Just whistle | Remembering Lauren Bacall

(1924 - 2014)

I watched Written on the Wind on Saturday. I hadn't seen a Lauren Bacall movie in a quite while. These past few days, I was thinking of her.

I felt like Lauren Bacall was going to be immortal. I think we tend to feel that way about the handful of Old Hollywood stars that are left: if they've made it this long, often well into their eighties or maybe nineties, then it seems like they'll live forever. Of course, we all know that it isn't possible, and we try to prepare ourselves for when they'll go, but when the time comes it's startling, sudden, and heartbreaking. Lauren lived a full life - nearly a month short of her ninetieth birthday  - and for that reason, a lot of people might not comprehend this, well, feeling of shock. But it's a collective understanding for classic movie fans; the depth of each loss painfully apparent. It's, slowly, with each death, losing the last remnants of an era long gone. It's like the closing of the final curtain.

Lauren Bacall was the kind of a person that any reasonably intelligent woman would want to emulate. She simply was film noir: sexy, cool, collected. And underneath, she was incredibly real, passionate, and courageous, combining tenacity and sharp wit. When she wrote her bestselling autobiography, By Myself and Then Some, she did away with a ghostwriter and wrote intensely and honestly. When I read it, I was moved to tears, I laughed, I identified with her, and I came away empowered. She lusted for life: "Even at my lowest ebb, I have never contemplated suicide. I value what is here too much. I have a contribution to make. I am not just taking up space in this life. I can add something to the lives I touch." And perhaps even more importantly, she understood life. She came it away from it all wiser than most of us could ever hope to be. She never lost sight of Betty Joan Perske, who as a teenager chain smoked in the movie theater balcony watching Bette Davis, using Sen Sen to hide the stench from her mother. She loved Bogie and remembered him as a human being, not a saint. She clung to memories but lived in the present. She was always unashamedly herself. She knew she was not perfect, and she did not care. She had a sense of humor that was always unfailing. She celebrated the beauty of survival. She cherished honesty. When she grew old, she wore her wrinkles like a badge of honor, explaining, "Your whole life shows in your face, and you should be proud of that."

Here's a corny but comforting thought that has been floating around online. When Humphrey Bogart died, Lauren buried him with a small, gold whistle that had once been a charm on a bracelet that Bogie had given her early in their love affair, an homage to her most famous line ("You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."). The charm was inscribed with, "If you need anything, just whistle." And yesterday, he whistled for her.

Sunday Movie Review: "Sex and the Single Girl" (1964)

I can't ignore the obvious. This site has had some... pretty major changes with it's interface within the last few days. It's been quite nearly a three day process (as anyone who's been on here recently might be familiar with; and for that I apologize), but I'm finally finished and quite pleased with it. Gone are the polka dots and the drive in; my new design I (hope) is cleaner & fresher. I'd been wanting to replace the old one for quite sometime (as I've had it for a year and it was becoming way too cluttered from my taste) but never knew just what to replace it with, and finally I was able to settle on a header and a color scheme and everything bloomed from there. So it's staying - for a while, I think. I've also overhauled the 'about me' and 'Sunday Movie Review' pages. (I cleaned up my favorite actor & actresses pages a few weeks ago, as well). Any thoughts?


This is the first review I've done in a month! It's hard to get back into the swing of this so today is a short review from my 'Netflix archives'. I hope no one minds and I promise my next SMR will actually be quality - or as quality as I can get, anyways!

What have you all been watching lately? I've been watching so many more movies from the 60s and even 70s because of Julie Andrews! Would you believe that I only saw one movie from the 40s (my favorite decade in film) last month? My most watched decade in July was the 1960s, so I guess I'm going through a bit of a 60s phase right now. Anyways, here's my archive review, as these always are it's much shorter than my usual reviews so do forgive me.

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SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964): Cast, plot details

A womanizing reporter (Tony Curtis) for a sleazy tabloid magazine impersonates his hen-pecked neighbor in order to get an expose on renowned psychologist Helen Gurley Brown (Natalie Wood). Lauren Bacall & Henry Fonda costar as Tony Curtis's friends who add to a string of misunderstandings. [from IMdb - with doctoring by me]

• Natalie Wood as Helen Gurley Brown
• Tony Curtis as Bob Weston
• Henry Fonda as Frank
• Lauren Bacall as Sylvia 

THE VERDICT: ★★★

Not nearly as exciting as it sounds, it's a 60s rom com through and through, with a finish that's over the top while managing to be only a little funny.

