Classic Beauties: Lauren Bacall

 

Biography

A 17-year old 'Betty' on the cover of Harper's Bazaar

Lauren Bacall, born Betty Joan Perske in 1924, is one of the leading ladies of the Film Noir era. When she was just 19 she landed her first movie role after being spotted on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar by the wife of the director Howard Hawk. Howard Hawk’s wife Nancy took her under her wing and Lauren was learned elegance, manners, taste, how to dress stylishly but most importantly to speak in a lower voice. And that (her voice) is what eventually got her the part in ‘To Have and Have Not’.

Bacall & Bogart in 'To Have and Have Not'

Howard Hawk signed her for 7 years and started to manage her career, it was he who made her change her name into Lauren, Bacall was the last name of her mother which she had taken on earlier in life. In that movie she starred opposite the great Humphrey Bogart and not only a star was born, but a relationship as well. Lauren married Humphrey Bogart  at 20, even though he was 25 years older. She had two children with him, but sadly her fairytale-marriage ended when Bogart died of cancer. Together they had starred in many crime thrillers, but Lauren has also done comedies, one in which she starred with another leading lady of that time: Marilyn Monroe.

Lauren Bacall & Frank Sinatra

After Bogart’s dead she was shortly engaged to Frank Sinatra, but later on in life married another actor Bonar. She had her third child with him and their marriage ended 8 years later due to his alcoholism.

Lauren & Marilyn in 'How to Marry a Millionare'

In her career of almost 80 years she starred in more than 70 titles, movies but also tv-movies,  -series and plays. She has also written several books during her life.  She had been described as difficult, since she often turned down roles but she chose wisely most of the time. She was very often critically acclaimed for her work not just in movies but also for her work on Broadway. Though she was only nominated for an Oscar once, she is named one of the best 25 actresses of the 20^th century by the American Film Institute. 

Lauren posing with the Honorary Oscar

Nonetheless she received an Honorary Award for her entire career eventually and also won 2 Tony’s among many other prices. In 2006 she received the Katharine Hepburn Medal, which recognizes strong woman recognizes women whose lives, work and contributions embody the intelligence, drive and independence of the four-time-Oscar-winning actress. Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall had been good friends since they met during the filming of ‘The African Queen’.

Lauren Bacall is the only one left alive from the people named in the Madonna song ‘Vogue’. She is 87 years.

Beauty Trademarks

“The Look”

"The Look"

 "I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie. That was the beginning of The Look”- Lauren Bacall

The look did not only became her trademark, but also one of her nicknames.

Her voice

When Lauren first auditioned before Howard Hawk he found her voice to be too high. Lauren then was learned to speak lower and the result was a deep, husky, masculine voice. The second time she immediately got the part. Her voice enabled her to deliver a line like no other, but also contributed greatly to her sex appeal. 

 

Lauren Bacall singing 'How Little We Know' in 'To Have and Have Not'

Her looks

Her brows were always arched with amazing precision. Lauren embodied the saying that when something works for you you should stick with it and she absolutely did when it came to her side-swept hair with large waves.  Mentionable is also her extra-ordinary flawless skin.  But this beautiful woman was still insecure when it came to one thing and that were her feet, she stated that she even had big feet for a woman of her length. She was 5 feet 8 tall, which may not seem like a big deal now but it was then. 

Her personality

Some quotes are in order here I think:

Personal quotes

When she received her honorary Oscar: “A man at last!”

“I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.”

“I never believed marriage was a lasting institution . . . I thought that to be married for five years was to be married forever.”

“I was Betty Bacall always. And Lauren was Howard Hawks... he felt that Lauren Bacall was better sounding than Betty Bacall. He had a vision of his own. He was a Svengali. He wanted to mold me. He wanted to control me. And he did until Mr. Bogart got involved.”

When talking about Frank Sinatra: “Well, his attention span was not long, shall we say.” 

In an interview with Larry King (2005)

BACALL: "I'm a total Democrat. I'm anti-Republican. And it's only fair that you know it. Even though..."

KING: "Wait a minute. Are you a liberal?"

BACALL: "I'm a liberal. The "L" word!"

KING: "Egads!"

I love it. Being a liberal is the best thing on earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind... I'm total, total, total liberal and proud of it. And I think it's outrageous to say "The L word". I mean, excuse me. They should be damn lucky that they were liberals here. Liberals gave more to the population of the United States than any other group.

And a quote about her by James Agee

 “Lauren Bacall has cinema personality to burn. She has a javelin-like vitality, a born dancer’s eloquence of movement, a fierce female shrewdness, and a special sweet-sourness. With these faculties, plus a stone-crushing self-confidence and a trombone voice, she manages to get across the toughest girl Hollywood has dreamed of in a long, long while.”

 

An interview with Bacall & Bogart from 1954 Part 1

Part 2