Entertainment
The Hollywood power couple whose chemistry combusted off-screen | Books | Entertainment
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart at a party, 1951 (Image: Getty)
Squinting through narrowed eyes beneath a fedora, a cigarette hanging from his thin lips, his world-weary expression forged by hard liquor and hard-bitten women in smoke-filled bars, Humphrey Bogart was Hollywood’s iconic tough guy.
In classic movies from The Maltese Falcon to Casablanca, and The Big Sleep to The African Queen, he embodied the tough, cynical American who men wanted to emulate and women found irresistible. So when his beautiful 19-year-old co-star Lauren Bacall fell in love with the 45-year-old Bogart while filming To Have and Have Not, in 1944, they became a power couple in one of Hollywood’s most legendary marriages.
Yet it was all a facade, reveals a new biography, Bogie & Bacall.
“Bogart and Bacall were both riddled with insecurities,” says author William J Mann. “Scarred by a loveless childhood, he had a self-destructive streak that tore through three broken marriages before he found her.
“Bacall never got over being abandoned by her father when she was nine years old, struggled financially, and though she denied it to her dying day, was looking for a father figure when she found Bogie.”
It was one of Hollywood’s most fabled romances, yet tragically short-lived: Bogart died of oesophageal cancer in 1957, aged 57, when Bacall was just 32 years old. The duo had starred together in four films and produced two children.
Their screen debut together in To Have and Have Not proved to be movie magic. Forever after, they called one another by their characters’ names: Steve and Slim.
“It’s one of the rare times we saw two people fall in love on screen,” says Mann. “The chemistry between them combusted.”
In one famous scene, Bacall is leaving Bogart when she turns to say that if he needs anything he should just whistle for her.
“You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve?” she asks seductively. “You just put your lips together and blow.”
Says Mann: “It was such a sensual scene. But Bogart struggled with his feelings for Bacall. He couldn’t deny the attraction, but didn’t want to end his volatile third marriage, and was afraid his wife, actress Mayo Methot, might take her own life.”
Yet Bogart could not resist Bacall’s husky-voiced allure.
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in a scene from ‘Dark Passage’ (Image: Getty)
He stole a kiss in her dressing room, sparking an affair that doomed his marriage. But it was a romantic, vulnerable and insecure Bogart – very different from his screen persona.
“Hollywood made Bogart appear cynical, ruthless, hard-bitten, anti-romantic and unsentimental,” says Mann. “But far from being a street thug, he was the son of a wealthy doctor; he never played truant or was in trouble with the police.”
Behind his street-hardened image Bogart was a very different man.
“He felt unloved and undervalued since birth,” says the author. “His parents were both addicted to morphine, and his mother was a workaholic, and they never hugged or kissed their son, or showed him any affection. He failed at school, failed at every job he tried, and grew up insecure. Bogart struggled with self-worth all his life.
“He struggled in relationships, scared of marrying a woman who might put her own career first. His first three wives – actresses Helen Menken, Mary Philips and Methot – all took second billing to him in their lives. He was sexist and misogynistic. He spent his life searching for his mother’s love: that’s what he wanted from his wives.”
Bogart was Hollywood’s highest-paid actor after his famous 1944 hit Casablanca, and with Bacall he made four classics: To Have and Have Not that same year, The Big Sleep in 1946, Dark Passage in 1947, and 1948’s Key Largo.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall with their children (Image: Getty)
Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske, and was discovered by director Howard Hawks after modelling for a magazine cover. He changed her name to Lauren Bacall, which she loathed.
Bogart lovingly called her “Betty”.
“Bacall was madly in love with Bogart, the father figure she’d never had,” says Mann.
“She’d had a troubled childhood, with an abusive father who left when she was nine. Her family warned her not to marry a thrice-divorced alcoholic 25 years her senior who was drinking, smoking and coughing all the time, but she married him anyway.”
When Bacall got pregnant, Bogart was furious.
“He needed his wives to mother him,” says Mann. “He saw a baby as his rival for Bacall’s affections. And he wasn’t a good father: he starved his son, Stephen, of affection, just as he had been emotionally deprived as a child.”
Despite their passion, Bogart and Bacall were far from faithful to each other.
He had a long-running affair with his hairdresser, Verita ‘Pete’ Peterson Thompson, the woman entrusted with Bogart’s full-frontal toupée. Bacall also had her head turned, by Frank Sinatra and by the charismatic American politician Adlai Stevenson – another father figure – who unsuccessfully ran for the presidency in 1952 and 1956.
Bacall devotedly followed Stevenson across the US as he campaigned.
“From her letters and memoirs, it seems quite likely they had a sexual relationship,” says Mann. “Stevenson entranced her and awakened an intellectual side of her. Then she grew very close with Sinatra, but I don’t believe they became lovers until after Bogart died.
“But just because Bogart and Bacall both took lovers doesn’t mean that they weren’t fully in love with each other.”
Bogart did not age well alongside his young bride.
“He was never going to be a good-looking leading man alongside Clark Gable or Cary Grant, but years of alcohol and cigarettes took their toll, and at 50 he looked 65, with a persistent cough.”
He was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer but his doctor never told Bogart he was dying until he had just weeks left.
“Bacall became Bogart’s loving and loyal nursemaid, sleeping beside him in his sickbed, making sure he was comfortable,” says Mann.
“His death wasn’t unexpected, but still left Bacall devastated. Worse, she found herself abandoned by Hollywood and her friends. When Sinatra arrived to comfort her, she welcomed the romance.”
Bacall and Sinatra became lovers, and one night he proposed marriage.
“Bacall instantly leaked the news to the press, and Sinatra was horrified,” Mann adds. “He felt he was being trapped into marriage, so he abruptly ended the engagement. He treated her appallingly.”
Bacall struggled to survive in Hollywood without Bogart, turning to Broadway where she found success, yet still felt she was only valued for being Bogart’s widow.
“She lived with a sense of being an imposter, unworthy of what she’d been given,” says Mann. “She never fully believed she had earned the world’s acclaim, and was often consumed with contempt and resentment for others. She couldn’t understand why she never received an Oscar nomination, or why she was not offered the roles that went to other actresses. She felt like she was seen as half of Bogie & Bacall, and without him felt like a fraud.”
Bacall went on to marry actor Jason Robards, but never stopped loving Bogart, protecting his memory in her hagiographic memoirs.
“The real Bogart was gentler, more romantic, and yearned for affection more than the Bogart of Hollywood myth,” says the author. “With Bacall, for a few brief years, he found that love.”
Bogart’s ashes were interred at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.
In his funeral urn was a small gold whistle from the charm bracelet he had given Bacall before their wedding – a nod to perhaps their most famous scene.
Fifty-seven years later, Bacall’s ashes were laid to rest alongside him.
- Bogie & Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood’s Greatest Love Affair by William J Mann (HarperCollins, £35) is published on August 3. For free UK P&P, visit expressbookshop.com or call 020 3176 3832
Entertainment
Fortnite down – Server maintenance start time and matchmaking for update 35.10 | Gaming | Entertainment
Fortnite developer Epic Games is about to add new content to the game, although it’s not all good news.
According to Epic Games, Fortnite update 35.10 is coming to PS5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Android on May 16. It adds new Star Wars content as part of the Galactic Battle event.
Unfortunately, however, the good news ends there, because the new content won’t be available until server maintenance comes to an end.
Fortnite will be taken offline at 9am BST UK time, while matchmaking is disabled shortly beforehand.
READ MORE: Fortnite update 35.10 release date, maintenance time, Chewbacca, General Grievous, more
The news was announced by Epic Games on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a confirmation of the server downtime.
“Insert Wookiee growl,” reads a Fortnite post. “Downtime for v35.10 begins at 4 AM ET with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand.”
For UK fans, this means that Fortnite will be taken offline in full at 9am BST, while matchmaking will be disabled at 8.30am UK time.
Epic hasn’t revealed exactly when downtime will come to an end, but maintenance typically lasts for 2-3 hours.
This means Fortnite and all companion game modes should be back online from 11am BST UK time at the earliest.
Daily Express will update this article with all the latest developments, so keep checking back for confirmation about the Fortnite server maintenance.
The new update will add new Star Wars material to the game, including Wookies like Chewbaca and his Bowcaster.
“Chewbacca’s ETA is May 15, and he’s bringing his Wookiee Bowcaster to the loot pool to aid the rebels,” Epic continues. “You’ll also find the powerful CA-87 Jawa Scatter Blaster in Chests around the Island — new to Fortnite!”
Elsewhere, General Grievous should be available to unlock from the Battle Pass.
Needless to say, new skins will also join the item shop, including a new Mandalorian variant.
Entertainment
Elvis Presley’s facelifts, webbed toes and dyed hair details disclosed by family | Music | Entertainment
It’s not uncommon for celebrities to have plastic surgery, but did you know that Elvis Presley, who would have been 90 this year, had work done?
Fans may consider The King to have been naturally handsome enough but that didn’t stop him. Those who knew him personally in his private life have opened up on the incredible truth.
Danny Smith, who grew up at Graceland and is the son of The King’s cousin Billy, previously said on his YouTube channel Memphis Mafia Kid: “Elvis had…I guess you could say facelift procedure done to his face and his eyes. I was talking to Mom and Dad about this the other night and verified it. And that actually he had [it] done in Memphis and they actually went with him. So he did have a few things done. I mean, in my opinion, I don’t see how something that is almost perfect needs to be messed with. He didn’t need anything in my opinion.”
Danny’s father Billy, the last surviving original Memphis Mafia member said previously of The King’s facelifts: “He thought it made him look better and that he needed it. Elvis always tried to improve his looks.” The star’s cousin shared how the music icon had caps on his teeth installed and moles removed. And it turns out he had had at least two facelifts; one in 1957 and the other in 1975.
On the first facelift in 1957, Billy said: “To me, it wasn’t a facelift. Elvis did not like the flare in his nose at that time, how wide it was. So he decided to have it trimmed down and that’s what they did…which made him look…god! I don’t know how you can look any better, but he did.”
As for Elvis dying his hair jet black, he added: “The reason being someone told him his eyes were so blue and all that, [so] if he had dark hair it would make his eyes stand out.” This was confirmed by The King’s ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson, who lived with him at Graceland from 1972-6.
Speaking previously with Reel Talker, Linda said: “[He would use] hair spray and hair dye. He was more a natural blonde, a dirty blonde. He died his hair black for drama.” As for the rumour about webbed toes, she admitted: “He had twin toes, which meant that his second toe from the big toe and the third toe were conjoined up to what would be the knuckle. And I used to tease him a lot about having webbed toes! So he had twin toes. That’s something most people don’t know.”
Entertainment
Top 10 directors of all time and Steven Spielberg doesn’t make the cut | Films | Entertainment
With so many incredible directors out there, it’s hard to pick a favourite. There are your living legends Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, directors with a specific style or genre like Tim Burton and Wes Anderson and then blockbuster directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino.
Female directors are accounting for some of the most successful and creative films in the industry. Greta Gerwig who turned from acting to directing, is making waves with her features including Barbie, Ladybird and Little Women. Sofia Coppola is also an iconic director who started out in acting, with works including Lost in Translation, Priscilla and The Virgin Suicides. Forbes has listed its greatest directors of all time – has your favourite made the list? Here are the top 10 directors of all time as selected by Forbes.
10. Chantal Akerman
Best known for her films Jeanne Dielman, News from Home (1976) and Je Tu Il Elle (1974), Belgian Feminist avant-garde filmmaker Chantal Akerman has been helmed as a “directors’ director” due to her influence on cinema. She is responsible not only for films but also art exhibitions, various documentaries and also short films. She topped the BFIs Sight and Sound list in 2022 for her film Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.
9. Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini was nominated for 17 Oscars and won a record four in the Best Foreign Language Film category. He is best known for works including La Dolce Vita (1960), 8½ (1963) and Roma (1972). Prior to his 50-year career Fellini dropped out of law school and began working in radio. He later became involved with the neorealist Italian film movement, but is best known for his art films that followed this era.
8. Satyajit Ray
Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray is widely known for The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), The Music Room (1958) and the Goopy–Bagha trilogy. Hiswork had also been inspired bythe Italian neorealist movement but he crafted a style of his own through his use of traditional Indian music, meticulous editing and using actors from a diverse range of backgrounds. Francis Ford Coppola and Christopher Nolan have cited Ray as an influence to their work.
7. Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick is a renowned filmmaker with a huge legacy including A Clockwork Orange (1971), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He was notorious forbeing difficult to work with as a director. Kubrick won very few awards for his work but was nominated for 13 Oscars. However, despite this, he has inspired many directors to follow suit in his directing style, especially when it comes to camerawork and framing.
6. Wong Kar-wai
Hong Kong-based filmmaker Wong Kar-wai is best known for films is best known for his films Chungking Express (1994), Happy Together (1997) and In the Mood for Love (2000), but he got his start in TV. He has influenced many other directors including Quentin Tarantino, and this was due to his tendancy to create often feature broken narrative structures, use of bold saturation, pop music and step-printing, a process which alters film rates.
5. Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock has been labelled as the “Master of Suspense” and directed mroe than 50 films in his decades-long career. His legacy is however largely tainted due to his treatment of female leads. He is best known for Rebecca (1940), which earned him his first of five Academy Award nominations for Best Director, alongside Suspicion (1941) and Dial M for Murder (1954).
4. Jean-Luc Godard
The Swiss-born director Jean-Luc Godard was a pillar of French New Wave cinema. His filmography includes Breathless (1960), Contempt (1963) and Masculin Féminin (1966). He was famous for giving his actors free reign to explore their performances and was known to begin filming with unfinished scripts. Godard liked to play with narrative, continuity, sound and camerawork in many of his works especially jump cuts.
3. Frank Capra
Frank Capra’s films largely captured the idealism of what America could be in the 1930s and 1940s. He began working in silent comedies but his best known works include You Can’t Take It with You (1938), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). He emigrating to America from Sicily at five years old and went on to win five Oscars and earn lifetime achievement awards from the American Film Institute and the Directors Guild of America in his career.
2. Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder started his career writing scripts in Germany. Austrian born, many of Wilder’s family members were killed by the Nazis. After he left Germany in the 1930s, Wilder has cemeted himself as one of Hollywood‘s greats by the 1940s. Someof his most well-known works include Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954) and Some Like It Hot (1959). He was nominated for 21 Oscars, and won six, including two for Best Director.
1. Akira Kurosawa
Most famous for Seven Samurai, across a 60-year career Kurosawa worked across genres on books, TV and theatre as well. As well as classic samurai fare, he gainged recognition for noirish dramas like Drunken Angel (1948), period pieces like Rashomon (1950) and riveting crime flicks like High and Low (1963). He helped to popularise Japanese films in the West and many other notable directors described him favourably. Kurosawa started working for Photo Chemical Laboratories (which later became Japan’s Toho Studios) in 1936 at the age of 25.
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