You can tell there were depending one one thing - er rather, one word? - to be able to truly sell this film: Sex. You can tell from the moment the word was blown up onto the screen in the opening credits. Movie-goers in 1964 were scandalized by it, all the while excited to get their tickets. The "scandalous" title was really just a trick to get movie-goers into the theaters. It's truly an innocent, glossy romantic comedy lacking even the tiniest drop of real gritty stuff. Why, Natalie Wood's earlier "Splendor in the Grass," with such a innocent title, was much more high strung than this average 60's rom-com. Very much a Doris Day-Rock Hudson movie with different actors. Natalie Wood is great in this - there is a sadly ironic scene in which she tries to stop Tony Curtis from drowning himself - but from what i read in her biography, she was not pleased with this and wanted more work like "Splendor." Tony Curtis is decent, too (everyone thinks he looks like Jack Lemmon in that movie "where they dressed up like women"). Fun to see Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda in this star studded vehicle, as well. Mel Ferrer (I remember him only as Audrey Hepburn's husband) is in this, too. The last twenty minutes of the movie take place out on the street on a moter-bike, ice cream truck, taxis, cars, and who-knows-what-else. A true 60's romantic comedy - and though the title may suggest more, it sticks straight to the status quo. Since I love pretty much everyone in this, I give this a passing grade. 

PHOTOS & TRIVIA

• This movie inspired the 2003 Renee Zellweger movie Down With Love.
• One of the supporting cast members died on the day of the film's premiere.

A MOVIE TIDBIT

Sunday Movie Review: "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953)

Eh.

I'm having a really blah day and a ton of homework, and so despite the fact I watched a few interesting movies recently, I'm going to be lazy and give you a short review today. Sorry :(

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The poster:Well, Lauren's the star of this, but the poster is obviously in Marilyn's favor. (Wonder why... hmm..)

The plot:

In this classic comedy, three New York models (Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall) set up an apartment with a mission: They plan to use their looks, charm and talent to catch and marry a trio of millionaires. The gold-digging dames' outrageous man-hunting scheme does attract wealthy candidates, but, love and money don't appear to coexist; all three women must choose between the extremes. [from Netflix]

The starring players:

• Lauren Bacall as Schatze Page
• Betty Grable as Loco Dempsey
• Marilyn Monroe as Pola Debevoise
• William Powell as J.D Hanley

The verdict:

★★★ 1/2

It's uncommon to find a film with three female leads, but here's one for you. And it's a batch of three popular blonds, as well - Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable. Betty and Lauren were still popular but had had their prime in the 40's; as for Marilyn, she was at the peak of her popularity and riding high. It's really Lauren's film but Marilyn gets top billing (and the film poster is obviously in her favor). My favorite was Betty Grable, though. Her character is stupidly sweet and a riot to watch. Lauren Bacall is equally endearing as Schatze and the same goes for Marilyn who surprisingly ditched her usually seductive appearance for glasses. Love the witty script (at one point when Lauren is trying to convince her aging beau that the age difference doesn't matter, she points out she finds old guys attractive, like Roosevelt and Churchill and "that old what's his fella in The African Queen," in a cheeky reference to Bogie... another is a nod to Harry James, Betty's trumpeter husband at the time). Was nominated for Best Costume Design and it makes sense, the costumes are lavish and gorgeous and any fashion fan would want to watch. Catch William Powell in the role of the aging beau. Very splashy and not the greatest movie ever but a fun a rom-com out of Old Hollywood and Betty, Lauren, and Marilyn make it all worth it.

The bottom line:

Fun, splashy entertaining film - the three leads and William Powell, in addition to a witty script, makes it worthwhile.

Some photos:

Some trivia:

• One of the first movies to have its score recorded in a stereo.
• Betty Grable received top billing in the credits, but Marilyn Monroe was promoted the most in trailers and posters; whereas the real star of the film was Lauren Bacall.

A movie tidbit:

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 Happy Sunday! :) 

Happy Valentine's Day | 6 Favorite Couples

Happy Valentine's Day, readers!

Since February 14th is officially the sappiest day of the year, I thought I'd talk about my six favorite Classic Hollywood couples! {Legit couples, not the ones that only exist in my head... like the Pidgeons... and the
Powells... and Errolivia... and Ingrid and Cary...}

Well, yeah, here we go. Hope this'll get you all in a sappy mood! :D Oh, and guess what, this is actually for once in order, though I wouldn't put too much weight into the order of these couples, until you get to my number one. I'm going to completely dumbfound you all when you see who I've chosen for that spot. COMPLETELY, guys. ;)

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  6.                                               

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner | November 1951 - July 1957


I knew their relationship was tumultuous, and then I read Lee Server's biography about Ava and I learned so much more about these two! Frava definitely did have a stormy relationship. The book I read went into detail about some of their fights, when plates went flying and it didn't matter who was around. But they also loved each other a lot, and this combination makes me think of Lucy and Desi, who admittedly would "love and fight furiously." Any any couple that reminds me of Desilu, well, I'm bound to like. :)

Albeit the fact they couldn't say together, and there were all those terrible fights, I think Frank and Ava in general would make a good pair. I think of Ava as the barefooted free spirit ought of a poor town in North Carolina, who liked to party and dance and have a good time. Frank's liveliness is a good match, I think.

