Lauren Bacall | Hollywood Yesterday

BOTD in 1924, the Wonderful Lauren Bacall

September 16, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in New York City. Little did anyone know the legendary actress Betty Joan would one day become!

While I love all of Lauren Bacall’s movies (she has a very rich filmography… as rich and distinctive as her voice), my favorites are Key Largo, Dark Passage, The Big Sleep, How to Marry a Millionaire, and To Have and Have Not.

When Humphrey Bogart was on the screen, there was magic. When Lauren Bacall was on the screen, there was magic. When they were on the screen together…. the word hasn’t been invented for the magic they generated together.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Key Largo

Hollywood in Kodachrome: A Book You MUST Have if You Love Old Hollywood

August 10, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Hollywood in Kodachrome

I believe I’ve mentioned on the Old Hollywood blog (as well as on my Old Hollywood Twitter page) just how cruel July treated me. Obviously, I’m in the same quarantine boat with everyone else as this global pandemic tragically carries on. However, July gave me a few more blows. My MUCH loved 17 year old cat died in my arms (gut-wrenching to say the least), and then the next day (while cooking and crying… not a good mix), I badly burned my arm and chest with hamburger grease.

Talk about pain! The emotional and physical pain sort of battled it out to see which one would bring me down first. Naturally, this lasted for weeks… long, long weeks.

My daughter Brittany bought me a book (the gorgeous one you see here, Hollywood in Kodachrome by David Wills) to lift my spirits. The fact that she DID it lifted them sky high (I swear, I have the sweetest family – I thank God for them every single day). Each time I look at the book – which sits out, prominently, because it’s such a work of art, I think about Brittany and smile.

(Review Continued Below….)

Judy Garland and Lena Horne

I’ve been anxious to tell y’all about Hollywood in Kodachrome (link to the book on Amazon) because it’s one I know you’ll love as much as I do. I look through it so often and, each time, notice something about a photograph or star I hadn’t noticed before.

I love to look at the photographs and dissect the colors used, the makeup (when applicable… literally), clothes, props, lighting, etc. Like acting, SO much goes into photography… and yet, when it’s done extraordinarily well, you don’t see the effort… you just see the magic.

This book is one work of magic after the other after the other after the other.

Book Description from Amazon:

Hollywood in Kodachrome is a stunning portfolio of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, captured in rich, deeply saturated color photographs reproduced from original Kodachrome negatives and curated by collector David Wills and designer Stephen Schmidt, the creative team behind Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis and Audrey: The 60s.

From Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Rita Hayworth to Fred Astaire, Humphrey Bogart, and Gregory Peck—and many more—the silver screen’s elite are all here, in the full blush of youth, captured as if they were taken yesterday. But the true star is the medium itself: late-1940s sheet Kodachrome, a film stock that remains legendary for its rich tonal range, precise color, and detail.

Including a foreword by Golden Age star Rhonda Fleming, and featuring more than 200 photos from classic films and publicity shoots, Hollywood in Kodachrome is a magnificent tribute to Hollywood’s most beloved icons, captured at their glamorous best.

There are 329 pages in this extraordinary book – savoring the photos reminds me of walking through my kind of art gallery… one with only photos of Old Hollywood stars!

Some of the stars include:

Maureen O’Hara
Rita Hayworth
Lucille Ball
Lena Horne
Judy Garland
Yvonne DeCarlo (one particular photo that’ll make your jaw drop!)
Humphrey Bogart
Lauren Bacall
Clark Gable
Bette Davis
Frank Sinatra
Errol Flynn
Lana Turner
Elizabeth Taylor
Marilyn Monroe
and just about every star from the 40s you can name… with many featured more than once.

Many of the publicity shots are never-before-seen… something I can attest to and vouch for. I’ve spent my life up to my chin in Old Hollywood photographs and films and there are countless photos in this gorgeous book I’ve never seen before.

