Alex Carson
It was one of the most famous love affairs of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The union between actors Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart remains forever carved into history as one of the most scandalous and romantic love affairs that Tinseltown ever saw. The two met while filming Bacall’s first movie. At the time, she was 19, while Bogart was 43. Despite that enormous age gap, the two lovebirds enjoyed a whirlwind of a romance both on and off screen.
The year spanning between 1944 and 1945 had it’s many ups and downs, but the two lovers came out on the other side of it both married and madly in love. While much has already said about this love affair, in this video we’ll be discussing what Lauren Bacall herself had to say about it. After all, it’s best to go straight to the source when approaching such a sensitive topic. The tabloids of the era printed many sensational articles about their relationship, but much of that information rooted in rumor and hearsay. By watching this video in full, you’ll be able to finally see what really went down and what their steamy romance was actually like.
But before we see what Lauren Bacall had to say about her romance with Humphrey Bogart, let’s get a little background on both of these iconic stars.
Bogart Was Already An Accomplished Actor
Bogart was born on Christmas day 123 years ago in 1899. He was the son of a rich and influential New York heart surgeon and magazine art director. Humphrey was an intelligent person, but he performed pretty poorly while in school. After graduating, he enlisted in the Navy and fought in World War II. It was while he was serving his nation in the armed forces that he got his signature scar right above his lip.
After being honorably discharged in 1919, Bogart unsure what he wanted to do with his life. Around this time, he met an actor who helped him land a job as a company manager for a touring stage play. A year later, he have` a small part in the production with just one line. While that role was relatively minor, he immediately fell in love with acting and knew that he wanted to pursue it as his career.
Bogart’s first major role was portraying an escaped convicted murderer in the play The Petrified Forest. The part, which he would play for two year, garnered him a lot of attention and led to him being cast in number of gangster films in the 1930s such as Crime School and The Great O’Malley.
He was able to step outside of this typecasting in 1941 when he landed the role of detective Sam Spade in the film The Maltese Falcon. He went on to cast opposite Ingrid Bergman in 1944s Casablanca; which received the Academy Award that year for Best Picture.
While his film career had begun to take off, Bogart’s personal life was far less successful. He married to Helen Menken in 1925, but the couple divorced just a year later. In 1928, Bogart married Mary Philips. That marriage lasted a bit longer, but in 1937, they too divorced. He married his third wife, Mayo Methot, a year after divorcing Philips.
Methot was a raging alcoholic, and the two became infamous for their constant fights. They even earned themselves the less-than-flattering nickname of the ‘Battling Bogarts’. But despite their notorious marital problems, the two tried their best to make the marriage work. Inevitably, though, Bogart fell in love with another woman.
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Lauren Bacall’s Grand Entrance Into The World Of Cinema
Bacall was born Betty Joan Parske in 1924 in her hometown of New York City. Her dad was an alcoholic who abandoned his family when she was just six. After he left, Lauren’s mother changed their last name to Bacall – which was previously her maiden name.
When she was still young Bacall fell in love with theater and started acting in high school plays. She began modeling and found herself on the cover Harper’s Bazaar by 1943. Howard Hawk’s wife eventually noticed her and decided to give her a screen test. She advised Bacall to first change her first name. That’s when she adopted the name Lauren, dropping Betty Joan which considered a less flattering stage name.
Bacall scored her first acting role in film when she was just 19 in the movie To Have and Have Not; in which she performed alongside her future husband Humphrey Bogart.
Lauren thrilled to cast, and Bogart was equally excited for the chance to work alongside her. On the first day of filming, Bacall was quite nervous, but Bogart extended his helping hand and helped the young starlet learn how to relax. To mask her anxiety, Lauren began tucking her chin which meant that she had to look up to the actor.
This pose which would become known as ‘The Look’ would become something of Bacall’s signature feature. And it would follow her throughout her acting career.
Bacall would later write in her memoir that there was a tremendous amount of chemistry between her and her co-star. That chemistry would end up changing both the film as well as their lives.