 D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Frank gave Ava her first Corgi, which she named Rags. This hooked Ava on a sort of a Corgi obsession, she would keep Corgis until she died. After Rags, she had Cara, and after that, Morgan, who was with her when she died and was then taken in (along with her housekeeper) by good friend Gregory Peck.
• The statue of her from The Barefoot Contessa (1954) was gifted to Frank, who kept it in his backyard garden long after the divorce. Finally, upon marrying Barbara Marx, she forced him to get rid of it.
• Frank's nickname for Ava was "Angel."

---

 5.    

                                                                                                      Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall | May 1945 - his death

I didn't really know much about Bogie and Bacall until I read Lauren's fantastic autobiography, By Myself and Then Some, last fall. I don't really know all the nitty gritty details about their relationship, and I've heard rumors that things got bad for them towards the end, but I don't know if it's true or not. All I know is the picture Lauren painted in her book, and that picture of this couple was sweet and wonderful to read about, and that's the way I'd like to think of them. :) If you'll remember, in my review of her book, I said that upon reading about Bogie's death I just burst into tears. It really got to me, and I could feel Lauren's suffering at the time. Also, in her book, she described several occasions where Bogie would call her in the middle of the night and tell her to please come, because he genuinely needed her, and that's just asdfghjkl. 

I really find these two adorable and am endeared by the fact that, despite their great age difference, they truly were a couple that could stick. After all, they never divorced - it was Bogie's death that broke them apart.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Bogie and Bacall were married on May 21st, 1945 at the farm home of a Pulitzer Prize winning author in Ohio.
• Lauren placed a small, gold whistle in his coffin, a symbol of the famous line she tells him in To Have and Have Not (1944) - the movie that on the set of they fell in love - "You know how to whistle, don't you? Just put your lips together and blow."
• Bogie's nickname for Lauren was "Baby."

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4. 

                                                                                                      Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier | August 1940 - January 1961

Viv and Larry, these two! I learned a lot about them by watching this documentary, The Oliviers in Love. These two is just another couple that you could really tell truly loved each other, and you can feel that love when you watch them together on screen or, better yet, see personal photos, telegrams, etc. You all probably knew it anyway, but the premiere website for these two is vivandlarry.com. It has a lot of wonderful photos and etc.

Viv and Larry are really just a perfect pair, though! Besides them both being British and beautiful, they're just lovely together. Too bad they couldn't last, Vivien's struggles with her bipolar disorder really put strains on their marriage.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Viv and Larry were married at a ranch in Santa Barbara, with Katharine Hepburn as her maid of honor. They later honeymooned on Ronald Colman's yacht.
• Vivien had an affair with Peter Finch and was ready to leave Larry for the other actor. Just as Vivien was about to board the plane with her lover, Larry wooed her into staying back. This was the basis for the 1963 film The V.I.Ps, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
• Viv called Larry "Baba", and he always referred to her as "Pussycat."

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3. 

     Clark Gable and Carole Lombard | March 1939 - her death

Clark and Carole are just plain amazingness. I don't know how could you not love the two of them together because they are just perfection. I mean, they used to go duck hunting early in the morning in red thermal underwear. They were just best friends and they did all these things together. Lucy and Desi were good friends with these two, and Lucy in her autobiography recounted how she kept hoping her marriage with Desi could be like Clark and Carole's. Because they were just that awesome. 

And then, the tragedy that was Carole's death in that awful plane crash. Lucy also wrote that after Carole's death, Clark used to tear around the San Fernando Valley on his motorcycle and she was convinced he was trying to kill himself. So she'd invite Clark over to the Desilu Ranch and they'd talk about Carole and watch her films. Such a tragic ending to a couple that was just so perfect together.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Carole had a little dachshund named Commissioner who would completely ignore Clark during their marriage. After her death, the dog never left Clark's side.
• After Carole read Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Carole sent Clark a copy of the book with a note saying, "Let's do it!" Clark took this as a sexual advance and called up Carole. When he learned she wanted to play Scarlett to his Rhett in a movie version, he scoffed and said he'd never do such a mushy movie. When he actually did do the film in 1939, he only agreed to it on account of the salary, so he could divorce his current wife and marry Carole.
• Carole called Clark "Pa" and he called her "Ma".

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2. 

     Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy | 1942 - his death

This is the only couple on this list that was never really married. But it doesn't matter, because in my head, you know, they're married anyway. :) They made some of the most amazing movies together, these two. My favorites would probably have to be Woman of the Year (1942) and Adam's Rib (1949). I just love seeing these two on screen, because they have perfect chemistry. It's sad that they couldn't get married in real life, but I guess Kate wasn't really one to be gung ho over marriage anyway. What's important is how well they suited each other. 

I'll wrap this up by saying that they are just you know, excellent. They are Kate and Spence. I mean, really, what more can I say?? If you've ever seen a movie with the two of them you'll just know all the feelings that I'm referring to. <3

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• The night Spence died, he got up to get a drink of milk. Kate followed him, but before she got there she heard a thud and the sound of glass shattering. She found Spence lying dead on the floor, having been a victim of a heart attack. The year was 1967 - Kate would die thirty six years later.
• Kate never watched Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), their last film together, because the memories were too painful. Nor did she attend Spence's funeral, out of respect for his family. She did, however, call his wife, offering her condolences and wanting to patch up any hard feelings between them. To this, Louise Tracy replied, "I thought you were a rumor."
• They were first introduced by Joseph Mankiewicz on the set of Woman of the Year (1942), to which Kate sized Spence up and said, "I'm afraid I may be too tall for you, Mr. Tracy." To this, Joe replied, "Don't worry - he'll cut you down to size."

