The Real Bogie and Bacall (Hardback)
Imprint: White Owl
Series: The Real...
Pages: 176
Illustrations: 32 mono
ISBN: 9781399074025
Published: 25th July 2024
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It was the Hollywood romance that warmed hearts and thrilled audiences, but the path to true love was littered with alcoholism, abandonment and bitter disappointments.
Humphrey Bogart had crawled up the hard way, leaving behind a childhood without affection for a life as the idol of millions. Bogie’s road to stardom had been long and tough, forging a superstar who hated being in the spotlight as much as he loved being in the bar. With three marriages to his name and a reputation as one of the hardest drinkers in Hollywood, happiness was always fleeting.
Lauren Bacall grew up in New York as the apple of her hard-working mother’s eye, dreaming of a life in the limelight. Modelling by day and tearing tickets at night, when she was summoned to Hollywood to make a screentest, young Betty Bacall grabbed it with both hands. There she was reborn as the vampish Lauren Bacall, a teenage nobody who would make her debut in To Have and Have Not opposite the quintessential Hollywood tough guy, Humphrey Bogart.
Nobody expected what came next, but the love affair between Bogie and Bacall took the world by storm. The Real Bogie & Bacall tells the story of two people whose romance shouldn’t have worked… but did.
I love Bogart and Bacall films and raced through this book. It's really readable. I thought there was more on Bogart than Bacall - perhaps because he was older and had a longer career. The author drew lots of different sources together and incorporated some really interesting details. The scenes relating Bogarts illness and final days were heartbreaking. An interesting read for fans of the films and golden age of Hollywood.
NetGalley, Emma Cannon
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Ink Reads
The Real Bogie and Bacall by Catherine Curzon is a fascinating, in-depth commentary on one of the most famous romances of all time, and one that I found very surprising for the wealth of facts and intrigue that I did not know. Absolutely brilliant!
Author interview on History Hack - listen to the episode here!
History Hack
As seen in 'Best-selling author lifts the lid on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s compelling and tragic love story'.
Huddersfield Hub
Read the article here!
Author interview on Lights, Camera, Author - watch the episode here!
Lights, Camera, Author!
Departing from her usual focus on eighteenth and nineteenth century British history, Catherine Curzon brings her incredible skill with the written word to Hollywood and the twentieth century in her latest book. Exploring the romance between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in all of its highs and lows, Curzon explores their histories, beginning with their childhood and early career, their joint appearances in To Have and Have Not (1944), and their tumultuous, wildly glamorous, and successful romance after that film. Curzon seeks to honestly and realistically tell this story amidst the backdrop of the golden age of Hollywood, and she successfully captures the atmosphere and glamor of the period in this book. As in her other books, she captures characters, setting, and historical context in this incredible biography of two Hollywood stars and brings them and their romance to life for readers who may or may not be familiar with these two figures. The organization of the book by their lives and relationship into three acts is clever and creative... Another fascinating and vibrant book by Curzon, this is a must-read for fans of Hollywood and her other history books.
NetGalley, Lily Amidon
I love reading about learning more about my favorite Hollywood couple and the golden age of Hollywood. This was a fast paced and easy to read book.
NetGalley, Kelsey Welch
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Bethany Swafford
Humphrey Bogart, who endured a tough climb to stardom and battled alcoholism, found unexpected love with the much younger Lauren Bacall, a young model-turned-actress from New York. Despite his turbulent past and three failed marriages, Bogart's romance with Bacall, which began on the set of "To Have and Have Not," captivated the world. "The Real Bogie & Bacall" chronicles their unlikely yet enduring love story amidst the challenges and spotlight of Hollywood.
I have a fondness for “the Golden Age” of Hollywood and I’m always interested to learn more about the time. Humphrey Bogart is a well-known name, but I can’t say I knew much about him before I began reading. It was interesting to read about how he became an actor. I knew even less about Lauren Bacall, and it was fascinating how her path to her career was so different to that of her husband.
I’m always hesitant about love stories where there is a significant age gap, but it really did work for this couple. They supported each other in their careers and built a life together.
This is a book I would recommend to readers interested in the Golden Age of acting or are interested in learning about these two actors.
This is a very comprehensive history of Bogie and Bacall’s relationship and there was a lot of really interesting things that I did not know. I have always loved this couple and their old movies so I really appreciate it and very very impressed with the research.
NetGalley, Roxi Wasmer
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Lori Alden Holuta
While I loved Lauren Bacall's 1978 autobiography, written from her own point of view, to my surprise I found this account of my favorite love story of all time to be much more satisfying.
As a historian with a specialized interest in old Hollywood, author Catherine Curzon has the research chops to surround and permeate the story of Bogie and his Baby with needed context. Their story is enriched by knowing what was going on during the eras they lived in, as well as learning more about their relationships with friends, family, lovers, and the unique business that is the entertainment industry. Even the cities of New York and Hollywood are influential—and influenced—by this famous couple and are well-lit backdrops for Bogie and Bacall as they struggled with life choices while living in these entertainment-centric cities.
This larger scope brings so much more context to events and decisions that shaped Bogart and Bacall throughout their lives, forming them into two people instantly recognizable by anyone in America, and quite a few more globally.
Anyone who is intrigued as much as I am by this classic power couple, or by the early days of Hollywood, classic noir films, impossible relationships, or the cultural standards of decades past will find history coming to life in the pages of this excellent book.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Marianne Malone
Bogie and Bacall were one of the great romances of Hollywood. This intimate view of where they came from an how love flourished gives readers a new insight to their relationship. Must read for anyone who wonders how two opposites can attract.
About Catherine Curzon
CATHERINE CURZON is a historian of old Hollywood and even older royalty.
Catherine has appeared on Radio 4’s PM programme and Dan Snow’s Story of England, as well as radio stations across Europe and the UK. Her work has been featured online by BBC News, BBC History Extra and the Daily Express, and in publications including All About History and Who Do You Think You Are?. Further afield, Catherine’s expertise has been featured by Smithsonian Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, Town & Country, Elle Australia, Der Bund, La Vanguardia and Metrópoles, among others.
She has spoken at venues including Kenwood House, Wellington College, the Royal Pavilion, the National Maritime Museum and Dr Johnson’s House. As one half of Ellie Curzon (with Helen Barrell), her World War Two sagas for Bookouture and Orion have achieved bestseller status in the UK and the US.
Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Film and when not cheering for the Terriers, can be found by following the distant strains of Dean Martin. She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill with a rakish gent and a very woolly dog.
Born on this day - Lauren Bacall
16th September 1924
When she died in 2014 Lauren Bacall was one of the last great stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. Famous for her seductive, sultry acting style and her husky voice, she made her film debut in 1944 aged just 19 years old in "To Have and To Have Not" opposite her later husband Humphrey Bogart. She continued to perform in films, TV and on the stage until 2012.