His Favorite Tale to Tell
The businessman told Bob: “If you want to be a business success, trust nobody. Never give credit and always keep change on hand. That way you won’t miss any customers while you’re going for it.” After he got back into his car and was driven away, a bystander informed Bob that he had been talking to the founder of Standard Oil.
John D. Rockefeller (left) and Bob Hope (right). Photo by Granger, Shutterstock / Historia, Shutterstock
This tale happened to be one of Hope’s favorite anecdotes. While some may blow it off as a fake story, author Richard Zoglin (who wrote his biography, Hope: Entertainer of the Century) said it’s actually quite plausible. Old man Rockefeller really did make his rounds in Cleveland and enjoyed chatting with and dispensing wisdom to the “simple” people he encountered on his drives.