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1. 

     Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz | November 1940 - May 1960 

Ohhh, guys, excuse me, I must get my Kleenax out. I must. :) Okay, I've got my box. Okay, I can go on now. I swear, these two always tear me up. Their story is just amazing, and I have yet to see one like it. ♥ I could really go on for hours, but don't worry, I won't. 
I love how when

Lucy first saw Desi, it really was a love at sight (though she would 
claim it took a "full five minutes"!). As everybody knows, their marriage was far

from perfect, and I'm not saying it was. But then, what marriage is perfect 
(save the Minivers)? Of course, the

problems in their marriage were tough and it's what ultimately let to the divorce of course. But the 

fact is they

always loved and cared for each other, even after the divorce. There are so many things to prove that. 

I just love so many things about these two.

This is my official favorite couple, and I just love reading all the sweet amazing things. Their story really 

was amazing. Marcella Rabwin, one of their close friends, once said, "Their relationship was so deep in

 it scared me." As well as, "They loved each other more than any other famous lovers in history."

I guess so.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Lucy and Desi’s original wedding band was a cheap ring from Woolworth’s. They eloped in Greenwich, Connecticut, on a Saturday, and all the jewelry stores in town were closed. So this was their only option. Lucy loved it, and always kept it, no matter how green and skinny it got, and even when Desi replaced it with a bejeweled ring.
• Desi died from lung cancer on December 2^nd, 1986. Two days before, Lucy called Desi up. Lucie was nursing Desi and she heard her parents conversation, for she had to hold the phone to her father’s ear – he was too weak to hold it himself. What Lucy told Desi was, “I love you, I love you Desi, I love you.” To this replied, “I love you too, honey.” Lucy was one of the last people to speak to Desi, for he died forty eight hours later. This conversation had taken place on November 30^th, which would have been their forty-sixth wedding anniversary.
• Lucy made an attempt to divorce Desi in 1944. The day before she was schedule to appear in court, Desi called her up and asked her what he was doing that evening. She said, “You know I’m divorcing you tomorrow,” to which he replied, “Yes, I know, but I’d like to take you out to dinner.” She gave in and he did. They spent the night together. The next morning Desi woke up to Lucy getting herself dolled up for court. “You’re not going to go through with it now, are you?” he asked her. She said, “I’ve got to, the press is expecting me.” She went, got the divorce, satisfied the press, and returned home and instantly annulled the divorce. The law in California at the time was it took a year for a divorce to become final, and if the parties had an affair in that time, it was annulled. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

***

Well, that's it for this Valentine's Day. I love Old Hollywood couples. Celebrity marriages don't have a

habit of sticking, but at least back then it was geninue love and not, you know, lust - and marriages lasted

more than two minutes.

Hope you have a swell Valentine's Day, or, if February 14th isn't really your thing, that you had a good
day anyway :)

xoxo 

What will 2012 bring?

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Hi everyone!

I hope 2012 has been good to you so far and that you had a happy New Year. :) I'm trying my best to be cheerful and optimistic even though tomorrow I'm back to school. *groans*

ANYWAY! A lot of people have been doing blogs lately about what they'll have in store (blogging wise) for 2012 and also their movie related goals, so I'm going to do something pretty similar.

The first thing is really exciting for me: I've decided to go through with conducting my own movie survey! Consider this a little late of a celebration for reaching fifty plus followers (before 2012), but hey, better late then never, right? I'm already working on this and I'll probably hold it sometime later this month. Here's to hoping we'll see plenty of participators :)

As for other blog related goals, I think I'm going to tackle a new project that will likely take me all of 2012 to complete. I've seen people do it on Tumblr before. What it is a list of 100 Favorite People, or to be more specific, 100 favorite actors and actresses. This list would consist of fifty actors and fifty actresses, and I'd be posting them in parts - ten parts, with ten people in each part (five actors, five actresses). I'd likely mention favorite film performances and the like. I think this will be really fun and I'd probably do one or two of these posts per month, which means, if everything goes alright, this project would be completed by October of this year.

My only thing with doing this is, that, well, I'm always learning to love new actors or actresses. Take Greer, for example. I honestly didn't give her much thought until I actually saw her in a film and now she's one of my very favorite actresses, and it all happened quite fast, especially when I thought I had a neat list of who are my favorites. If that's to happen again in this year it would certainly shake up this project.

Still... I'd like to give this project of mine a chance. And this also gives me the opportunity to talk about more films I love without actually having to review them, and to share with you the actors I like that aren't big movie stars - you know, the character actor types, etc. Also, I think since I'm doing this project over a course of a long period of time, it will give me time to adjust the list as I need to.

