Humphrey Bogart Blogathon || Interview with a Bogie Fan + Me!

NOTE: This post was written a few days ago in anticipation of how busy I would be these past few days, and therefore I was supposed to get online and post it yesterday. But I had a lot of friends over, and was really busy, and I didn't get to do it :/ So I'm posting it today - the thing is, I already had another post planned for today. Since I already pledged myself to reviewing my very favorite Christmas film tomorrow, I'll still be going through with that post and will be publishing it later today. Yeah, I'll be popping up in your feed twice today. I don't like to bombard people with posts in one day, so I'm really sorry, guys! The post originally planned for the 24th will be up later. Thanks and sorry, everyone!

It's finally time for Meredith's "Humphrey Bogart Blogathon," in honor of Bogie's birthday! His birthday is actually on Christmas Day, but we're celebrating early here. Anyway, plenty of blogs have joined on this fun occasion and I'm sure there are going to be plenty of great posts, so be sure and check out the lineup at Meredith's blog, Forever Classics.

My love of classic films should be credited to my dad - he's the one who showed me my first one, and ever since I lost my heart to Classic Hollywood. He himself is a big movie buff, and one of his favorite actors is none other than Bogie! So for this post, I took it upon myself to interview him about Bogie. It took a lot of persuading (ME: Dad, I'm going to interview you for my blog! DAD: ....) , but I did manage to get some answers out of him, and then I took my own survey. So here is his answers and mine on the one and only, Humphrey Bogart! [My comments are in italics.]

Bogie Q/A With my Dad 

1. Which Bogie movie is your favorite?

DAD: (jokingly) Well, let me see... I really liked "We're No Angels," and then I loved "The Petrified Forest"....

ME: (rolls eyes) How about "Casablanca"?

DAD: Was he in that? Well, okay, I guess "Casablanca."

"Casablanca" is one of my dad's favorites movies ever. I dug up one of his old movie reviews for it, and  he says, "It doesn't get much better than this tale of intrigue and romance." He ended off his review by saying, "Thankfully, we'll always have Casablanca!"  I must agree.

The Bogie statue that my dad keeps in his office

2. Which Bogie co-star is your favorite?

DAD: Lauren Bacall.

ME: Why, and which movie?

DAD: Because they were married in real life, and "To Have and Have Not." 

ME: They fell in love on the set of that movie.

DAD: Yes. They used to tell Bogie's wife at the time [the incredibly jealous Meyo Methot], when he was out with Lauren, that he's "with the cast," as if to mean the whole cast - but it was just Lauren, really.

3. What's your favorite Bogie character?

DAD: Rick Blaine ("Casablanca"). Though it's hard to pick, he did play such hard boiled characters. They were always the toughest of guys.

4. What's your favorite Bogie line?

DAD: (still teasing) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"?

ME: (rolls eyes again) I said Humphrey Bogart, not Clark Gable!

DAD: Okay, okay. "We'll always have Paris." (Casablanca).

I was pretty sure he was going to pick "Here's looking at you kid," obviously from the same movie, but I like this line, too. Then again, it's probably because I like Paris so much. 

5. "The Big Sleep" vs. "To Have and Have Not."

DAD: "To Have and Have Not."

ME: There was really no point in asking this one, was there? I can't blame you, "The Big Sleep" is so confuzzling!

He still likes "The Big Sleep", though. I think I liked "The Big Street" better - with Lucy and Henry Fonda. Okay, just kidding. Or maybe not... ?

6. What's your favorite Bogie/John Houston collaboration?

ME: (by accident) What's your favorite Bogie/John Ford collaboration?

DAD: (incredulous) Bogie and John Ford? They only made like one movie together...

ME: Ooops. I meant, Bogie and John Huston. They made plenty of movies together, didn't they?

DAD: "The African Queen."

Believe it or not, that's actually the book's
cover - then it's got "Humphrey Bogart" and
the author's name on the  back. Interesting...
to say the least.

7. What's the best book written about Bogie [that you've read]?

DAD: "Humphrey Bogart," by Nathaniel Benchley.

ME: (suspicious) Isn't that an old eighties biography on Bogie?

DAD: I guess so, but hey, upon it's release it was called the best book on Bogie to date!

ME: Yeah, but that was way back in 1985!

