Want to know the best Bob Hope movies? How about the worst Bob Hope movies? Curious about Bob Hope’s box office grosses or which Bob Hope movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Bob Hope movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Back in 2011 I wrote a movie page that ranked Bing Crosby’s movies. At the time I got numerous requests to do a Bob Hope page. Well 4 years later….I am happy to report that I finally have a Bob Hope movie page written….sorry for the delay. Bob Hope (1903-2003) was one of the greatest entertainers ever! During his almost 80 year career….he did it all! Movie star….check. Television star…..check. Best selling author…..check. Popular singer…..check. Accomplished dancer……check. Stand up comedian……check. Oscar® host….check. This page is only going to look at his impressive movie career.
His IMDb page shows 94 acting credits from 1934-1994. This page will rank Bob Hope movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. His 6 cameo roles, his 10 shorts and 15 television credits were not included in the rankings. After the massive Hope table is a section of possibly interesting facts about Bob Hope.
Bob Hope Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1945
Road to Utopia (1945)
1942
Road to Morocco (1942)
1947
Road to Rio (1947)
1942
My Favorite Blonde (1942)
1940
Road to Singapore (1940)
1944
The Princess and The Pirate (1944)
1952
Son of Paleface (1952)
1940
The Ghost Breakers (1940)
1948
The Paleface (1948)
1941
Road to Zanzibar (1941)
1946
Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)
1954
Casanova's Big Night (1954)
1951
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
1939
The Cat and the Canary (1939)
1947
My Favorite Brunette (1947)
1949
Sorrowful Jones (1949)
1950
Fancy Pants (1950)
1941
Louisiana Purchase (1941)
1949
The Great Lover (1949)
1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
1941
Caught in The Draft (1941)
1955
The Seven Little Foys (1955)
1952
Road to Bali (1952)
Cameo Role
1951
My Favorite Spy (1951)
1947
Where There's Life (1947)
1960
The Facts of Life (1960)
1942
Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
1941
Nothing But The Truth (1941)
1957
Beau James (1957)
1952
Off Limits (1952)
1943
They Got Me Covered (1943)
1943
Let's Face It (1943)
1938
Thanks For The Memory (1938)
1962
The Road to Hong Kong (1962)
1938
College Swing (1938)
1967
Eight on the Lam (1967)
1939
Never Say Die (1939)
1961
Bachelor in Paradise (1961)
1938
Give Me a Sailor (1938)
1966
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966)
1959
Alias Jesse James (1959)
1968
The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell (1968)
1956
The Iron Petticoat (1956)
1956
That Certain Feeling (1956)
1939
Some Like It Hot (1939)
1953
Here Come The Girls (1953)
1963
Call Me Bwana (1963)
1958
Paris Holiday (1958)
1963
Critic's Choice (1963)
1969
How To Commit Marriage (1969)
1965
I'll Take Sweden (1965)
1964
A Global Affair (1964)
1972
Cancel My Reservation (1972)
Bob Hope Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort by Bob Hope’s co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Bob Hope movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
- Sort Bob Hope movies by their yearly box office rank
- Sort Bob Hope movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Bob Hope movie received.