So for now I'm on board with this project and hopefully all will go well. Cross your fingers :) The first part of this project will be up this month. Now, onto some movie watching related goals for 2012 - 

Back when I first started this blog, I did a list of ten actresses I vowed to see more of. For some of these actresses I stuck to that promise and became bigger fans of them, much bigger in some cases. Like: Vivien Leigh, Carole Lombard, Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, and Joan Crawford. Of course, a few others were neglected... but all the while I felt that list worked out pretty list. I've decided to do something similar. Here is a list of ten actors and ten actresses I vow to see more of in 2012. Consider it a list of a shame, if you will. [This is in no particular order.]

Cary sharing his head at the shame:

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ACTORS:

• Errol Flynn
• Tyrone Power
• John Wayne (though Westerns hurt)
• Robert Taylor
• Montgomery Clift
• Paul Newman (I like him a lot, I just need to see more of his movies)
• Laurence Olivier
• Marlon Brando
• Steve McQueen
• Charlie Chaplin

ACTRESSES:

• Greta Garbo (She was on my old list, totally failing with her)
• Rita Hayworth (Also a veteran of that list - I loved her in Gilda and I even have an aunt named after her, yet I still haven't seen much of hers!)
• Lana Turner (Yeah, yet another one of that list)
• Hedy Lamarr
• Norma Shearer 
• Marlene Dietrich
• Jean Harlow
• Clara Bow
• Susan Hayward 
• Gene Tierney 

So if you have suggestions for any of those twenty actors, go ahead and let me know! It really is a list of shame. Most of these stars I have seen one or two or perhaps no films at all. But 2012 will be the year I'll catch up!

There was a meme going around Tumblr to watch 250 films this year. It then broke it up into different sections, like pre-codes, rewatches, etc. I thought the sections would be too restraining for the personal film goals I have this year but I would like to reach the goal of 250 classic films this year! I'm going to keep a running list - I think I'll make a page for it on this blog - and I particularly want to focus on these types of films:

• Pre-codes. As exciting as they sound, I fail at this genre. I really want to remedy that this year and so I vow to definitely see more films made before the year 1934! 
• Silents. I've only seen three or four of these and I really want to give them more of a chance. I guess this kind of falls under pre-codes, too, because most silents are pre-codes.
• 1960's fluff. The 60's brought change to Hollywood. There were films that pushed the envelope of the quickly dying Hays Code and more fluffier films that were geared to the teeny bopper audience that decided the trends of pop culture. I've seen a lot of Doris Day's rom-com pairings with Rock Hudson and Natalie Wood's glossier films of that era... so what I mean by this is (and don't laugh) the Sandra Dee/Bobby Darin/Annette Funicello/Frankie Avalon stuff. Like Gidget and Beach Party. Now, I know they're probably not the best films or the most serious, but being a teenager of this generation I think these movies would give me a good perspective of what it was like for the teenagers of that generation. Kind of a pop culture experience... sort of... 
• Film noir. You'd think after particpating in Film Classics's contest last summer I would have brushed up more on this genre but not yet. I'm taking it in at little doses so far but I really need to catch up on this genre!

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Suggestions still welcome. :)

So yeah, this is pretty much what I have in store for 2012! What do you think???

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!!

"By Myself and Then Some" Book Review

Hi everyone,

I know I've been away for the past few days -- lack of subjects to blog on, I suppose. But today I have for you, finally, the review for "By Myself and Then Some" by Lauren Bacall, who celebrated her 87th birthday last week. It won a poll I held a while back on which Old Hollywood book to read next. I'm sorry it has taken me so long; it is 500 pages which is thick but not exactly a monster read. I was reading some other fiction books also, and with school I'd been neglecting it. But now it's finished, so let's get on with it!

I must admit, before reading this book I did not know that much about Lauren. I had, of course, seen her in what I would guess would be her two most well known films, "The Big Sleep" and "To Have and Have Not"; but with a few more exceptions I hadn't seen all that many of her movies, either.

The perception I had from Lauren was from what I had derived from her on screen image - somewhat sultry, with that deep husky voice and a cool, mysterious attitude to her, almost the personification of a film noir. If you were to say her name, the first picture or thought that would come to mind would be her role as Slim in "To Have and Have Not."

Lauren totally defies all these stereotypes about herself in this book. She draws a definitive line between the on screen image created for her by Howard Hawks and the real "Betty" Bacall.

The first thing that comes to mind upon reading an autobiography, is can this person write as well as they act? I know most often a ghost writer of sorts is used, or at least to assist the writer. But in this situation that is not the case. Though I would not name her a Bronte sister, but really, her writing was expressive and excellent in producing emotions from the reader. It is fluid, very personal and intimate, and easy to follow. It is distinctive, she has a habit of using "--" quite often, but you will get used to it as you progress through the book.