I don’t want to post many of the inside photographs, here, for several reasons:

It wouldn’t be fair to the authors, publishers, or photographers. I wouldn’t want people using the photos online without their consent. These professionals work extremely hard and give us so much – I want to always be fair to them. I only use the gorgeous Judy Garland and Lena Horne photos (above) to give you an idea just how big and gloriously beautiful the photos are. I carefully cropped them in a manner where they can’t be used anywhere online and made certain to leave the photographers’ names intact. I also thought these two photos illustrated what I was talking about when it comes to looking at the background colors, clothing, and makeup. Their lipsticks just pop with the colors around them!
I want you to have the same extraordinary experience I did each time I turned the page, wondering who I’d “meet” next! It was unspeakably fun to come across so many unexpected pictures and stars. I want you to experience that for yourself.

(Review Continued Below…)

Hollywood in Kodachrome

I also love the “outtakes” (previously unpublished) of stars in famous ad campaigns (Max Factor, Lipton, Lucky Strike, Lux, Royal Crown Cola…).

I took the picture above to try and give you an idea just how big this magnificent book is – by using one of my coffee mugs and a tumbler as comparison… and yet I’m still not convinced it captures just how big and beautiful this book is!

This is simply a breathtakingly beautiful collection of photographs of the greatest stars the world has ever known. It’s a celebration of their lives, their spark, and their magic.

You can find Hollywood in Kodachrome (link to the book on Amazon) on Amazon. When you click through the link, you’ll notice it is available “used” as well as “new.”

I couldn’t possibly recommend this showcase any more than I do. It not only lifted my spirits when they needed them most, it provides joy on a regular basis.

And Lauren looks so gorgeous sitting out to greet me each time I walk into the room!

Hollywood in Kodachrome (link to the stunning book on Amazon)

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Key Largo

June 1, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Key Largo (1948)

It would be pretty hard to take a cast that includes Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, and Claire Trevor and mess it up. Having said that, director John Huston made a movie even better than the cast, itself, could guarantee. It’s everything you want from a movie – front to back, edge of your seat and eyes on the screen entertainment.

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Key Largo

Humphrey Bogart has always been one of my absolute favorite actors, so I not watch everything he was ever in dozens of times, I read everything I can get my hands on about him. A couple of long-told Hollywood legends involve the times (multiple times) that he wanted Lauren as his co-star instead of the co-stars he was given. Apparently, a couple of times it upset him to the point of not fully accepting his leading lady.

My take on this has always been the same…. of course he wanted Lauren alongside him in his films! Not only was she a very talented actress and a very beautiful one, at that, but he also loved her very much. If I were an actress and my husband an actor, I’d want him to be the exact same way.

That’s just my take on it. Then again, like I said, I’m a huge fan… so he can do very little wrong as far as I’m concerned!

You can find Key Largo (link to the Signature Collection dvd on Amazon) on Amazon or watch it on Amazon Prime.

My Personal Favorite Picture of Lauren Bacall…

April 5, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Lauren Bacall

The beautiful Lauren Bacall always makes a striking picture of the day – especially when it happens to be my personal favorite picture of her. I love this photo to distraction.

Then again, let’s be honest… she couldn’t make a bad photo. Did her facial features define “teamwork” or what?!?

Favorite Lauren Bacall Quotes

September 16, 2017 By Joi Leave a Comment

Today is Betty Joan Perske’s birthday. Of course, you and I know her better as the legendary Lauren Bacall – one of the most talented and beautiful actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Betty Joan was born on September 16, 1924 in New York City – the only child of European Jewish immigrant parents. Her parents divorced when she was five and she never developed a close relationship with her father. Fortunately she had a close relationship with her mom. In fact, she would later take the surname of her mother, but add an l – taking Bacal to Bacall.