- Sort Bob Hope movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Road to Utopia (1945) | Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
12.50 | 459.6 | 459.60 | 6 | 82 | 01 / 00 | 97.7 | |
| 2 | Road to Morocco (1942) | Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
11.40 | 492.6 | 492.60 | 7 | 80 | 02 / 00 | 97.6 | |
| 3 | Road to Rio (1947) | Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
12.20 | 410.9 | 410.90 | 7 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 97.4 | |
| 4 | My Favorite Blonde (1942) | Madeline Carroll | 7.10 | 307.9 | 307.90 | 19 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 97.0 | |
| 6 | Road to Singapore (1940) | Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
4.70 | 210.5 | 210.50 | 18 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 7 | The Princess and The Pirate (1944) | Virginia Mayo | 6.30 | 245.7 | 245.70 | 47 | 77 | 02 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 7 | Son of Paleface (1952) | Jane Russell | 9.40 | 214.6 | 214.60 | 13 | 77 | 01 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 9 | The Ghost Breakers (1940) | Paulette Goddard | 4.60 | 204.1 | 204.10 | 22 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 8 | The Paleface (1948) | Jane Russell | 9.20 | 287.8 | 287.80 | 11 | 74 | 01 / 01 | 96.2 | |
| 13 | Road to Zanzibar (1941) | Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
4.20 | 189.7 | 189.70 | 41 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 10 | Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) | Joan Caulfield | 9.50 | 337.8 | 337.80 | 23 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 95.9 | |
| 11 | Casanova's Big Night (1954) | Joan Fontaine | 8.60 | 232.9 | 232.90 | 32 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 95.7 | |
| 12 | The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) | Lloyd Nolan | 9.40 | 235.7 | 235.70 | 12 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 95.4 | |
| 12 | The Cat and the Canary (1939) | Paulette Goddard | 6.00 | 267.7 | 267.70 | 20 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 94.8 | |
| 13 | My Favorite Brunette (1947) | Dorothy Lamour | 8.40 | 283.1 | 283.10 | 26 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.6 | |
| 14 | Sorrowful Jones (1949) | Lucille Ball | 9.40 | 274.5 | 274.50 | 11 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 21 | Fancy Pants (1950) | Lucille Ball | 7.40 | 193.5 | 193.50 | 18 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.0 | |
| 16 | Louisiana Purchase (1941) | Viva Zorina | 8.90 | 396.0 | 396.00 | 4 | 65 | 02 / 00 | 93.6 | |
| 18 | The Great Lover (1949) | Rhonda Fleming | 9.20 | 266.5 | 266.50 | 12 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 93.1 | |
| 19 | The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) | W.C. Fields | 5.20 | 240.7 | 240.70 | 27 | 63 | 01 / 01 | 93.1 | |
| 20 | Caught in The Draft (1941) | Dorothy Lamour | 7.10 | 316.8 | 316.80 | 10 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 21 | The Seven Little Foys (1955) | James Cagney | 11.40 | 274.7 | 274.70 | 24 | 63 | 01 / 00 | 92.5 | |
| 26 | Road to Bali (1952) Cameo Role |
Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour |
8.30 | 189.4 | 189.40 | 15 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 25 | My Favorite Spy (1951) | Hedy Lamarr | 7.40 | 185.7 | 185.70 | 23 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 23 | Where There's Life (1947) | William Bendix | 8.10 | 273.9 | 273.90 | 30 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 90.7 | |
| 27 | The Facts of Life (1960) | Lucille Ball | 9.10 | 165.6 | 165.60 | 27 | 64 | 05 / 01 | 90.6 | |
| 26 | Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) | Betty Hutton & Alan Ladd |
8.30 | 357.1 | 357.10 | 13 | 55 | 02 / 00 | 90.1 | |
| 29 | Nothing But The Truth (1941) | Paulette Goddard | 4.10 | 181.2 | 181.20 | 45 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 88.2 | |
| 30 | Beau James (1957) | Vera Miles | 5.00 | 111.6 | 111.60 | 46 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 31 | Off Limits (1952) | Mickey Rooney | 6.90 | 157.8 | 157.80 | 30 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 85.8 | |
| 28 | They Got Me Covered (1943) | Dorothy Lamour | 6.20 | 259.6 | 398.30 | 40 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 85.0 | |
| 32 | Let's Face It (1943) | Betty Hutton | 3.40 | 142.9 | 142.90 | 92 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 81.6 | |