I loved the way she told her story; as if she was reliving it, instead of a fifty-odd woman (the original "By Myself" was released in 1978) looking back on her life. We can feel her experiences as they are happening, versus a reminisce. It was so wonderful to have it told this way; the book seems so much more fluid and evades becoming dull.

Her love of Humphrey Bogart shines through so brightly, above all. She does not idolize him, admits that he has faults - but does not take the time to list them in honor and respect to his memory. You can feel her love for him pour out. 

The most powerful moment in the story is when Bogie begins to die of cancer (she refers to him as pretty much only "Bogie" in the book). You can absolutely feel her pain and the hopelessness she must have felt, only in her late twenties and losing the love of her life with young children. In the pages leading up to Bogie's death, I began to tear up and finally I started to cry. I tell you, I almost never cry when I read a book; but I did in this one. I could feel the pain, the sadness, it was simply awful and her descriptions are vivid (though nothing gory, of course).

She captures your attention from the start. Her adventures in her childhood, growing up in New York, raised by her mother (this may sound strange but I began to really love her mother; who seemed like a lovely person) and extended family. I was amused at how, as a teenager, she'd skip school and go to the theater to watch a Bette Davis or Leslie Howard picture. She would buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke them in the balcony; she had to finish the whole pack because smoking was forbidden at home. Yes, reading about her childhood was entertaining. 

The slowest part in the book, the part that made me slack off of reading it, was in between her childhood and going to make her first movie in Hollywood. Her "pounding the pavement" years. If you can get through that period, though, the rest of the book is pretty much a treat.

I think she reflects on people with class and I do not remember her, for the most part, making negative comments about famous figures. It is fun to read her discussions about people from Old Hollywood, and her interactions with them -- did you know it was Greer Garson who was the first person to send Bogie to the doctor because of his coughing, which later resulted as his cancer? Or what good friends she was with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, affectionately called "Katie" and "Spence" by her? (They would visit Bogie every night he was sick). These are just a few among a great roster of friends and we get to read about her experiences with them; nothing to diminish the glossy opinions we have of these people, only to glorify them.

"By Myself" was released in 1980; in 2005, Lauren made a 77 page addition and reprinted the autobiography under the new title, "By Myself and Then Some"; 'and then some' being her 77 pages added in. Upon reading the reviews for this book on Amazon, I found people often criticizing the "And then some" part; saying it is only a reprint of her previous autobiography with just her comments on her friends dying stuck on the end. And a display of her political opinions.

I don't exactly agree. Yes, the 77 page addition is a little choppier than the rest of the book; it had his highlights and downfalls. Yes, it does seem like an obituary for a lot of it but it was touching, for example, to hear her last visit with Katharine Hepburn before Kate died. Had she gone into it more, I fear I would have started to cry just as I had when Bogie died. Also, in the last pages she expresses her disdain of what this country has turned into; yes, she sheds her dislike of the George Bush administration but only dedicates a paragraph or two to it. The reviews I read made it seem like she pushed her political opinions throughout the whole book; not true! Anyway, she wrote a nice piece on how times have changed us and I agree one hundred percent with it. The world is only a busy fish bowl with no one stopping to be polite anymore.

Anyway, even if "And then some" was terrible, I would not let it completely blur my opinion on this book. I learned so much about Lauren and all the things there are to love about her; that she is completely different from her on screen persona. She is so human and she admits that through and through; and that, I believe, would have to be one of my favorite things about her book. 

In the end, I will give it a 4 out of 5. If you want to know more about Lauren, if you want to love Lauren, etc., you'll find that in this book. And an immense respect for her. I remember while reading Ginger Rogers's autobiography, "Ginger", I was dissapointed about how Ginger talks shrewdly and negatively about other figures in the world of Hollywood (despite claiming she would not in the beginning of the book). Lauren does not do that - like Lucy in her autobiography, she remains classy and we just cannot help but have great respect for her!

***

The book also had some wonderful pictures; and hopefully in the near future I'll scan them and share. I would today if for not how lazy I feel; but in my defense, it's Friday, and I need to recuperate from the stress of the school week! ;)

Tomorrow I'll be back with my contribution for the Fashion in Film Blogathon at The Hollywood Revue, and also: here it is the first day of fall and I am so thrilled, of course! So: Happy first day of fall!

You guessed it - I'm cat smiling, just like Vivien!

Happy Birthday, Lauren Bacall!

Yes, yet another birthday post this week! Earlier we celebrated Claudette Colbert's birthday, and today we shall be celebrating the birth of yet another lovely lady: Lauren Bacall.

Lauren Bacall is one of the last stars of the Golden Age we are still lucky to have with us! She is turning 87 today.

A nice way to celebrate her birthday would be to write a review for "By Myself and Then Some", her autobiography, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, I have not finished the book in question yet. I started it some time ago and it's quite embarrassing for me that I haven't finished it, because I'm usually a fast reader and fly through books (not to sound arrogant). However, I have been reading one other book at the same time (I like to read one fiction and one biography at the same time, but it's harder than it looks to alternate between the two!), and between that and school....

