The English-born Hope and his family emigrated to the USA in 1907. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hope drifted into vaudeville in the 1920s and made his Broadway musical debut in 1933's "Roberta", although his early act was "song, patter, and eccentric dancing," and his uncomplicated, reachable and relatable trademark quips and razor-sharp delivery came later. He went on to be featured in the 1935 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies and the following year co-starred with Ethel Merman in Cole Porter's "Red Hot and Blue".After appearances in short films and on radio, Hope moved to Hollywood in 1938,
