-ams.

In six decades of playing, Hope estimated that he “had three-putted on more than 2,000 courses worldwide.” At his best, coached by pro legend Ben Hogan, his handicap was down to a 4 and over the years Hope scored five holes-in-one, one of which may be lot 220; unfortunately the ink has faded so that the writing is illegible.

The course was his personal playground, where he played with 11 presidents, royalty, as well athletes from all sports, celebrities and the wealthy.

"It's wonderful how you can start out with three strangers in the morning, play 18 holes, and by the time the day is over you have three solid enemies," Hope once quipped.

Among his favorites (besides Crosby, with whom he played many rounds in fundraisers) were Arnold Palmer and Jerry Ford, to whom he devoted an entire chapter in Confessions of a Hooker – My Lifelong Love Affair with Golf, calling President Ford, "the man who made golf a contact sport" with his frequent errant shots into the gallery at the Desert Classic.

In 1965, Hope found a way to get all of his friends together when he lent his name to Bob Hope Chrysler (Desert) Classic. Held every January, the unique five-day, 90-hole event was played over five golf courses. The $5 million purse draws the tour's largest field with 136 pros and three times as many amateurs, including names like Michael Bolton, Mark Wahlberg and Samuel L. Jackson.

"The Classic is the only event in the world where guys can get money out of the desert without drilling for oil," he once said. It has also raised more than $35 million for the Eisenhower Medical Center and 70 other area charities.

Hope was honored repeatedly for his humanitarian work related to golf, including a plaque featuring a profile of Hope at the World Golf Hall of Fame, which reads: "Known by his nose, applauded for his humor, envied for his wit and loved by millions for his unselfish concern for all beings, Bob Hope is truly a one-of-a-kind. He popularized golf to the unknowing, sponsored it for charity and played it for fun. Not a golf champion, but a great champion of golf."

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Like Hope, Leila grew up a sports fan, rooting for her native Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. Also, like Hope, Leila fell in love with golf, and has three-putted at historic courses such as Merion and Pinehurst. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.

Bob Hope Estate Auction: Collector and museum quality items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction presented by the Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) on Oct. 18-19, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Hope's extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed "To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation — The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944"; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood and worn by Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special.  

To register for this auction, click here.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2008) — The scene: Any United States armed forces installation around the globe. Les Brown’s Band of Renown kicks into gear and out comes Bob Hope on stage, swinging a golf club, outfitted in jacket and hat from the troop he is entertaining. Thousands of soldiers, many who look as if they aren’t old enough to drive, start to cheer. There’s a monologue, a duet with the girl guest star, dance numbers, lots of laughs, a gentle pause in a violent conflict.

Welcome to a Bob Hope USO show (circa 1942, 1968 or 1990) depending on the war and the jokes.

Hope once estimated that in 50 years he and his troupe traveled 10 million miles to entertain several generations of servicemen stationed worldwide. When one considers that he also starred in radio, movies, television and on stage and performed for other charitable causes, it’s amazing that he had the stamina to continue at this pace for so long.

“If I had my life to live over again, I wouldn't have time," he once joked.

Instead of decals on his suitcase, the Hope estate is offering more than 70 lots of USO tour related memorabilia, including worn army boots and costumes, hats and caps, photos, patches, badges, pins and gifts from grateful soldiers.

Although Hope was born in England, he adored his adopted country.

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, during a radio broadcast Hope declared, "There is no need to tell a nation to keep smiling when it's never stopped. It is that ability to laugh the makes us the great people that we are … Americans!"

At the suggestion of Al Capstaff, his NBC radio producer, Hope made his first GI broadcast at March Field, Calif., on May 6, 1941.

In 1942, Hope joined 20 other major stars, including Groucho Marx, Bing Crosby and Cary Grant on the Victory Caravan, touring the country raising funds for the Army and Navy Relief Funds. He followed with his own tour for a 65-show run.

