Despite their two-decade age difference, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart made up one of the most famous couples of Hollywood’s Golden Age. This relationship sadly came to an end as a result of Humphrey’s death from throat cancer. As Humphrey was passing away, one of the actor’s longtime friends swooped in and stole Lauren away from him. This friend was Frank Sinatra, though his and Lauren’s relationship ended poorly. Join Facts Verse as we explore how Lauren Bacall wished that Frank Sinatra just spit in her face.
Lauren Bacall Met Humphrey Bogart When She Was 19
When Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were paired up together to star in the film To Have and Have Not, few could’ve predicted just show much the two starts would hit it off. Lauren Bacall wasn’t even 20 years old yet, while Humphrey was in his 40s. Despite this massive age difference, the two ended up falling in love. The romance between Lauren and Humphrey was much more than just a casual Hollywood hookup. Lauren and Humphrey tied the knot in 1945, and they would remain married until Humphrey Bogart’s death from throat cancer in 1957.
Throughout the vast majority of Lauren and Humphrey’s marriage, the two were head over heels in love. They had two kids over the course of their marriage, and likely would’ve stayed together for many more years if it weren’t for Humphrey’s tragic and untimely death. To Have and Have Not was Lauren’s very first film, while Humphrey was one of the biggest movie stars in the world thanks to his appearance in the classic 1942 film Casablanca.
At the time of Humphrey Bogart’s death, the actor was 57 and his wife was 32. Lauren Bacall was incredibly shaken up about losing her husband, but she thankfully had a mutual friend to help her through the tough time. That friend was Frank Sinatra, who was one of the married couple’s closest confidantes. While Frank had been close to Lauren while she was married to Humphrey, the two started up a romance after Humphrey’s death. This romance with Frank certainly helped Lauren overcome the trauma of losing her first husband, but Lauren and Frank’s relationship ended poorly.
Lauren and Frank’s Relationship Ended Poorly
As a result of the way that her and Frank Sinatra’s relationship ended, Lauren Bacall carried a grudge against the crooner for the rest of her life. Lauren didn’t mince words when tearing into Frank in her memoir, referring to the beloved crooner with a four-letter word. Lauren had turned to Frank during one of the worst times of her life. According to Lauren, Humphrey’s passing made her feel like a large part of herself was missing. The actress feared that she might never feel complete again. Frank Sinatra helped her feel like herself again, and then went on to make things even worse.
Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra’s relationship started out casual, but became more and more serious over the course of the time that the two were romantically involved. It got to the point where the two seriously considered tying the knot, but things ended up souring between the two before this became a reality. According to Lauren, Frank Sinatra made her feel like she was the perfect woman for the crooner. However, it seems that Frank Sinatra may have been playing the actress, and their relationship didn’t last all that long.
Lauren has shared that Frank Sinatra would shower her with ridiculous amounts of affection one day, and then go on to completely ignore her the next. Lauren grew to hate this pattern of behavior from Frank, though it wasn’t Lauren who made the decision to put their relationship to an end. Instead, it was Frank Sinatra who made the decision to end his and Lauren’s relationship. He did so immediately after proposing to the actress, which added insult to injury.
Frank Made Lauren Let Her Guard Down
Lauren’s relationship with Humphrey Bogart had been very stable up until Humphrey’s passing. The actress had spent the majority of her adult life with the actor, and claimed that she wasn’t prepared for the childish behavior that Frank Sinatra would exhibit after Humphrey’s death. Lauren has shared that she never felt that she knew where she stood with Frank, which is possibly what the crooner wanted.
Though Lauren had her reservations about her relationship with Frank Sinatra, the actress clamed that all of her guards went down as soon as the crooner proposed marriage. Frank’s proposal made Lauren feel that she truly had a future with the crooner, though this would turn out to be wishful thinking. Not long after Lauren accepted to proposal, Frank Sinatra would break off all contact with the actress and not talk to her again for a period of several years. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
The Night Frank Proposed to Lauren
Frank Sinatra was said to have proposed to Lauren Bacall one night while the couple were dining with talent agent Swifty Lazar. After Lauren accepted the proposal, a fan came up to the table and asked for the actress’s autograph. Frank pleaded with Lauren to sign the autograph with his last name, which Lauren did. Following the dinner, Frank and Lauren parted ways for the time being. Little did Lauren know that this would be the end of their relationship.
