Cause A Frockus

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

May 4, 2016 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

This last weekend I enjoyed a night of good food, good wine, and a good flick: The Maltese Falcon. I absolutely adore this movie, but soon realized that I didn’t really know anything about the leading man or the famous woman who would later be beside him. So with Texas flowers blooming, love is in the air, and what better way to herald it than a tale of epic romance: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

We’ll start with Bogie. Born in 1899 on Christmas Day, Humphrey (yep, that’s his real name – no stage name for this guy!) started out life a little bit famous. His mom, a graphic artist, painted his portrait for national baby food advertisements. Before you get too excited, he’s not the Gerber baby, but still you have to admit it’s pretty cool. Another fun fact: his family can trace their roots to New York’s very first community of Dutch colonial settlers. Needless to say, young Bogie already had some shoes to fill. And in typical rebellious-leading-man style, he eased into it. He finished school without making a huge mark, then went on to serve his country during WWI. Following the War, he didn’t have any set career path – any direction really. That all changed when a pal got him a theater job. By 1921 he had graduated from behind-the-scenes help to stage actor. Making his way on Broadway, the tide was starting to turn for Bogie’s future. Then the Great Depression hit. The moment that crashed many a fledgling career, bolstered young Humphrey. He made his way to Hollywood and onto cinematic history.

While Bogie was cutting his teeth on the stage, a very young Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske) was literally cutting her teeth. Born in the Bronx in 1924, her childhood wasn’t as lavish as Humphrey’s, but Lauren was able to attend a private school where she studied acting. When funding for school ran out, Lauren decided to try modeling. At age 16, modeling ended up ushering her back into acting. After being discovered by a theater critic (one has to wonder if this critic ever reported on one of Humphrey’s plays), she was gracing the cover of a magazine he wrote articles for. The magazine in question: Esquire. This long-running magazine launched in 1933. By the time Lauren graced the cover seven years later their circulation numbers were very respectable. (Fueled by a mix of great story features by the likes of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and lovely ladies such as the Petty girls.) Lauren’s star was rising and little did she know the trajectory was set: Hollywood and Humphrey.

Fresh off the success of the Maltese Falcon in 1941 and the worldwide sensation of Casablanca in 1942, Bogie was poised for the next big film. Enter a piece from Ernest Hemingway, called To Have and Have Not. Iconic Hollywood director Howard Hawks signed on to the project, with Humphrey as his leading man. But who to cast opposite this well-known actor? This king of the cinema? Howard’s wife came to the rescue – she pointed to the cover of Lauren’s Esquire and the rest is history… or is it?

When Lauren saw Casablanca she didn’t develop the fan girl crush on the dapper hero. In fact, her reaction was quite the opposite. She met him, found him nice, and that was that. But context began to play a role. To Have and Have Not was Lauren’s first big film and the young model-turned-actress was understandably a bit ill at ease on set. When you think about it, here she is at age 19 starring opposite the world’s biggest movie draw and being directed by an award-winning director – the pressure had to be tangible. Soon this “nice man” started telling her jokes, using humor to relax her, giving her a nickname, and things understandably got pretty cozy. One night, while sharing a laugh, Humphrey kissed Lauren and asked for her phone number. That moment marked the beginning of their romance.

Not everyone was thrilled about this love affair – most notably Howard Hawks himself. He went so far as to threaten his young starlet, trying to convince her that Humphrey’s love would fade once the film wrapped and that her future career would be marred by this scandalous affair. Lauren’s mom echoed the same concerns. But both Lauren and Humphrey remained determined and their fans were delighted. The duo teamed up again for The Big Sleep and once filming wrapped Humphrey finalized his divorce. They were married in 1945 (see their wedding pic). Bogie died from esophageal cancer in 1957, but during their decade-plus together they started a family, made movies, and I’m sure consistently swapped jokes. We’ll end with a great quote from Lauren Bacall that describes her early days with Bogie (and I think, captures the essence of true romance).  “I ran up the street — arms open wide, hair flying — to Bogie’s smiling face and safe embrace.”

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