However, I must say I do like it so far. I hope to have a review for it by the end of this month - and I swear. I WILL FINISH IT.

Anyway, back to Lauren. I'm learning some great new things about her (as well as discovered some real nice pictures which I think I will scan for my book review post) because of her autobiography. Like, for example--

• She met Bette Davis when she was a teenager. (I AM SO JEALOUS!)
• You know her famous "The Look" (pictured above) was created? She was an avid trembler (yeah, I know that's not a word). But seriously, she trembled a lot, at least according to her autobiography. Whenever she was nervous. To avoid doing so in her screen tests, she'd press her chin down to make it stop and look up. It's wonderful to know that big stars like Lauren got nervous, too.
• The book in question won the National Book Award in 1980. So Lauren's a wonderful writer, too!

And now, some photos I love.

I really like this one -- Lauren is behind the camera, for once!

I cannot even tell you how much I LOVE this photo. I just can't express it. And, also: How can you not love Lauren by just looking at this photo?

This is just cool. Like Lauren.

I know that Millie over at Classic Forever (if you haven't subscribed, where have you been?) already shared these amazing home movies that were filmed at the homes of big stars like Roddy McDowall and Rock Hudson (with visitors like Paul Newman and Natalie Wood and of course Lauren). I also got a comment from one of my readers leaving me the link to these, and they truly are amazing. This one features Lauren and so that is why I have shared it, but go to Soapbox and Praeses, the Youtube channel home of these lovely clips, for many more with several other stars. But for today, here's Lauren! ♥

Before I leave, I've got a question to ask my fellow Bloggers: How do you add a GIF into Blogger? I made a GIF of some Lauren photos for this particular blog, but with no avail was able to upload them even though Blogger clearly states it accepts GIF files. I have seen them on other blogs and have been trying to catch up with the crowd, though I'm sure I would still post some or most photos the old fashioned way even if I do figure it out. Anyway, if you can just leave me your comments and let me know how to do it if you know how, I'd really appreciate it. You all are the best!

That's all.  TCM will be showing several of Lauren's movies today, so you can stop in to watch "Key Largo" or perhaps "Dark Passage" or whatever else suits your fancy. ;) Have a good one, Lauren! 

PS: I know I promised the key to the "Here's Looking at You, Kid" game on Monday, a full week since I orginally posted it. Well, it totally slipped my mind, I hope you forgive me! I'll post those tomorrow - promise. ;)

PSS: This also the two month anniversary of my blog!! :)

The Big 10: Female Characters (in TV and film)

Hi everyone,

I'm all chirpy and happy today for a few reasons - 1) It's FRIDAY! I love Friday, it's my favorite day of the week (Rebecca Black did not ruin it for me). Not because I have great classes today, either (I don't). But I just love reaching the end of the week and taking a big sigh, like, "Few, that's over. Until Monday!" And I can finally watch a movie, too. Tonight it will be "Mildred Pierce" - a movie I have been dying to see since, like, forever.

However, I don't think I'll do a review for it this particular Sunday because I thought I'd pick a patriotic movie to review this week since Sunday is the tenth anniversary of September 11th... that, of course, deflates my happy mood a bit. But more on that on Sunday.

And 2) The sun is finally shining!!!! The whole week it was gray and rainy and awful, but now the sun is just shining and it's beautiful outside, even if there are still puddles on the ground. Also, school went pretty well today - among other things, I was given a big compliment by one of my teachers on my writing skills in front of the whole class; embarrassing, but I get happy like a little kid whenever someone sincerely compliments my writing. As Lina Lamount says: "Our hard work ain't been in vain!" And, guess what else????? We have a songbook for our music class and in it today I found this big picture of Lucy and the song "Hey, Look Me Over!" from her Broadway musical, Wildcat. I know. INSANE HAPPINESS. Vivien Leigh cat smiling. I'm so going to request for us to learn that song!! :)

Okay, babbling is over. :) Today I'm going to list my top ten female characters. I'm doing television and film, because if I limited myself to movies alone I'd be forced to exclude Lucy Ricardo. ;)

This is pretty much in no particular order. Enjoy!

1 : Scarlett O'Hara

played by Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind

Well, yes, I LOVE Scarlett. I know that Melanie was a lot nicer and very sweet and who doesn't love Melanie? But it's just so much fun watching Scarlett be... Scarlett. No to mention Viv played her to an exact point of perfection! Yes, it is often argued that Scarlett was a b*tch, and I guess she was. But in her defense, Scarlett is probably one of the most exciting characters to grace the screen. She could be hardworking when she wanted to, and she retched out that carrot without flinching. So yes, love her or hate her (though I do love her), Scarlett is one of the most awesome characters, female or male, EVER. Here's to you, Scarlett O'Hara!