One Of Hollywood’s Steamiest Romances
In the final cut of the film, the two characters respectively played by Bacall and Bogart ended up together. A few weeks into production of the film Bogart and Bacall shared a passionate offscreen kiss. Afterward, he was able to secure the young stars phone number.
Bacall’s mother not very thrilled at the idea of the two engaging in a romance. Especially since Bogart was a married man, but that didn’t stop Lauren from pursuing her heart. Despite their quarter-century age difference, the two actors quickly fell in love.
Bogart try to make his marriage work even while having his affair with Bacall, but he inevitably divorced in 1945. Just eleven days later, he and Bacall married.
The two went on to appear in four films together before Bacall stepped away from acting to instead devote more of her time and energy to caring for her growing family. Bogart and Becall welcomed their son, Steven, into the world in 1949. Just three years later, they had a baby girl that they named Leslie.
Although it seemed like everything was going swimmingly for the two, their fairy tale came to an end in 1957 when Bogart died of esophageal cancer. That left Becall widowed at the relatively young age of 32.
Bacall later returned to acting, appearing in several films and Broadway productions. She was briefly engaged to be married to Frank Sinatra, but that relationship ended up fizzling out. She married her second husband, Jason Robards, in 1961. The two had a son that they named Sam, but their marriage two eventually fell apart, and they divorced less than a decade later in 1969.
Bacall died in 2014 at the age of 89.
Behind-The-Scenes Details Of Bacall And Bogarts Romance
Now that we’ve given you a brief overview of both the lives, careers, and romances of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. It’s time to dive in a bit deeper to see what their famous love affair was really like.
After filming wrapped up on To Have or to Have Not in 1944, the two were forced to part ways. Bacall received a letter from Bogart shortly afterward in which he wrote that to say goodbye to her was a hit like part of him was dying. He further expressed that when he walked away from her, a little part of his heart had perished.
In the months that ensued, Bogart did everything he could to make his marriage to Methot work. When reflecting on Bogart’s decision to try and make his tumultuous marriage to his then-wife work. Bacall later wrote that while she respected his decision, that didn’t mean she had to like it. Just a year after they exchanged their heartbreaking goodbyes, Bogart and Bacall were reunited on the set of The Big Sleep. And just like that, it was like they had never separated. The flames of passion were instantly reignited in both star’s hearts.
Bogart initially struggled with coming to grips with his undeniable chemistry with Bacall. But after several months of internal debate, he finally left Methot. As we already mentioned, just 11 days later, he and Bacall walked down the aisle together and tied the knot; This is at a small ceremony surrounded by their closest friends at a farm in Ohio.
When Bogart saw his bride walk down the aisle, he reportedly greeted her by saying ‘Hello, baby”, to which Bacall replied by saying, “Oh, goody’. Humphrey evidently even cried as the two exchanged their vows.
Bogart would later admit that he was at first reluctant to marry Bacall but apparently, she was persistent in expressing her desires and eventually, he gave into her wishes. In 2011, Bacall told Vanity Fair that from the very beginning of their relationship Bogart had told her that he loved her and that he would do everything to help her but flatly refused to marry her.
Bogart wanted a wife that would be by his side, and that’s what Bacall wanted as well. They also both desired children, especially since Bacall hadn’t any of her own at that point. That’s why she was so persistent. She knew that she would be a happy and loving wife if she could convince Bogart to marry her. Fortunately, her pushiness eventually paid off.
Even after having two children together, they were still Hollywood stars before they were spouses and parents, and everyone in their orbit, from film executives to their fans, assumed that something would eventually go wrong. But they proved everyone wrong, and although their marriage was Bogart’s fourth, it ended up being his happiest one.
Bacall did give up many opportunities to raise her family, but she didn’t mind trading Hollywood for these more conventional and traditional values. She told the Guardian in 2005 that she never regretted her decision to take a step away from Hollywood to focus on Bogart and her children because those were the things that gave her life substance.
That about wraps up this video, but now it’s your turn to let your voice be heard. What do you think about Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart’s romance? Do you think they were a match made in heaven or do you think that Bacall made a mistake by trading her film career for a more domestic life with the star who’s 25 years her senior? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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