“When your head says one thing and your whole life says another, your head always loses.”
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in KEY LARGO screens at Webster University Tuesday February 26th. The screening will be at 9:00 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE. This is the third of four This is the final film in the Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall collaborations screening at Webster in February.
Humphrey Bogart stars as retired Army Major Frank McCloud, a drifter who has traveled to Key Largo in southern Florida for a new life path and stops on the way to give condolences to the father, James Temple (Barrymore, It’s a Wonderful Life), and his widow, Nora (Bacall), of a friend who died during the Second World War. Temple runs a hotel on the island, though he is greeted most inhospitably by the hotel’s only residents, a gangster named Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson)and his entourage of thugs, plus his aging alcoholic girlfriend, Gaye Dawn (Claire Trevor).
Though he doesn’t exactly like the company, McCloud decides to not get involved, as he is just passing though. In the aftermath of the end of prohibition, Rocco has been doing his thing in Cuba, making his way to the keys in a counterfeit money operation he is looking to make the drop-off on. However, once a hurricane threatens the island, they all find themselves at the mercy of the amoral gangster, and when Rocco proves himself too nasty in disposition not to stand up to.
KEY LARGO was directed and co-written by John Huston, very loosely based on a play by Maxwell Anderson. It would come to be known as the final film that Bogart and Bacall made together, their fourth. It is an interesting exploration of heroism, and in some ways a commentary on the United States’ position in the world, with its isolationist tendencies, but in reality, it is hard to sit idly by and see thugs try to cause so much trouble in the world without opposition. it’s also a story of knowing when to fight, as we see a deputy go down for not being able to control his reactions, and indeed, the dead soldier that Frank honors throughout didn’t manage to survive, always volunteering for the toughest duties. Sometimes doing the right thing at the wrong time only ends up getting you killed. Bogie fans will likely get the most mileage out of KEY LARGO, particularly those who like when he collaborates with one of his favorite cronies, like John Huston, Lauren Bacall, or Edward G. Robinson. Claire Trevor, who plays the gangster’s once beautiful moll who has seen better days, Gaye Dawn, would go on to receive the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Admission is:
$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
“You know, it’s wonderful when guys like you lose out. Makes guys like me think maybe we got a chance in this world.”
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in DARK PASSAGE screens at Webster University Tuesday February 12th. The screening will be at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE. This is the third of four Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall collaborations screening at Webster in February. The final film will be KEY LARGO Feb 26th. Look for more coverage of this great Bogey and Bacall film series here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming weeks.
DARK PASSAGE (1947) was the third of the four Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall pairings of the 40s. It’s the least remembered, but it’s great entertainment and Bacall and Bogart really steam up the screen. The movie starts off brilliantly, shown from the P.O.V. of Vincnet Parry (Bogart), a prison escapee, who has been wrongly incarcerated for his wife’s murder. While on the run he is picked up by a beautiful woman who has been following his case for personal reasons of her own. Of course she’s played by Lauren Bacall and after some plastic surgery the prisoner becomes Humphrey Bogart and the pair team up to find the real killer. Sam the cab driver (Tom D’Andrea) suggests he visit Dr. Walter Coley (Houseley Stevenson) a Plastic Surgeon who gives him a new face. Once Parry removes the bandages, he begins searching for the killer, and is beset with revolving questions and an odd assortment of characters which include Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead and Clifton Young. Don’t miss DARK PASSAGE next Tuesday night!
“You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow!”
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT screens at Webster University Tuesday February 5th. The screening will be at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). The film will be introduced by Cliff Froelich, Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis and Adjunct Professor of Film Studies at Webster University.A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE. This is the first of four Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall collaborations that will be screening at Webster in February. The others are: THE BIG SLEEP Feb 12th, DARK PASSAGE Feb 19th, and KEY LARGO Feb 26th. Look for more coverage of this great Bogey and Bacall film series here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming weeks.
If Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall occupy the same screen, you can safely expect fireworks! TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) was Bacall’s debut performance, the movie that introduced both audiences and Bogart {he would marry her the following year} to one of cinema’s most iconic beauties and to her erotically husky voice. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is an interesting mixture of war-time adventure and hard-boiled film-noir, set on the island of Martinique under the Vichy regime, and Bogart’s Harry “Steve” Morgan is forced to navigate swathes of low-lifes and immoral authority figures.
Howard Hawks, one of Hollywood’s more versatile directors, was a considerable fan of author Ernest Hemingway, but didn’t think all too highly of his 1937 effort, “To Have and Have Not.” Taking it upon himself to improve the story, Hawks set his writers upon Hemingway’s “bunch of junk,” and created what is considered by some to be one of his best films. With its abundance of pistol-clad gangsters and Bogart’s legendary noble tough-guy, comparisons with other pulp film-noirs {such as THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)’ and Hawks’ own THE BIG SLEEP} are perfectly justified, as are the noticeable parallels with Michael Curtiz’S CASABLANCA (1942),’ with Its intriguing war-time tale of romance and loyalty, in addition to a suitably ambiguous ending that emphasizes the sheer uncertainty of warfare. A hilarious Walter Brennan provides the comedic relief as Eddie, a well-meaning but hopelessly addicted alcoholic who likes to ask people such inane queries as “was you ever bit by a dead bee?” Marcel Dalio, in a role that would ideally have suited Peter Lorre, is also good as Frenchy, the sincere owner of the local hotel with sympathies for the French Resistance.
Admission is:
$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
BOGART AND BACALL: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (1944,1946,1947,1948) – Is available now!
This sizzling four-film collection celebrates two of Hollywood’s greatest: the on- and off-camera team of tough guy Humphrey Bogart and cool gal Lauren Bacall. Their love of their craft, as well as each other, and the gift of their timeless talent are showcased in this glorious 4-disc set, full of action, laughs, suspense, danger and, above all, a romance that forever sparks a flame in the hearts of all movie fans.
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)
During World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer.
BD50
NEW 2016 1080p HD MASTER
1.37:1
DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 – English Mono; Subtitles: English SDH, Francais & Espanol
100 Min
Special Features: Vintage Merrie Melodies Short “Bacall to Arms” (Remastered in HD); “A Love Story: the Story of To Have and Have Not” featurette; Lux Radio Broadcast starring Bogart and Bacall; Theatrical Trailer (HD)
THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he’s seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.
B&W-114 Min.
BD-50
DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 – English, DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 – Spanish, DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 – French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SDH
Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, Alternate 1945 Pre-release Version with previously unissued INTRODUCTION by UCLA Film Preservation Officer Robert Gitt, THE BIG SLEEP 1945/1946 COMPARISONS – Uncut Robert Gitt “Lecture” Version (30 Minutes). Nearly twice the length of the Comparisons feature as seen on DVD.
DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try and prove his innocence.
BD50
NEW 2016 1080p HD REMASTER
1.37:1
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 2.0 Mono, Dolby Digital: Français 2.0 Mono & Español 2.0 Mono (Both Castillian & Latin)
Subtitles: English SDH, Français & Español
Special Features:
“Hold Your Breath and Cross Your Fingers: The Story of Dark Passage” Featurette
“Slick Hare” Theatrical Animated Short (in HD!)
Theatrical Trailer (in HD!)
KEY LARGO (1948)
A man visits his old friend’s hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other.
B&W-105 Min.
BD-50
DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 – English, DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 – Spanish, DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 – French
“You know, it’s wonderful when guys like you lose out. Makes guys like me think maybe we got a chance in this world.”
DARK PASSAGE (1947) screens Wednesday April 19th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in ‘The Loop’) as part of their new ‘Classics in the Loop’ Crime & Noir film series. The movie starts at 7pm and admission is $7. It will be on The Tivoli’s big screen.