2 : Lucy Ricardo

played by Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy

My darling Lucy! I have heard people also call Lucy Ricardo annoying and conniving and things like that, but the fact remains is that there was a special quality about Lucy that make us love her, flaws and all - in fact, that was the premise of the show. And... she was also smart, clever, resourceful, and beautiful in ways people don't give her much credit for - not to mention hilarious and zany! That's why we love Lucy :)

3 : Holly Golightly

played by Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's

In which Scarlett can be called a b*tch, Lucy obnoxious, Holly can be called a gold digger. But like the latter characters, there is a special quality about her - not to mention the brilliance of the actress who played her! - which makes Holly a character to love and remember. Despite her faults, I think Holly is the girl all women sort of want to be: glamorous and sophisticated and very fashionable; not to mention she lived life as if it was all a big gulp of fresh air. And she had a pretty cute cat, too!

4 : Alicia Huberman

played by Ingrid Bergman, Notorious

Yes, yes, one of my favorite Ingrid roles ever! I love Ingrid in the Alicia role, she just comes across as this ultra sophisticated spy to me, and it does help that her character is madly in love with Cary Grant. ;) She wears some really chic gowns and puts her life on the line for her country. Yeah, I just really found her character quite marvelous!

5 : Hildy Johnson

played by Rosalind Russell, His Girl Friday

As an inspiring girl writer, Hildy Johnson is really one of my favorite inspirations! I like her because she kept her femininity but proved she could write or report as good as the next guy in that busy newsroom. Plus, okay, okay, yes: I really love the way her name sounds. "Hildy". It really does roll off your tongue, doesn't it?

6 : Maria
played by Natalie Wood, West Side Story

I guess I have no particular reason for liking Maria. Maybe it has a lot do with the way Natalie played her; because everytime I watch West Side Story I always feel for Maria's character and even relate to her. "I Feel Pretty" is one of my favorite dance sequences and even though Maria does some stupid things in the movie (I would blurt them out here but there must be some of you who have not seen WSS - well, what are you waiting for?? Go watch it. NOW. :D), I still really like her character. The Puetro Rican Juliet. 

7 : Charlotte Vale (II, anyway)

played by Bette Davis, Now, Voyager

I say "Charlotte Vale II" because... because... well, I didn't hate the shaky Aunt Charlotte from the beginning of the movie, but I love her progression into the confident, sophsticated woman of the world she becomes. I explained a bit of that in my Now, Voyager movie review. Bette Davis portrayed her perfectly, I thought!

8 : Alva Starr

played by Natalie Wood, This Property is Condemned

"This Property is Condemned", a Tennessee Williams movie, did not really do so well at the box office at the time, but truth be told I really enjoyed it when I watched it. Maybe it was the pairing of Natalie and Robert Redford together for the second time (they'd teamed up before for "Inside Daisy Clover", a not so good movie...), but I did enjoy it. I also loved Natalie's Alva Starr character. Most of all because I enjoyed seeing life through the fabricated eyes of Alva; the whole world to her is literally a box of chocolates - one of my favorite scenes from the film is when Alva insists to Robert Redford's character that the sky is white, not blue. She wants to go to New Orleans because she believes people are buried above the ground there, where they can breathe forever. I simply love the way the character looks at life as if it's a dream.

9 : Susan Vance

played by Katharine Hepburn, Bringing Up Baby

It's screwball time! "Bringing Up Baby" was one of the first classics I ever watched and I think it's really what pulled me into classic films. My God, I LOVE the Susan character. This is my favorite Kate performance ever. Susan is just adorable and hilarious and Kate's special Bryn Mawer accent somehow makes the character even funnier. And she has a pet leopard. Named Baby. Susan makes me smile! Look, I just love this movie and I love this character and if you haven't seen it then where the heck have you been?

10 : Gilda 

played by Rita Hayworth, Gilda

I have to have a femme fatale on this list, and Gilda will be it! "Gilda" was some of the first film noir I saw and I was really enthralled by Rita's Gilda character: it was one of my first exposures to femme fatale and it's riveting how she pulls Glenn Ford into her trap and "putting the blame on Mame" and all of that. 

Well, there it is for you! I had a hard time narrowing it down towards the end and I had to leave out a few other favorites, like Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa Lund (Casablanca) and Sister Benedict (The Bells of St. Mary's) as well as Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois (A Streetcar Named Desire), and, of course, Bette Davis's Baby Jane Hudson (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?). I'll try to get together a list of my ten favorite male characters, though that may be a little while before I get around to it.

The film noir contest at Film Classics will close tomorrow. So just one tiny little last reminder if you haven't voted yet or anything. I think I'm currently tied for first place which is a shocker times a thousand - especially considering the zero confidence I had in my post. Another big thanks to Film Classics for sponsoring this contest; it was great fun to participate and the possibility I may actually win first place like, fills me with an abundance of joy (<<< hey, I like that phrase! I think I'll say it more often), though I'd better not jinx it. ;)

I'll leave you with yet another awesome picture of Old Hollywood folks hanging out together --

Viv and Lauren. Yes, yes, yes. I love this picture.

Ta-ta for now, dahhhlings!! 

^^ All Tallulah Bankhead esque, of course. :) This is, indeed, a happy Friday!