Shoeshine boy who made the world laugh

THE Bob Hope story is part of American legend: a London-born immigrant shoeshine boy whose wisecracks won him fame and wealth and a niche in the hearts of people all over the globe.

Up there with superstars such as Frank Sinatra, Greta Garbo and Bing Crosby, for six decades Hope was an international institution.

He was not only the friend of presidents from Roosevelt to Reagan, but a hero to the millions of servicemen he entertained on battlefields going back to World War Two.