DARK PASSAGE (1947) was the third of the four Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall pairings of the 40s. It’s the least remembered, but it’s great entertainment and Bacall and Bogart really steam up the screen. The movie starts off brilliantly, shown from the P.O.V. of Vincnet Parry (Bogart), a prison escapee, who has been wrongly incarcerated for his wife’s murder. While on the run he is picked up by a beautiful woman who has been following his case for personal reasons of her own. Of course she’s played by Lauren Bacall and after some plastic surgery the prisoner becomes Humphrey Bogart and the pair team up to find the real killer. Sam the cab driver (Tom D’Andrea) suggests he visit Dr. Walter Coley (Houseley Stevenson) a Plastic Surgeon who gives him a new face. Once Parry removes the bandages, he begins searching for the killer, and is beset with revolving questions and an odd assortment of characters which include Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead and Clifton Young. Don’t miss DARK PASSAGE Wednesday night!
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the ‘CLASSICS IN THE LOOP’ film series: April 26th – SUNSET BOULEVARD – 1950 May 3rd – THE THIRD MAN – 1949 May 10th – TOUCH OF EVIL – 1958 May 17th – CHINATOWN – 1974 May 24th – BLOOD SIMPLE – 1984
Look for continued coverage of the ‘CLASSICS IN THE LOOP’ film series here at We Are movie Geeks.
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE screens Saturday morning, November 21st, at 10:30am at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis). This is a fundraiser for The Cottey College Scholarship Fund and admission is $10.
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE is a 1953 romantic comedy based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The film stars Marilyn Monroe, St. Louis’ own Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall as three gold diggers along with William Powell, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, Alex D’Arcy, and Fred Clark.It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson.
In order to meet wealthy husbands, three beautiful women take an apartment in one of Manhattan’s most affluent areas, on the corner of East 55th St. and Sutton Place. Naive moocher Betty Grable (as Loco Dempsey), visually impaired Marilyn Monroe (as Pola Debevoise), and sensible model Lauren Bacall (as Schatze Page) date both eligible and ineligible men, including suave senior William Powell (as J.D. Hanley). This all-too familiar plot works well in CinemaScope and Technicolor. Key to the success is the teaming of the World War II pin-up girl, sultry Bogart co-star, and platinum blonde bombshell. These three fill the new wide-screen format perfectly, without clashing. Their “advice” about being in the right place is certainly correct. Monroe, Grable and Bacall had other assets, too.
Along with THE ROBE, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE was the premiere event for CinemaScope, and it also provided a breathless introduction to stereophonic sound. It won’t exactly be in CinemaScoop when it screens at The Hi-Pointe this Saturday morning, but this will be a real treat to see on the big screen.
The $10 admission includes a donation to the Cottey College Scholarship Fund, a small soda and popcorn, and of course, a classic movie on The Hi-Pointe’s wonderful massive screen.
“You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow!”
If Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (who died last month) occupy the same screen, you can safely expect fireworks! TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) was Bacall’s debut performance, the movie that introduced both audiences and Bogart {he would marry her the following year} to one of cinema’s most iconic beauties and to her erotically husky voice. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is an interesting mixture of war-time adventure and hard-boiled film-noir, set on the island of Martinique under the Vichy regime, and Bogart’s Harry “Steve” Morgan is forced to navigate swathes of low-lifes and immoral authority figures.
Howard Hawks, one of Hollywood’s more versatile directors, was a considerable fan of author Ernest Hemingway, but didn’t think all too highly of his 1937 effort, “To Have and Have Not.” Taking it upon himself to improve the story, Hawks set his writers upon Hemingway’s “bunch of junk,” and created what is considered by some to be one of his best films. With its abundance of pistol-clad gangsters and Bogart’s legendary noble tough-guy, comparisons with other pulp film-noirs {such as THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)’ and Hawks’ own THE BIG SLEEP} are perfectly justified, as are the noticeable parallels with Michael Curtiz’S CASABLANCA (1942),’ with Its intriguing war-time tale of romance and loyalty, in addition to a suitably ambiguous ending that emphasizes the sheer uncertainty of warfare. A hilarious Walter Brennan provides the comedic relief as Eddie, a well-meaning but hopelessly addicted alcoholic who likes to ask people such inane queries as “was you ever bit by a dead bee?” Marcel Dalio, in a role that would ideally have suited Peter Lorre, is also good as Frenchy, the sincere owner of the local hotel with sympathies for the French Resistance.