I'm just kidding. Honestly, the eighties aren't old to me at all, because this is coming from a girl who stares at her friends and insists that if something occurred seventy or sixty years ago, it's still technically "modern" times. (When you speak of history, anyway...)

8. Who directed Bogie best?

DAD: Howard Hawks.

ME: (pressing for more) And why? Which movie? Wait, let me guess - "To Have and Have Not"?

DAD: Yes and because he brought out the real Bogie!

I honestly don't know if he was joking here or not... [about the "real" Bogie] lol. :D

9. Who is someone you wished Bogie had worked with?

*mulls it over.* DAD: Alfred Hitchcock would have been cool.

ME: Good answer!

I really have to agree, why didn't that happen? That would have been really awesome, a Bogie/Hitchcock collaboration.

10. What's a character that Bogie was miscast in?

DAD: Finally, the last question!

ME: Okay, okay! So, what was Bogie miscast in?

DAD: Well, I don't really think he was right as Linus Larrabee in "Sabrina" (1954).

ME: I agree with you. But why?

DAD: Well, I just think he was too old - and it was a little hard to believe that Audrey Hepburn dumped William Holden for Humphrey Bogart.

Then it was my turn to answer my OWN questions!

Bogie Q/A With Me!

1. Which Bogie movie is your favorite?

The same as my dad - "Casablanca." I don't care if it's a stereotype to love this movie, it will forever be one of my favorites!

2. Which Bogie co-star is your favorite?

I really love Lauren Bacall, and Bogie and Bacall are one of my favorite off screen couples. But I'm going to have to go with Ingrid Bergman, as in "Casablanca." I just loved Ingrid and Bogie together! I mean, Bogie did once say: "I didn’t do anything I’ve never done before, but when the camera moves in on that Bergman face, and she's saying she loves you, it would make anybody feel romantic." But Lauren Bacall is a definitely a  close runner up, and Katharine Hepburn ("The African Queen"), too. 

3. What's your favorite Bogie character?

I have to agree with my dad here, too - Rick Blaine. But I also liked Charlie Allnut, from "The African Queen" (in terms of being a little more original).

4. What's your favorite Bogie line?

Again, totally unoriginal, but "Here's looking at you, kid." 

5. "The Big Sleep" vs. "To Have and Have Not."

"To Have and Have Not" - "The Big Sleep," confused the heck out of me, which I probably shouldn't feel so bad about, because that's what it usually does to most people. I don't think I'd be able to follow its plot if you paid me money, lol!

6. What's your favorite Bogie/John Houston collaboration?

"The African Queen", without a question. I loved Kate and Bogie together, and I really want to read the book she wrote about her time in Africa with Huston, Bogie, and Bacall. 

[via]

7. What's the best book written about Bogie [that you've read]?

I actually haven't read anything on Bogie yet! But I really loved Lauren Bacall's autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some." She talks lovingly of Bogie in it, and she actually made me cry when she talked about the last years of his life, and when he died. I really recommend it. You can read my review of it here.

8. Who directed Bogie best?

I think perhaps John Huston, but I also want to give a special nod to Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca"). An underrated director despite the famous film "Casablanca" is.

9. Who is someone you wished Bogie had worked with?

I too would have loved to see him work with Alfred Hitchcock. But in terms of co-stars, I don't know if this is weird or random - but I think it might have been interesting to see him and Vivien Leigh together. Okay, yes, weird and random for sure, but she's honestly the first one that popped into my mind. (Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me either).

10. What's a character that Bogie was miscast in?

Linus Larabee all the way. Don't get me wrong - I love "Sabrina." I just have to agree a lot with what my dad said. Plus, if you read about what was going on backstage, it's not very pleasant. Bogie and Audrey didn't get along, he once said something like, it's okay to work with Audrey Hepburn so long you don't mind fifty takes (or something like that). Too bad, because both Bogie and Audrey are favorites of mine and I would have wanted them to get along! :/

***

Okay, I hope this post did manage to be entertaining, I really had to badger my dad to get take my interview! lol. And I also apologize once more for throwing off the blogging schedule I had already set out for myself, with so many posts to do this week. The other post should be up later today, and it'll set me back on track. But like I said, I don't like publishing two posts in a day so I'm real sorry, guys.

A big thank you to Meredith for hosting this blogathon, happy birthday to Bogie, and a merry Christmas in advance!!