Tag Archives: Humphrey Bogart

Happy Birthday Humphrey Bogart

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Humphrey Bogart was born on Christmas Day 1899.  He passed away from esophageal cancer on January 14, 1957.

Although he made his name starring in now classic films such as Casablanca (still my favorite), Key Largo, The Maltese Falcon, and The Big Sleep, he started out playing hoodlums in many of his early films.  It’s the tough-guy characters he played, both good guys and villains, for which he is best remembered today.

In spite of his reputation as a star of gangster films and film noir, Bogart starred in a number of other roles.  He was married to Lauren Bacall.  They met on the set of To Have and Have Not.  He was 44, and she was 19.  It was her first and his fourth marriage, and would last until Bogey’s death.

Take a moment from your holiday celebrations and raise a glass to his memory.  Bogey’s films are worth watching, even as many acclaimed pictures made by other actors during his lifetime have faded into obscurity.

Here’s a classic scene between Bogart and Bacall from To Have and Have Not:

 

Happy Birthday, Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)

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hammett_reduxDashiell Hammett was born on this day in 1894.  Hammett was arguably the greatest writer of detective fiction in the 20th century.  His lean prose and hardboiled style defined a genre.  Often imitated, he was rarely equaled.

It’s rather surprising that his reputation is built on such a small body of work.  Hammett started out writing for the pulps, particularly Black Mask.  His best known creation was Sam Spade, who was immortalized by Humphrey Bogart in the third film adaptation of The Maltese Falcon.

But it was his earlier creation, an unnamed operative of the Continental Detective Agency that built his reputation.  Narrating his own adventures, the Continental Op’s lean, first-person style created a fictional icon, that of the cynical, hardboiled, first-person PI story.

Hammett was able to bring such verisimilitude to his work because he’d been a Pinkerton operative.  He once said that all of his stories were true.  If anyone has written a book (or a Ph.D. thesis) on that topic, I’d love to see it.

Anyway, pour yourself a shot of something good, raise your glass to Hammett’s memory and legacy, and sit back with one of his books.  You won’t be disappointed.

RIP, Lauren Bacall (1924-2014)

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Lauren BacallEven though most of the coverage out of Hollywood today is about Robin Williams, there was a brief announcement on the news a few minutes ago that Lauren Bacall has passed away in New York.  The legendary actress was 89.

Bacall got her first movie role in 1944 at the age of 19, with Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not.  The sparks onscreen mirrored those off, and they were married the next year.  He was 25 years older than she was.  Their marriage lasted until Bogart’s death from cancer 12 years later.

Bogey and Bacall - To Have and Have Not

Bogey and Bacall in To Have and Have Not

Bacall excelled as a hardboiled woman.  Her sultry voice was perfect for a romantic lead in a noir film.  To this day, she is the epitome of that type of character.

When I was a teenager, my favorite actor was Humphrey Bogart.  (Still is.)  Naturally, that means that Bacall had a major influence on me.  I’ve not seen one of her films for quite a while.  (I hate to be interrupted by anything while watching a film, something my wife, my son, and my dogs refuse to take into consideration.)  That’s a failing I need to correct, and I’ll probably watch To Have and Have Not.

Bogey and Bacall - To Have and Have Not 2

Steve and Slim appraise a sticky situation.

Of the four films Bacall and Bogey made together, this is probably my favorite.  The dialogue crackles, Steve (Bogey) and Slim (Bacall) are both tough and tender at the same time, and Hoagy Carmichael and Walter Brennan between the two of them nearly steal the show.  It’s the movie Bogey  made right after Casablanca (my all time favorite), and there are a number of similarities in the two stories.