Now you’ll have the chance to see TO HAVE AND HAVE NOTin all of its big screen glory when it screens this Saturday morning (September 13th) at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO). The movie starts at 10:30am and admission is only $5.
“Lauren Bacall models an MPTF Christmas card in 1951.” Courtesy MPTF
Turner Classic Movies will celebrate the life and career of legendary actress Lauren Bacall with a 24-hour marathon of memorable performances, including all four films in which she co-starred with husband Humphrey Bogart.
TCM’s tribute to Bacall, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 89, will air Monday, Sept. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET), and will conclude Tuesday, Sept. 16, her 90th birthday.
“Lauren Bacall was a wonderful and generous friend of ours at TCM, and a great connection to the ‘golden age of cinema,'” said TCM host Robert Osborne. “Personally, I have to admit that she never failed to make my heart beat faster and my voice to stammer when we spoke. Talk about true star quality – that was Bacall. We are truly blessed to have had her as an integral part of our TCM family.”
Turner Classic Movies will open its remembrance of Bacall’s extraordinary life and career with the TCM original Private Screenings: Lauren Bacall (2005), a fascinating, in-depth conversation with the star hosted by Robert Osborne. It will be followed by Bacall’s film debut, the Howard Hawks classic To Have and Have Not (1944), which also introduced her to the man who would become her husband, Humphrey Bogart. Their subsequent films – The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948) – are also included in the marathon.
TCM’s tribute to Bacall includes Young Man with a Horn (1950), with Kirk Douglas and Doris Day, in which she delivers a powerful dramatic performance frequently cited as her best. Bacall demonstrates her comic abilities in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), starring Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe; Designing Woman (1957), with Gregory Peck; and Sex and the Single Girl (1964), starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Henry Fonda. Rounding out the marathon, Bacall stars opposite Gary Cooper in Bright Leaf (1950), John Wayne in Blood Alley (1955) and Paul Newman in Harper (1966).
The following is the complete schedule for TCM’s tribute to Lauren Bacall.
Monday, Sept. 15 8 p.m. – Private Screenings: Lauren Bacall (2005) 9 p.m. – To Have and Have Not (1944) 11 p.m. – The Big Sleep (1946) 1 a.m. – How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) 2:45 a.m. – Private Screenings: Lauren Bacall (2005) 3:45 a.m. – Harper (1966)
Tuesday, Sept. 16 6 a.m. – Bright Leaf (1950) 8 a.m. – Young Man with a Horn (1950) 10 a.m. – Dark Passage (1947) Noon – Key Largo (1948) 2 p.m. – Blood Alley (1955) 4 p.m. – Sex and the Single Girl (1964) 6 p.m. – Designing Woman (1953)
Lauren Bacall, the slinky, sultry-voiced actress who created on-screen magic with Humphrey Bogart in “To Have and Have Not” and “The Big Sleep” and off-screen magic in one of Hollywood’s most storied marriages, died Tuesday at age 89.
Bacall, whose long career brought two Tonys and a special Oscar, died in New York. The managing partner of the Humphrey Bogart Estate, Robbert J.F. de Klerk, said that Bacall died at home, but declined to give further details. Bacall’s son Stephen Bogart confirmed his mother’s death to de Klerk.
She was among the last of the old-fashioned Hollywood stars and her legend, and the legend of “Bogie and Bacall” — the hard-boiled couple who could fight and make up with the best of them — started almost from the moment she appeared on screen. A fashion model and bit-part New York actress before moving to Hollywood at 19, Bacall achieved immediate fame in 1944 with one scene in her first film, “To Have and Have Not.”