Lyle Morain, one of Hope's former stand-ins who had joined the armed forces, asked the comedian to make a tour of Alaskan Army bases. Hope enlisted his radio cohorts Frances Langford, Jerry Colonna and guitarist Tony Romano among others, which became the nucleus of the variety show that Hope took to Europe, North Africa and the Far East during the war.

In 1944 alone, Hope’s South Pacific tour logged more than 30,000 miles and 150 performances. Along with the regulars, Hope took Patty Thomas, a young dancer. Standing next to a skimpily clad Thomas, Hope cracked, "I just want you boys to remember what you're fighting for." This began a tradition of attractive female guest stars that ranged from Doris Day and Jayne Mansfield to Barbara Eden and Brooke Shields.

The first Bob Hope Christmas USO tour was in 1948, performing for the servicemen who participated in the Berlin Airlift. For the next 34 years, Hope and company (which included Les Brown’s big band) spent Decembers visiting military bases and veteran hospitals, filming specials from all parts of the world, which were televised on NBC from 1954-91.
  
Hope's 1970 and 1971 Christmas specials, filmed in Vietnam at the height of the war were seen by more than 60 percent of U.S. households.

Hope’s tours during conflicts often put his cast near the frontlines, particularly in Vietnam, but on stage he tossed it off. In 1968, at Long Binh Post, he quipped “I planned to spend Christmas in the States, but I can’t stand violence.”

However, daughter Linda Hope couldn’t remember her father joking about his own mortality in private. "He was in Vietnam and had some close calls. He always said, 'When it happens, it happens.'”
  
Hope’s total focus was on entertaining the servicemen.

"He once said that as long as there are troops in a combat area, he could not in good conscience not go," said his USO show writer-director Mort Lachman.

And those soldiers adored Hope for his efforts.

Lt. Col. Timothy Mundy, 38, was stationed with the Marines in Saudi Arabia in 1990 just before the Gulf War broke out. "They'd gathered 201,000 Marines, all pulled up in a half circle around a makeshift stage. Bob came out with his wife and told a few jokes. I thought about my dad (retired Marine Corps general Carl E. Mundy Jr., 68) seeing this guy in Vietnam, and here I am, 24 years later, and Hope is still doing it. It was remarkable."

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.

Bob Hope Estate Auction: Collector and museum quality items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction presented by the Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) on Oct. 18-19, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Hope's extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed "To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation — The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944"; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood and worn by Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special.  

To register for this auction, click here.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2008) — Bob Hope once claimed, "I have performed for 12 presidents and entertained six."

We’ll never know which six (ha!), but it's safe to say that Hope's tenure as the nation's No. 1 patriotic comedian outlasted them all, from FDR to GW. He sang for Harry Truman and played golf with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon and Ford.

In 1996, Hope published a collection of presidential humor called Dear Prez, I Wanna Tell Ya, and that November, he aired his 284th television special for NBC, Bob Hope Laughing with the Presidents. The show featured appearances by President and Mrs. Clinton, President and Mrs. Bush, President and Mrs. Ford, Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower.

In the first session of the Hope auction (Oct. 18) there are about 30 presidential related lots up for bid, not counting lots of patriotic related memorabilia. Here is an eagle eye look at some of Hope's favorite commanders in chiefs and their relationships.

Hope met General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the summer of 1943 when the Victory Caravan (the first title for the USO tours) traveled to North Africa. Despite assurances from the general after the show ("You're perfectly safe here, we haven't had a bombing raid in three months."), that night Hope and his troupe had to huddle in a bomb shelter while waves of German Junkers hit Algiers with a 10 ½ hour blitz.

In 1946, Eisenhower honored Hope for his wartime entertaining with the nation's highest civilian award -- the Medal of Merit. Lot 86 is an Eisenhower signed photograph, in uniform, "To Bob Hope with appreciation for a great job in national office / Dwight Eisenhower."

Their friendship grew through Eisenhower's reluctant presidency.

"I happen to know why he's running for president," quipped Hope. "It's the only way he can get out of the Army. If he slices the budget like he slices a (golf) ball, the nation has nothing to worry about."