Lauren was incredibly excited about the fact that she had just become engaged to Frank Sinatra, and she was looking to share the news with the world. After the dinner during which the two stars got engaged, Frank went off to perform a show in Las Vegas while Lauren went off to do her own work with Swifty Lazar. While with Swifty, Lauren was approached by a journalist. The journalist brought up Lauren’s relationship with Frank Sinatra, and Lauren shared the news!
Lauren Bacall didn’t think that she was doing anything wrong when she shared the news that she and Frank Sinatra had become engaged. However, when the news spread of the engagement, Frank Sinatra became furious. He called up Lauren on the phone, and told her that the two of them were going to have to spend some time apart so as to avoid the media frenzy that was going to ensure as a result of the news. This would be the last that Lauren would hear from Frank for many years, and their romance was done.
Frank Sinatra’s Childish Behavior
Lauren Bacall had initially taken Frank’s insistence at face value, believing that the two of them would spend some time apart and then resume their plans for marriage in the near future. However, it seems that Frank Sinatra was never interested in returning to the relationship once he got away. Though Frank had proposed Lauren during the final night that the two had spent together, it’s debatable whether or not the crooner ever intended to go through with the plans.
Not all that long after Lauren Bacall received that last phone call from Frank Sinatra, the two of them ended up being seated fairly close to one another at a dinner party. This occurred by mere coincidence, as the two had contact each other since the phone call. Lauren was nervous about being sat next to Frank. The actress tried to get the crooner’s attention, but he ended up ignoring her completely.
Lauren Bacall was initially very angry about Frank Sinatra’s childish behavior during their relationship. At the end of the day, Lauren simply felt like a fool that she had ever allowed herself to believe that she had a future with the childish crooner. According to her, there was no way that her and Frank’s marriage would’ve ever worked. Still, Lauren couldn’t help herself from falling for Frank during their short-lived romance, and a big part of this was the fact that she was so devastated over the loss of her first husband.
When Did Lauren and Frank’s Romance Really Start?
It’s common knowledge that Frank Sinatra was a close friend of both Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart during the time that the latter two figures were married. It’s also relatively common knowledge that Lauren and Frank became romantically involved after Humphrey’s death. However, what’s less well-known is the theory that Lauren and Frank actually became romantically involved while Humphrey was still alive. There is some evidence that suggests that Lauren and Frank’s relationship actually started out as an extramarital affair while Humphrey was on his deathbed.
Numerous people that were close to Lauren, Humphrey, and Frank have suggested that Lauren and Frank were romantically involved before Humphrey’s passing. There was a significant period of time where Humphrey Bogart was essentially bedridden as a result of his worsening cancer. During this time, Lauren and Frank reportedly started up their romance. If this is true, it sheds some negative light on both Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra. Frank was a friend of Humphrey’s before he was a friend of Lauren’s, and the crooner should’ve had more respect for the late film star. Meanwhile, Lauren likely should’ve waited until the passing of her children’s father before moving on with Frank.
When all is said and done, it seems that the romance between Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra wasn’t all that serious, and merely represent two adult children playing games with each other to pass the time. Lauren Bacall would go on to remarry for year, with the actress’s second husband being another actor. This time, the actor was Jason Robards. Lauren married Jason in 1961, and then the two divorced in 1969. Lauren remained unmarried for the rest of her life. She passed way in 2014, at the age of 69. Frank Sinatra had been married twice before proposing to Lauren, and married two more times afterward. He passed away in 1998.
Though Lauren Bacall allowed herself to be seduced by Frank Sinatra, she claimed before her death that there was no way that the two ever could have made things work in the long run. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Lauren Bacall allegedly cheated on Humphrey Bogart with Frank Sinatra, and that Frank Sinatra went on to break the actress’s heart? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