Leaving Bogart’s hotel room, she murmured:
“You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.”
She was less than half Bogart’s age, yet as wise and as jaded as him. Her sly glance, with chin down and eyes raised, added to her fame; she was nicknamed “The Look.” Bogart and Bacall married amid headlines in 1945, and they co-starred in three more films, “The Big Sleep” (1946), “Dark Passage” (1947) and “Key Largo” (1948). Their marriage lasted until his death from cancer in 1957.
She appeared in movies for more than a half-century, but not until 1996 did she receive an Academy Award nomination — as supporting actress for her role as Barbra Streisand’s mother in “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” Although a sentimental favorite, she lost to Juliette Binoche for her performance in “The English Patient.”
She finally got a statuette in November 2009 when she was presented with a special Oscar at the movie academy’s new Governors Awards gala.
“The thought when I get home that I’m going to have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting,” she quipped.
Bacall was always a star. With her lanky figure and flowing blonde hair, she was seemingly born for checked suits and silk dresses. On television talk shows, she exhibited a persona that paralleled her screen appearances: She was frank, even blunt, with an undertone of sardonic humor, all of which she demonstrated in her best-selling 1979 autobiography, “By Myself,” which beat out works by William Saroyan among others for the National Book Award. (She published an updated version in 2005, “By Myself and Then Some,” noting that as she ages, “I don’t feel that different. But I sure as hell am.”)
When her movie career faded, she returned to the theater. She starred in the hit comedy “Cactus Flower” and stepped lively in “Applause,” a musical version of the classic movie “All About Eve” that brought her first Tony in 1970.
She got the second Tony in 1981 for “Woman of the Year,” based on a film that starred her idol, Katharine Hepburn. She enjoyed another triumph in London with “Sweet Bird of Youth” in 1985.
She was ever protective of the Bogart legacy, lashing out at those who tried to profit from his image. In 1997, she appeared at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for ceremonies launching the U.S. Postal Service’s Humphrey Bogart stamp.
When the American Film Institute compiled its list of screen legends in 1999, Bacall ranked No. 20 on the roster of 25 actresses. Bogart topped the list of actors.
This week’s WAMG Top 10 is having a look at all the on and off-screen couples of Hollywood. The Drew Barrymore/Justin Long romantic-comedy, GOING THE DISTANCE, comes out next Friday on September 3rd, so we thought we’d give it a go with our list of favorite “Work and Play Couples.” Let us know what you think and who you would put on the list in the comments section below.
Honorable Mention: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
Lucille Ball was a rising star under contract to RKO Studios when she was cast as the female lead in the film version of the Broadway smash TOO MANY GIRLS. Prior to the start of filming she was introduced to the young Cuban singer who had taken New York City by storm, Desi Arnaz. Stories from several sources in that RKO office said that sparks flew when they locked eyes on each other. In a little over a decade these sparks would grow into a flame that swept thru the entertainment world( and engulf the RKO studio which would become the home of Desilu). TOO MANY GIRLS did not duplicate its stage success on the big screen, but both stars would continue to star on stage and screen and eventually become man and wife. By the late 40’s, Lucy’s film career would begin to stall as did Desi’s music career. She decided to jump into radio by starring in MY FAVORITE HUSBAND alongside Richard Denning. With stories beginning to herald the advance of television, Lucy thought about taking her show into this new medium, but with her real life hubby Desi instead of Denning. The result, I LOVE LUCY, would become one of the most successful and influential TV shows of all time. Because of the shows incredible popularity, the movie studios came calling on Lucy and Desi to bring some of their magic to the silver screen . Their first film with MGM, Vincent Minnelli’s THE LONG, LONG TRAILER, proved to be a box office hit in 1953 while a follow up film, Alexander Hall’s FOREVER DARLING fizzled in 1956 even with the great James Mason cast as their guardian angel. A few years later Lucy and Desi split, and although they’re known mostly for their TV work, their movie efforts are definitely worth a look.