| 34 | Thanks For The Memory (1938) | Shirley Ross | 2.50 | 115.7 | 115.70 | 90 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 79.3 | |
| 36 | The Road to Hong Kong (1962) | Bing Crosby & Joan Collins |
7.40 | 123.8 | 123.80 | 35 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 78.7 | |
| 33 | College Swing (1938) | George Burns | 2.10 | 97.2 | 97.20 | 111 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 35 | Eight on the Lam (1967) | Jill St. John | 7.80 | 80.3 | 80.30 | 36 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 77.1 | |
| 36 | Never Say Die (1939) | Martha Raye | 1.50 | 67.0 | 67.00 | 147 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 75.6 | |
| 39 | Bachelor in Paradise (1961) | Lana Turner | 6.70 | 113.4 | 113.40 | 34 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 74.9 | |
| 38 | Give Me a Sailor (1938) | Betty Grable | 1.70 | 78.7 | 78.70 | 139 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 73.4 | |
| 42 | Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966) | Elke Sommer | 10.30 | 117.3 | 117.30 | 28 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 71.2 | |
| 41 | Alias Jesse James (1959) | Rhonda Fleming | 5.00 | 104.2 | 104.20 | 50 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 70.5 | |
| 40 | The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell (1968) | Gina Lollobrigida | 6.90 | 65.4 | 65.40 | 54 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 69.9 | |
| 45 | The Iron Petticoat (1956) | Katharine Hepburn | 3.60 | 81.8 | 89.90 | 93 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
| 43 | That Certain Feeling (1956) | Eva Marie Saint | 2.90 | 64.9 | 64.90 | 116 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 64.4 | |
| 44 | Some Like It Hot (1939) | Shirley Ross | 0.90 | 40.2 | 40.20 | 185 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 61.2 | |
| 48 | Here Come The Girls (1953) | Rosemary Clooney | 6.10 | 126.3 | 126.30 | 47 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 59.2 | |
| 46 | Call Me Bwana (1963) | Anita Ekberg | 5.60 | 81.0 | 81.00 | 53 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 57.2 | |
| 47 | Paris Holiday (1958) | Preston Sturges | 4.30 | 89.3 | 89.30 | 57 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
| 49 | Critic's Choice (1963) | Lucille Ball | 3.40 | 49.8 | 49.80 | 67 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 42.3 | |
| 50 | How To Commit Marriage (1969) | Jackie Gleason | 2.90 | 25.2 | 25.20 | 77 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 34.6 | |
| 51 | I'll Take Sweden (1965) | Tuesday Weld | 3.70 | 45.5 | 45.50 | 70 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 22.2 | |
| 52 | A Global Affair (1964) | Liselotte Puliver | 2.90 | 38.0 | 38.00 | 87 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 13.5 | |
| 53 | Cancel My Reservation (1972) | Eva Marie Saint | 3.00 | 22.3 | 22.30 | 88 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 4.0 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Bob Hope
1. Leslie Townes “Bob” Hope was born in Eltham, London on May 29th,1903. He was the 5th of 7 sons.
2. Bob Hope’s path to stardom. His family left London and settled in Cleveland, Ohio in 1905. After working as a butcher, Hope decided to try a career in entertainment. While performing in 1925, Hope was spotted by silent film star, Fatty Arbuckle. Arbuckle helped Hope get higher profile work. By 1934 Hope was performing on the radio. In 1935 he started appearing in some movie shorts…which eventually got him a role in The Big Broadcast of 1938. His performance in that movie was singled out and Hope never looked back.
3. In 1939 Bob Hope hosted the Academy Awards® ceremony. He ended up hosting the ceremony fourteen times between 1939 and 1977.
4. Bob Hope was never nominated for an Oscar®. The Academy did give Hope an incredible 5 Honorary Oscars®. He got Honorary Oscars® in 1940, 1944, 1952, 1959 and 1965. Bob Hope did pick up two Best Actor Golden Globe® nominations for 1960’s The Facts of Life and 1961’s Bachelor in Paradise.
5. Bob Hope and the USO (United Service Organizations). Bob Hope entertained active service American military personnel from 1941 to 1991. He made 57 tours for the USO. Hope was declared an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces in 1997 by an act of Congress.
6. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made a series of “Road To” movies. From 1940 (Road to Singapore) to 1962 (Road To Hong Kong) they made 7 “Road To” movies. The combined adjusted box office gross for the 7 movies is over 1 BILLION dollars.
