Goodbye Lauren Bacall

 



 She was soft, she was sassy and she was one tough dame.  Today we say farewell to Lauren Bacall who had a magnificent career, a legendary marriage and one who was a good friend to many.  She shot to stardom with To Have and Have Not as a nineteen year old.  She married her leading man, Humphrey Bogart.  On screen she was marvelous, she could quip a sassy line with the best of them.  She slinked around like a panther on the prowl, it's no wonder men followed her.  She was a beauty. 

 

One of my favorite performances is in How to Marry a Millionaire as one of a fine trio of gold digging models out to snag rich husbands.  Bacall had the reputation for being tough, demanding and hard to work with on stage.  This candid with Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe says alot to me about how she was as a colleague. 

 

I also love her in Dark Passage.  She's vulnerable and kind and quiet strong.  That she comes off so well against the high wired, tightly bound Agnes Moorehead as Madge Rapf is quite a feat.  (I ADORE Moorehead in this film). 

 

She had style and such elan.  Her films with husband Humphrey Bogart are marvelous, they played off one another beautifully on screen, and off.  She was good for Bogart, settled him down and provided him with a home and children.  She could do comedy, drama, and kinda sing.

When she was touring in Woman of the Year in San Francisco, she and her entourage came swanning in to Tower Records in North Beach late one night.  We closed a midnight, and still the Woman of the Year browsed around with her yes men in tow.  Our closing manager finally had enough as the time past midnight dragged on.  He got in the PA and shouted "Allright Miss Woman of Year, if you're not going to buy anything, it's past closing time. Time to go!"  Bacall and her entourage swanned out and drove off toward Nob Hill in their limo.  I presume for drinks someplace swanky with Herb Caen.

She was an icon of her age, but, she was also entirely modern and in the present. She had a great run and left a couple of books and a lot of terrific films to remember her by. So long Betty and thanks.