10. ANGELINA JOLIE AND BRAD PITT
You know that a list like this can’t be complete without the hottest it couple in Hollywood today. Starring in Mr. and Mrs. Smith sparked such chemistry between them that they began dating. Now, with six children and rumors of more, the two are going strong. They can often be seen either on outings or doing humanitarian work as a unit. Might I add, that this is one good looking family!
09. DIANE KEATON AND WOODY ALLEN
You didn’t think that we would actually leave the ANNIE HALL duo out of this, did you? Diane Keaton’s career really began with her romance, both on and off screen with Woody Allen. Together, they were in SLEEPERS, LOVE AND DEATH and PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM. Of course, the most famous between the two is ANNIE HALL. Despite splitting up, Diane Keaton appeared in his film INTERIORS, MANHATTAN, RADIO DAYS, and MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, proving that ex’s can still work together.
08. ANNETTE BENING AND WARREN BEATTY
For several decades starting tin the late 50’s, the number one swinging Hollywood bachelor was Warren Beatty. During this time he was linked to some of the big screen’s most popular leading ladies: Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Leslie Caron, Julie Christie, Diane Keaton, and many others. In 1991 Beatty was cast in the lead in Barry Levinson’s BUGSY, a bio of the notorious gangster Benjamin Siegel. Tapped to play the actress who would help lead Bugsy to his doom was Annette Benning, who had earned critical praise in performances in VALMONT, REGARDING HENRY, and THE GRIFTERS. According to several sources on the set nothing unusual was occurring between the actors. However, their scenes together in front of the camera seemed to sizzle. After BUGSY was released to much praise and great box office, the stars revealed that they were indeed a couple off screen. Then came the event that stunned Hollywood (and most of the planet) : Warren and Annette marry. The ultimate ladies man was finally domesticated. In 1994 they shared the screen again for Glen Gordon Caron’s adaptation of the classic LOVE AFFAIR. Though this version did not find success at the box office, the real life love affair has had much success( and several children).
Let’s hope that Annette and Warren will be burning up the screen again in the near future.
07. JILL IRELAND AND CHARLES BRONSON
Their meeting was rather bizarre. Bronson met Ireland on the set of THE GREAT ESCAPE while she was married to David McCallum. Bronson apparently told McCallum that he was going to marry his wife. Two years later, just that happened. The two starred in 15 movies together including LOVE AND BULLETS, FROM NOON TILL THREE, CHINO, HARD TIMES and BREAKOUT. Ireland use to joke “I’m in so many of Charles Bronson films because no other actress will work with him.” Now that right there is love! Their last film together was ASSASSINATION. During which, she was in the advanced stages of cancer. Ireland passes away in 1990 but will remain infamous in of one heck of a love story.
06. GOLDIE HAWN AND KURT RUSSELL
This is a couple that just will not quit! Kurt and Goldie have been together for over 25 years. Snubbing their nose at marriage, Goldie believes that their relationship is so strong because they have never tied the knot. Hawn and Russell met on the 1968 film THE ONE AND ONLY, GENUINE, ORIGINAL FAMILY BAND. In 1984 the two reconnected on SWING SHIFT and went on to film OVERBOARD in 1987, while still a couple. Now, I know that Overboard did not do that well at the box office, but it is still one of my favorite movies. KEEP IT GOING KURT AND GOLDIE!
