Jack London character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. An amateur boxer and avid boxing fan, London reported on the 1910 Johnson–Jeffries fight, in which the black boxer Jack Johnson vanquished Jim Jeffries, known as the "Great White Hope". In 1908, London had reported on an earlier fight of Johnson's, contrasting the black boxer's coolness and intellectual style, with the apelike appearance and fighting style of his Canadian opponent, Tommy Burns, 'what . . . [won] on Saturday was bigness, coolness, quickness, cleverness,
Bob Hope filmography Bob Hope filmography This is a selection of films and television appearances by British-American comedian and actor Bob Hope. Although Hope began his career in 1919 with a brief stint as a boxer, Hope began his acting career in 1925 in various vaudeville acts and stage performances, before making his film debut in 1934's "Going Spanish". Hope would continue to act, in addition to stand-up comedy USO performances for American military personnel stationed overseas, until his retirement from show business in 1997. For a number of years Hope was ranked as one of the most popular stars in the world: