Humphrey Bogart: Heroic, on screen and off

gulf news ^ | 03.11.11

[Perdogg]

No other star of Hollywood's golden age continues to hold audiences in quite the way that Humphrey Bogart does. The American Film Institute voted him the greatest male star of all time and his influence as cultural icon and representative of a certain distinctively American masculinity and noir cool is greater now than ever, half a century after his death. He has not lacked for able biographers — there appear to be about 40, including the definitive 1997 volume by A.M. Sperber and Eric Lax

[Finny]

Compairing Bogart with the so called “stars” of today are a joke.

I deg to biffer! Our generation has some great stars. Harrison Ford is one I consider to be my generation's Bogie.

[Liz]

In the March 1948 issue of Photoplay, Bogart wrote an article "I'm No Communist" in which he claims that he and other members of the Committee for the First Amendment did not realize some of the Hollywood Ten really were Communists.

BACKSTORY Hollywood is still trying to spin the HUAC hearings. The fact is Hollywood Commies disgraced Hollywood when they testified before the HUAC.

Even Bogart, who flew to DC to defend the Hollyweird 10, as the leader of numerous stars, was forced to issue a statement---saying he was duped into going.

REFERENCE The Committee for the First Amendment was an action group formed in September 1947 by actors in support of the Hollywood Ten during the hearings of the House Unamerican Activities Committee.

The Committee for the First Amendment was founded by screenwriter Philip Dunne, actress Myrna Loy, and film directors John Huston and William Wyler.

Other members included Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Henry Fonda, Gene Kelly, John Garfield, Edward G. Robinson, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Paul Henreid, Dorothy Dandridge, Jane Wyatt, Ira Gershwin, Billy Wilder, Sterling Hayden, June Havoc, Evelyn Keyes, Marsha Hunt, Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Danny Kaye, Lena Horne, Robert Ryan, and Frank Sinatra.

On October 27, 1947, the group flew to Washington, D.C. to protest HUAC hearings. Their involvement was ineffective, and membership in this group came to be regarded with suspicion. Ira Gershwin, for one, was called before the California anti-Communist Tenney Committee and asked to explain his participation.

Bogart, Garfield, and Robinson later wrote articles stating that they were "duped" into supporting the Hollywood Ten (both Garfield and Robinson were later blacklisted).

[steelyourfaith]

[JoeProBono]

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

[Lazlo in PA]

Compairing Bogart with the so called “stars” of today are a joke. Let’s see, who is out there that can come close?

You couldn't be more off base here. Have you forgotten this guy?

Here Penn is in a remake of the African Queen

[jmacusa]

“Petrified Forest’’, Bogey as the sinister killer “Duke Mantee’’

[ReverendJames]

Trivia thing. Bogart got his lisp and lip scar when he hit his face on part of the console of the ship he was steering. He was in a convoy during WWI when a torpedo hit his ship. He got knocked forward and hit his mouth on a part of the console that the wheel was attached.

[Finny]

Thanks -- but we've owned a copy for years! GLAD to see you back on FR, by the way.

As great as the movie is, the book (by Herman Wouk) is even better; reading it points out how really remarkably fabulous the movie is. Casting Fred MacMurry as "the real author of the Caine Mutiny" was sheer brilliance. And Jose Ferrer ("If you want to do something about it, I'll be outside. I'm a lot drunker than you are, so it ought to be a fair fight,") was also incredibly well-cast.

Great book, great movie.

[jmacusa]

Kate Hepburn. Never understood the appeal of this rail-thin reedy New England WASP.

[dljordan]

“Here Penn is in a remake of the African Queen”

That’s too funny!

[Desdemona]

Definitely one of my favorites.

[Ronald_Magnus]

"Nobody puts one over on Fred C. Dobbs."

[JoeProBono]

;-{)

[GOPsterinMA]

The Thomas Crown Affair is one of my favorite 25-ish flicks of all time.

Steve's still the man.

[Vaquero]

Don’t get me wrong, I love Bogey....but like most of hollyweird, he was a LEFTY and not a closet lefty either...

[Finny]

Yep, a great movie. So is “Bullitt.” Robert Vaughan was SUCH a great asshat!

[Frantzie]

Steve had a pretty rough choldhood and always a rebel. He constantly locked horns with Hollywood like Clint. McQueen was a man’s man who loved to race.

Frank Sinatra was not a nice man in my book but he helped Steve in the film Never So Few when Frank saw real talent in Steve. This was his real big break. John Sturges directed that film and after that cast Steve in The Magnif 7. Steve stole the lead over Brenner in that film. This followed The Great Escape.

Steve was great in Sand Pebbles.

[xp38]

Also during the era Bogart worked Clark Gable was the biggest male star.

[GOPsterinMA]

I agree. I like Robert Vaughn even though he is a lib, he’s one of the few I (knowingly) like watching.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

Bogart the Legend