Just watching "Super Sleuth" on TCM and was struck how much Bob Hope adopted Oakie's style, right down to the walk (bell
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Bob Hope
j-z-o — 11 years ago(November 25, 2014 01:55 PM)
Just watching "Super Sleuth" on TCM and was struck how much Bob Hope adopted Oakie's style, right down to the walk (belly forward, arms swinging in exaggeration). Different body type and different accent does not make it obvious, but the physical movement and the speech patterns match fairly close. Hope's false bravado persona is very much Oakie's in "Super Sleuth."
In this book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=47pVrY3BeMkC&lpg=PA95&ots=mIF 6r7hogv&dq=%22bob%20hope%22%20%22jack%20oakie%22&pg=PA95#v=one page&q=%22bob%20hope%22%20%22jack%20oakie%22&f=false
it's mentioned one of Hope's first major movie roles was replacing Oakie in 1938's "College Swing," so it's not a stretch that Hope would adopt mannerisms of a comedian more famous than him at the time.
Hope obviously surpassed Oakie, but it's always a revelation to realize how famous stars usually start off imitating someone else: i.e., Jimmy Stewart imitating Charles Lindbergh, Frank Sinatra imitating Bing Crosby, et al