During Lyndon Johnson's presidency Hope made numerous USO trips to the troops fighting in Vietnam. On his last morning in office, Johnson awarded Hope the Presidential Medal of Freedom with a citation that read: "With his gifts of joy to all the American people, he has written his name large in the history of our times."

For many years Hope was a relatively closeted Republican as his barbs extended to all parties. However, Hope and Richard Nixon began their long close friendship when Nixon was vice president. In 1972, Hope openly campaigned for Nixon for presidential re-election, appearing at fundraisers and on talk shows.

Lot 95 shows Hope and Nixon putting in the White House. Ward Grant, who worked for Hope for 28 years, remembered Nixon dropping in on the Hopes at their Toluca Lake home.

"Nixon landed his [presidential] helicopter in Bob's backyard," Grant recalled. "Nixon said, 'Do you mind if we park here?' Then they went over to [a local course] to play golf."

Like Chevy Chase, Hope loved to lampoon Gerald Ford's occasional lapses in athleticism. In fact, he titled a chapter “Gerald Ford: The Man Who Made Golf A Contact Sports” in his book Confessions of a Hooker – My Lifelong Love Affair With Golf.

From playing 15-20 rounds a year with Ford, largely in PGA Pro-Ams, Hope got lots of material.

"It's not hard to find Jerry Ford on a golf course; you just follow the wounded."

"You all know Jerry Ford -- the most dangerous driver since Ben Hur."

Ford did rebut Hope: "I would like to deny all allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game I hit a birdie and an eagle, an elk and a moose."

Lots 126 and 127, a signed golf group photo with Ford and a money clip from Ford's tournament, show their shared love of the game.

Hope and Ronald Reagan were bonded by their early Hollywood ties, as can be seen in lot 88, an inscribed group photo of Reagan's homecoming in 1941 to Dixon, Ill.

Hope contributed to Reagan's California governor campaign, giving his own support. "Ronald Reagan is not a typical politician because he doesn't know how to lie, cheat, and steal. He's always had an agent do that."

As governor and president, Reagan sent Hope numerous thank you letters and telegrams (lots 89, 90, 91) for Hope's charitable work.

The Reagans attended Hope's 80th birthday party in 1983 at the Kennedy Center. Hope quipped, "Ronnie's hero is Calvin Coolidge and Nancy's is Calvin Klein." In 1997, Nancy Reagan presented Hope with the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award.

When Bill Clinton was elected to the White House, Hope welcomed him with the comment, "Clinton loves to make long speeches," Hope said. "In fact, this inaugural address will be the first with an intermission."

Like those before him, Clinton honored Hope’s work repeatedly, including the Jonas Salk Humanitarian Award (lot 118) as well as a resolution making Hope an Honorary Veteran -- the first individual so honored in the history of the United States.

Despite being targets of his jokes, it's obvious that the men in the Oval Office appreciated Hope's comic contributions. After Hope's death in 2003, Clinton remarked that he "leaves a matchless legacy of laughs." And golf partner Ford called Hope "one of the premier entertainers of all time."

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.

Bob Hope Estate Auction: Collector and museum quality items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction presented by the Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) on Oct. 18-19, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Hope's extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed "To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation — The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944"; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood and worn by Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special.  

To register for this auction, click here.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2008) — Josh Mallon and Ace Lannigan. Chuck Reardon and "Fearless" Frazier. Jeff Peters and "Turkey" Jackson.

No matter what aliases they took on in their Road pictures, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby chipped, quipped and cavorted their way to become one of Hollywood's greatest comedic duos, as well as establishing a lifelong friendship.

"Dad and Bing had a special relationship," said Hope's daughter Linda. "And then there was the competition with the golf; something they both enjoyed passionately."

When Crosby and Hope first met, with his own radio show and a starring role in The Big Broadcast of 1932 (ironically the first in the movie series that made Hope a film star six years later) the crooner outshone
the comedian.