Betty initially wanted to be a dancer, but luckily for those of us who LOVE classic movies, her passion switched to acting. Her big break came when the wife of director Howard Hawks saw her photo on a ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ magazine cover. She convinced her husband to give the strikingly beautiful nineteen year old a screen test. Because of a wife’s keen eye, Betty Joan was given a seven-year contract with Warners Bros. She was also given a new first name and the rest is Hollywood history. Lauren Bacall had arrived on the scene.

In 1944, the beautiful 19-year old was cast as Marie “Slim” Browning in To Have and Have Not – a romantic drama based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Her co-star? The one and only Humphrey Bogart!

“You do Know how to whistle“. Slim, To Have and Have Not

The movie was a success and movie-goers fell head over heels in love with Lauren Bacall. They weren’t the only ones! Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall married in 1945 and were together until her beloved husband died in 1957.

The following are a few of Hollywood Yesterday’s favorite Lauren Bacall Quotes.

“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”

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

“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.’

“I am not a has-been. I am a will be.”

“Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

“I wish Frank Sinatra would just shut up and sing.”

“If there was one thing I had never been, it was mysterious, and if there was one thing I had never done, it was not talk.”

“A woman isn’t complete without a man. But where do you find a man… a real man… these days?”

“You can’t start worrying about what’s going to happen. You get spastic enough worrying about what’s happening now.”

“(Katharine Hepburn) was much stronger, much more opinionated than I am or ever was, and it was considered attractive on her. But not on me. I don’t know. Maybe her Bryn Mawr accent was more appealing than mine.”

“I figure if I have my health, can pay the rent and I have my friends, I call it content.”

“In Hollywood, an equitable divorce settlement means each party getting fifty percent of publicity.”

“A man’s illness is his private territory and, no matter how much he loves you and how close you are, you stay an outsider. You are healthy.”

“You can’t always be a leading lady.”

“I fought for that part (Marilla, Designing Woman). I wanted it badly. I took a lower salary, I did everything. Grace Kelly said, ‘I’ll never forgive you for playing that part. It was written for me.’ She got the prince, I got the part.”

“I don’t live in the past, although your past is so much a part of what you are that you can’t ignore it. But I don’t look at scrapbooks. I could show you some, but I’d have to climb ladders, and I can’t climb.”

Lauren Bacall: Ten Fast Facts About the Legendary Beauty

August 15, 2014 By Joi 1 Comment

The ridiculously beautiful and talented Lauren Bacall died Tuesday at the age of 89. On the heels of Robin Williams’ death, this has been a week to remember – and not in a good way.

Hollywood Yesterday was created for this very reason – to keep the stars alive and shining brightly… the way they’re meant to.

Lauren Bacall should always be remembered for more than just her extraordinary beauty. She was as talented as any actress or actor of her time or any other time. She was also exceptionally smart and colorful. She paved the way for actresses to be as strong as they were beautiful – to more or less identify themselves, rather than allowing a studio or “boss” to carve out an identity for them.

10 Facts About Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in New York City. She originally wanted to be a dancer, but decided on acting.
She lived in the same New York apartment building as John Lennon and actually heard the shot that killed him in December, 1980. She told Twiggy in a UK television interview that she assumed the gunshot was a car tire bursting or a vehicle backfiring.
Bacall is from her mother’s maiden name, Bacal. She simply added an extra l.
Those close to her called her by her given name, Betty.
She was an only child.
Katharine Hepburn was a long-time friend of Lauren Bacall’s and is even the godmother of her son, Sam Robards.
She was married to Humphrey Bogart from 1945 to his death in 1957.
Bacall made two movies with John Wayne, Blood Alley (1955) and The Shootist (1976). During production of Blood Alley, her husband (Humphrey Bogart) was dying of throat cancer.
At Humphrey Bogart’s funeral, she put a whistle in his coffin. It was a sweet reference to her famous line to him in their first film together (To Have and Have Not) in 1944: “You know how to whistle, don’t you? You just put your lips together and blow.”.
Along with Veronica Lake, Julie London, and Rita Hayworth, Bacall was one of the four inspirations that helped shape the Jessica Rabbit character.