7. Bob Hope was married two times. He was married to Grace Louise Troxell from 1933 to 1934. He married Dolores Reade in 1934. He and Dolores were married 69 years. They adopted four children. Hope passed away at age 100….while Dolores passed away at age 102.
8. Bob Hope movies that never happened: 1. Cary Grant role in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)…Paramount would not loan him out. 2. Hope turned down Cary Grant role in Operation Petticoat (1959). 3. Guys and Dolls (1955) was supposed to be another Hope/Crosby movie….instead it turned to be a Marlon Brando/Frank Sinatra movie. 4. The Road to the Fountain of Youth….was going to be the 8th “Road To” movie…was in pre-production stages when Bing Crosby passed away.
9. When I write a page on a classic actor….I usually end up reading lots of books on that classic performer as I try to track down elusive box office information. Normally these books end up not being too helpful. Well I am happy to say that the book, Hope (2014) by Richard Zoglin, is an exception to that rule. Zoglin’s Hope is a great read filled with lots of informative and interesting information on Hope’s career and life…not to mention some nice box office nuggets. I think any Bob Hope fan will really enjoy reading the Zoglin book on Bob Hope.
10. Bob Hope and “Thanks For The Memories”. In the 1938 movie The Big Broadcast of 1938, Bob Hope sang “Thanks For The Memories”….the song won an Oscar®. To capitalize on the success of the song, Paramount named the next Hope movie….Thanks For The Memories (1938). The song would become Hope’s theme song for the rest of his life.. I can not think of a better way to end this page other than to say Thanks For The Memories Mr. Hope.
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Very nice
Thanks Katie
Nice job.
I appreciate you leaving a comment…Robert
Interesting page. Easily my favorite Hope movie is Son of Paleface. 16th in your rankings? Way too low that is his best movie. I have always wondered what happened to the statue of Painless Potter the man who won the West from Son of Paleface. I would think that prop would still be hanging around.
Hey SuzzaneR. Let’s see Son of Paleface is Hope’s 18th biggest hit. 8th best according to critics and audiences. And in the Top 10 when it comes to Oscars….so it did well in all the categories…..sorry it is not higher in my rankings…..but my rankings are a math equation….I have no personal thought in the rankings. I have not seen Son of Paleface….but I am sure I will see it soon and I will keep my eye open for the Painless Potter statue you mentioned. Thanks for stopping by and commenting…both are greatly appreciated
“Thanks for the memories…” Nice work Bruce, I’ve always been a fan of Bob Hope, his films used to turn up on TV all the time back in the day. I’m happy to see Road to Morocco at the top of the moviescore and box office chart, it was one of my favorites along with The Paleface and The Princess and the Pirate. Loved the Road series with Bing. I also enjoyed the two spooky ones he made, Cat and the Canary and Ghostbreakers. I have them on DVD. I’ve seen 24 of the 53 films you’ve listed, I’m sure I’ve seen more but I can’t remember the titles. Bob and Bing in Guys and Dolls would have made it a totally different film. 100 years old when he died, wow we should be so lucky. Born in London, England, I wonder if he still has family here.
Let’s see my tally count is 11…..not even close to your 24. I have either seen Cat and the Canary of Ghostbreakers…..confused as to which one I watched. The one I saw has them going to the haunted house at night in a boat….thinking it is Ghostbreakers but I can not recall. Thanks for the catch on Morocco….it has been corrected. Yep he made it until 100….and he was still performing at the age of 90….that is my new goal….to follow his blue print. You might be neighbors with a Hope family member…how close are you to Eltham? As always thanks for the visit….and the comment.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! I have seen quite a few of his movies and I like Bachelor In Paradise the best with Lana Turner. I actually preferred Bob Hope as a Comedian. Thanks for the interesting site – once again.
Hey BERN1960….I can not say I am shocked that the Lana Turner/Bob Hope one is your favorite. I have not seen Bachelor in Paradise….but it is now on my list of movies to watch. Thanks for checking out my latest and greatest page.