"I first met him in 1932, at the Friars Club in NYC. At that time we were both winding up our careers in vaudeville," Hope recalled in his autobiography. "We were appearing at the Capitol Theatre, doing three
or four shows a day. Bing sang and I was the master of ceremonies. We developed a patter, a little routine that became the focus for our Road movies.

"The gags weren't very funny, I guess. But the audience laughed because Bing and I were having such a good time. I guess it was clear that we liked one another.  We would laugh insanely at what we dreamed up.

"Between shows we'd go over to Alex Morrison's driving range under the 59th St. Bridge and hit golf balls. That was the genesis of a close friendship that endured for 45 years."

In 1937, armed with a seven-year movie deal, Hope moved to Los Angeles, where he was reunited with Crosby.

"Bing was involved in a horse stable and real estate deals at Del Mar," Hope recalled. "He invited me down for a Saturday night show at the club. We went up on stage and did those routines we had done together five years earlier at the Capitol, lots of banter and ad-libbing. It went over very well and a Paramount producer, Bill Baron, said, 'My God, they're great together. Perfect chemistry. We've got to do something with these boys.' That's how the Road pictures got started."

It helped that Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, George Burns and Gracie Allen all turned down The Road to Singapore with Allen calling "the whole thing silly"

And it was, the loose story of two playboys who travel the South Seas to the fictional island of Kaigoon to escape their impending weddings and meet up with Dorothy Lamour and bad guy Anthony Quinn.

Director Victor Schertzinger was used to order on the set.

What he got was a frat house of merry mayhem.

"For a couple of days when Hope and I tore freewheeling into a scene, ad-libbing and violating all of the acceptable rules of moviemaking, Schertzinger stole bewildered looks at the script, then leafed rapidly through it, searching for the lines we were saying," Crosby recounted.

Lamour finally gave up memorizing the script and did her best just to keep up with the boys.

And it worked.

For a country just emerging from the Depression and about to be plunged into World War II, Hope and Crosby provided just the pratfall elixir the country needed. They always got themselves entwined in some crazy situation (usually Crosby as the schemer and Hope as victim), and they always got themselves out, either by hook, crook, or their patty-cake routine.

And they had a marvelous time doing it, partnering in seven Road movies from 1940-62.

And it was never boring on the Road set. Hope was spat at by a camel during The Road To Morocco. An out-of-control bear threatened them in The Road To Utopia. There was an epic noontime soapsuds fight that left a foamy trail from Stage 5 to the Paramount commissary, stopping production for the day.

What was the secret to their chemistry?

"They played games with each other, and for each other, like little boys, never ceasing to find delight in each other's company, wondering constantly that this sort of game could and would continue to be a job," wrote one biographer.

Lot 483 sums up the relationship between Bob and Bing, aka "der Bingle" (a nickname that Crosby got after honing his German in reading radio propaganda to the German armed forces). These fun and goofy hats were made sometime in the early 1940s by World War II veteran Ralph Forney and given to Crosby and Hope most likely at one of their Victory Caravan tour stops, a series of golf matches between the two that generated millions of dollars in war bond sales.

"In the summer of 1941, Bing and I started playing exhibition matches around the country for the War Relief Fund," Hope said in his autobiography Confessions of a Hooker – My Lifelong Love Affair With Golf. "After Pearl Harbor we decided to join the Navy, but FDR said, 'No, we want 'em to do just what they're doing – entertaining the troops."

During the war years, the pair put on their own Road show as they broadcast at a different military base each week, and tied it in with a golf match. The Bingle hat is also embroidered "KMH," which was The Kraft Music Hall, Crosby's radio show that he hosted from 1936-46.

At their best, both were single digit handicaps, with Crosby just a couple of shots better.

"Bing was a great iron player and took some huge divots," Hope recounted in his Confessions book. "He was also getting bald by this time, and wore a toupee in his movie scenes. One day on the course his caddie, Scorpy Doyle, retrieved one of Bing's jumbo-sized divots, brought it back to him and said, 'Try this on for size.' Bing chased him for 20 minutes with a brassie in his hand."