05. JOANNE WOODWARD AND PAUL NEWMAN
Legendary “cool man” icon Paul Newman first worked with Joanne Woodward on THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958) about a drifter that arrives in Mississippi, targeting a wealthy family with Woodward as their daughter. This professional encounter would ultimately lead to a spark between the two Hollywood favorites in real life. This unlikely relationship would survive for fifty years, a feat of its own in tinsel town, but Newman and Woodward would also go on to work together on other films, including FROM THE TERRACE (1960) and PARIS BLUES (1961
04. LAUREN BACALL AND HUMPHREY BOGART
The relationship of Bacall and Bogart all began as a Hollywood affair off camera, while making memories as an on screen couple in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. This is where they met, the handsome and charismatic Bogey and the beautiful Bacall, together on film for the first time. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is the film in which Bacall established her trademark “The Look” quite by accident, nervous on set, putting her chin against her chest and turning those big eyes upward. Of course Bogey would fall for Bacall. From here, Bacall and Bogey transferred their passion to the big screen for three legendary film noir titles… Howard Hawks’ THE BIG SLEEP, the unconventional DARK MASSAGE and John Huston’s KEY LARGO.
03. JANET LEIGH AND TONY CURTIS
In the 1950’s, not much was happening with real life movie couples. Gable lost Lombard in 43 and Bogie and Bacall did their final film together, KEY LARGO, in 48. There wasn’t a couple that captured movie going young people until Tony Curtis met Janet Leigh. Tony was the dark, handsome New Yorker who became the heart throb of bobby soxers, across the nation, by starring in a series of small films while under contract to Universal-International. Janet was the young movie princess that was groomed for stardom under the watchful eyes of Mr. Mayer over at MGM. The two met at a tinsel town party and immediately clicked. When Tony was loaned out to Paramount for George Pal’s big screen bio, HOUDINI in 1953 he hoped to pull some strings in order to have Janet, play Harry’s wife Bess. Their on screen chemistry helped turn director George Marshall’s movie into a box office smash. The two soon married and continued to share the screen in, THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH( 54), THE PERFECT FURLOUGH (58), and WHO WAS THAT LADY?(60). In their heyday they attracted media attention that would not be rivaled until Angelina and Brad several decades later. The marriage ended in 1962, but their movie legacy would live on thru their actress daughters: Kelly and movie scream queen, Jamie Leigh Curtis.
02. KATHARINE HEPBURN AND SPENCER TRACY
Hepburn and Tracy first graced the silver screen together in WOMAN OF THE YEAR. This is the movie that sparked a lifelong romance. Together, the pair appeared in eight other movies, including KEEPER OF THE FLAME, ADAM’S RIB, PAT AND MIKE, DESK SET, and GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. Despite never marrying (Tracy refused to divorce his estranged wife due to his catholic beliefs), the two were very much a couple until Tracy’s death. The two hid their affair from the public to keep up appearances. They used back entrances and constantly tried to avoid the press. They are still considered one of Hollywood’s’ great romances.
01. ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND RICHARD BURTON
Altogether, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in 11 movies, it’s their first one together, CLEOPATRA, that the two are known for. During filming, Taylor met Richard Burton and the two began a very public affair, which made headlines worldwide. Taylor left her husband, Eddie Fisher (who had previously left Debbie Reynolds for Taylor), and married Burton the next year. Even though some were morally outraged by their affair and the scandal did bring publicity to what was a troubled production, Dick and Liz did have their supporters who flocked to the theaters to see their love affair played out on the big screen. Many U.S. housewives wrote to the two stars in Hollywood to make a go of it¬ that’s how people rolled back in the 60’s. While Elizabeth Taylor won 2 Academy Awards for WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and BUtterfield 8 as well as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Richard Burton was nominated for 7 Oscars, but unfortunately never won.
Here’s a list of the films that Taylor and Burton were in together:
CLEOPATRA (1963)
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) Best Actress Oscar Win for Taylor, Best Actor Nomination for Burton
THE V.I.P.s (1963)
UNDER MILK WOOD (1972)
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (1967)
THE SANDPIPER (1965)
HAMMERSMITH IS OUT (1972)
DOCTOR FAUSTUS (1967)
DIVORCE HIS – DIVORCE HERS (1973) (TV)
THE COMEDIANS (1967)
BOOM! (1968)
Taylor had an uncredited cameo in Burton’s film ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS (1969). Another Best Actor Nomination for Burton.
Watch as our pick for the #1 movie couple ignite the screen in CLEOPATRA.