When Crosby passed away from a heart attack after a round on a Spanish golf course in 1977, it was a sad and abrupt end of the road for the pair.

"I had heard on the radio that Bing Crosby had died, and I picked up the phone and called him (Bob Hope)," recalled Hope’s son Tony. "I said, 'Do you want me to come up?' And he said, 'No, I've canceled the show. I can't go on. I'm going back to Los Angeles.' And that's the only show in 70 years that I know of him not going out and doing."

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.

Bob Hope Estate Auction: Collector and museum quality items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction presented by the Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) on Oct. 18-19, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Hope's extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed "To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation — The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944"; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood and worn by Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special. 

To register for this auction, click here.

A quick scan of Bob Hope’s expansive office and it's easy to sum up the late comedian's passions – travel (exotic ceramic elephant, carved tribal woman); golf (putters, balls and trophies); and all forms of entertaining (recording equipment, embroidered sign – "TV personalities never die; they just blow their tubes.")

But it is lot 551, a small blue plaque that reads "Bob Hope / Thanks for the Memories" estimated at only $100-$150, that probably best describes his incredible 100-year life.

Hope discovered his love for entertainment early (his quip: "When I was born, the doctor said to my mother, 'Congratulations. You have an eight-pound ham.'") However, Hope hoofed his way onto Broadway in Ballyhoo and sang in the musical Roberta.

In the 1930s, after honing his comedic talents, Hope scored his own radio show.

But he made the leap to super stardom when future Road co-star Dorothy Lamour (then a much larger star) recommended Hope to take over a role originally written for Jack Benny in the Big Broadcast (1938).

Hope played Buzz Fields, the emcee for shipboard entertainment. And, of course, in a natural plot twist, all three of his fictional ex-wives happened to be on board for the Atlantic crossing.

While it starred WC Fields and Martha Raye, Hope's duet with one of his exes, Shirley Ross, "Thanks for the Memory" stole the film and became an instant hit.

Legendary Hearst columnist Damon Runyon called the duet the highlight, writing, "What a delivery, what a song, what an audience reception!"

Composer Ralph Rainger and lyricist Leo Robin triumphed in winning the Academy Award for best song over a crowded field of 10 nominees including Irving Berlin's "Change Partners."

Most importantly, Hope adopted it as his signature song for all of his future radio shows, television broadcasts, USO tours, charitable appearances and golf tournaments, virtually wherever he went and entertained. The sentimental, fluid nature of the music allowed Hope and his writers to later invent endless verses of the song to fit specific events.

Here's one from the 40th anniversary of the Bob Hope Desert Classic golf tournament, in 1999. 
Thanks for the memory
of forty years of fun
beneath the desert sun
in the Classic, that's a winner –
never less than number one,
I thank you so much.

Thanks for the memory
of a week of fun each year
that's brought me so much cheer;
exchanging jokes
with gallery folks
who come from far and near,
I thank you so much.

Many-a-star have we hosted
and many pros we have boasted.
my form and my scor es
have been roasted.
We've withstood the test;
been entertained by the best.

So, thanks for the memory
of golf with Ink, Bing and Dino,
Ford, Palmer and Trevino;
a walrus, shark and golden bear
and the classic Ball extraordinaire,
and especially for you and me
what we've done for charity.
I thank you. So much
And we thank you, Bob.

Behind the Byline: Through her auctions at Sotheby's and her own business, collectibles specialist Leila Dunbar has rumaged through the closets, attics and cellars of some of the most famous entertainers and athletes ever, including Katharine Hepburn, Johhny Cash, Cher, Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Martin selling more than $75 million in memorabilia. Currently Leila, when she is not doing color commentary for Auction Network, handles appraisals, consults with private clients and institutions, and offers management and auctioneering services for all types of collectibles. Leila can be reached at leiladunbar@aol.com.

Bob Hope Estate Auction: Collector and museum quality items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction presented by the Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) on Oct. 18-19, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Hope's extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed "To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation — The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944"; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood and worn by Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special.  

To register for this auction, click here.