Customer Reviews

Bogart

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bogart is the definitive biography of Humphrey Bogart. A. M. Sperber, who also wrote a marvelous book about Edward R. Murrow, has done painstaking research that included over 200 interviews. I have previously read the short biography of Bogart by Joe Hyams and Lauren Bacall's autobiography, which helped to gauge some of the information in this book. A. M. Sperber died before she could complete this book so it was completed by Eric Lax.

This is the kind of book that is difficult to put down; a well written book that moves along giving a non-judgmental view of its famous subject. What I came away with was a much broader portrait of Humphrey Bogart and the realization of how unhappy he was. An interesting revelation was that despite his success as an actor there was some regret that he not become a writer. An aspect of Bogart's life that I wish was better covered was his personal likes and dislikes. As in Lauren Bacall's autobiography, this book revealed that he was very fond of Bach and Debussy and the music of both composers was played at his funeral. This was certainly different from his tough guy image! So, although I learned a great deal about his battles with Jack Warner and Mayo and his passionate defense of the First Amendment, it is a portrait lacking a spark of life.

The book goes into detail about his childhood and his parents, who were both drug addicts and near alcoholics. As the book progresses, one can vividly see how his parents affected Humphrey Bogart's personality, making him introverted but also instilling in him the qualities of a gentleman and the Victorian ideal of doing what must be done. The book presents a balanced viewpoint of Bogart's good and bad traits, including his belligerent needling that he seems to make a change in this character during the 1950's.

One minor item that I found to be incorrect was the report in the book that the Bogart dog Harvey had to be put to sleep. Lauren Bacall said in her autobiography that Harvey died at the veterinarian's office shortly after she visited him of a heart attack. Otherwise, this is an impressive book that anyone who has an interest in Humphrey Bogart will want to read.

Several years ago, the American Film Institute, Entertainment Weekly, and Premiere magazine all named Humphrey Bogart the greatest film star of all time, a selection few film buffs would argue with. Like John Wayne and Cary Grant, Bogart was larger than life, yet, unlike them, he was also down in the dirt with the rest of us. An average guy in many ways, the characters he played beat the odds, but only after enormous effort and struggle.

A.M. Sperber's generally excellent biography shows that Bogart the icon and Bogart the man shared many similar traits. Though the son of a wealthy doctor and his artist wife, there was a dark side to Bogart's outwardly pampered life. His mother was distant, his father was addicted to morphine, and the young boy and his sisters, one of whom suffered from mental illness, were abused by the servants. Bogart was an academic failure with little hope for success until distinguishing himself on Broadway with his classic portrayal of Duke Mantee in "The Petrified Forest."

But even when Hollywood beckoned, life didn't get easier for the insecure actor. While James Cagney, George Raft, Paul Muni, and Edward G. Robinson were "stars" who got the best roles Warner Bros. had to offer, Bogart was taken for granted, a mere contract player who played supporting roles in the important projects, and spent years buried in a series of undistinguished B flicks churned out on the Hollywood assembly line. Well paid, especially by Depression era standards, he nonetheless struggled to support his ailing sisters and to pay off his late father's debts.

Today, it's hard to believe his employers took so long to recognize the charisma and talent that Bogart would bring to "High Sierra" and "The Maltese Falcon," both of which were intended for that great non-entity George Raft. "Casablanca," of course, made Bogart the biggest star on the Warner lot, and Sperber shoots down the myth that both Raft and Ronald Reagan were initially considered for the role of Hollywood's ultimate romantic hero. For once, a role was tailor-made for Bogart, and the legend was born.

Bogart's early life isn't covered as thoroughly as hoped, but that's not a surprise since most of those who could provide insight into the future superstar had died long before Sperber began her book. But the career is well documented, and the man behind the myth emerges as a flesh and blood figure, a fiercely intelligent and generally admirable one, on every page.

Brian W. Fairbanks

"Bogart" reads quick and you can tell the authors both spent a good deal of time creating it. (Sperber died before it was finished) The reading gets a tad depressing following Bogart's ill-fated trip to Washington DC to take on the Blacklisters. However, the descriptions of the anti-Communist attacks on the film industry are compelling. There is a good balance between the film icon's life in and out of the studio. If you don't care to know how many times Bogart arrived on the set of The Maltese Falcon with a hangover, don't worry, the pace will keep you interested. On the other hand, don't pick this up if all you want is an in-depth look at Casablanca. The authors play no favorites. All of his major films receive about the same amount of attention. I say that as a compliment. The book also presents fascinating looks into Jack Warner (who ran Warner Bros.), John Huston, Howard Hawks and of course Bacall. This is no Bogart/Bacall love story either. While their courtship and marriage are covered well, you'll get four fifths through before they have their first child. If your all-time favorite film is Star Wars, save your money. If not, buy this

This book started out great, but once the story evolved into the House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings in Washington,DC it became too too detailed. Did they really need to write so many chapters about it? I don't deny it was a very important issue during that time, but the information was a bit excessive. It took me at least 3 weeks to finally finish this book and other than that chapter, it really is a good story about one of the best actors Hollywood ever produced.

Thanks to TCM, I've seen all of the big Bogart films and, to be honest, before I saw them, I wasn't sure why this skinny, balding man accrued the fame that he did. Indeed, the only "fame" he held for me was as a term used, circa 1978, to describe a person who monopolizes a certain brand of *cigarette*. Seeing movies such as High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, To Have and Have Not, and Casablanca changed all that. Here was a guy who, though diminutive in stature, was the epitome of cool, glib, nonchalant toughness. With a look, Bogart could say more than most actors with 10 lines. He navigated a narrow path between gruff vulnerability and a lone-wolf machismo.

Bogart, a book begun by A.M. Sperber and finished by Eric Lax, is a fitting tribute to the man. A priveleged and difficult childhood and a penchant for carousing and bad marriages leaves a lot to tell. But, Sperber and Lax do so with enough class to avoid gratuitousness and enough objectivity to avoid hagiography. Indeed, Bogart's life was something of a struggle despite the wealth and fame; it wasn't until his marriage to Bacall (at the age of 45) that he finally found some happiness. Bogart (the book) is a thick, appetizing slab of biography that rarely, if ever, bogs down. It has the added value of bringing so much more understanding to his movies. I now view Casablanca, et al. with a more discerning eye.

Whether one is interested in the man, the studio system, or the period itself, Bogart by Sperber and Lax is well worth the time. I found it an excellent biography and gladly award it 5 stars.

This is a very readable, comprehensive look at Bogart's life, with particular attention paid to the film industry, the Hollywood studio system of the 1930's-50's, and Bogie's many film roles (both great and forgettable).

At its best, the book chronicles Bogart's rise from Warner Bros."B" films to stardom and recognition as more than just a tough-guy gangster. The book effectively and lovingly details the making of early classics like The Maltese Falcon, and takes a humorous look at early efforts by the studio to publicize Bogart as a tough guy and Nazi hater. His struggles to rise above hack roles are sympathetically told, along with corresponding accounts of how major studio players like George Raft and Paul Muni declined crucial roles and were fazed out by the studio.

Sperber and Lax chronicle the actor's early involvement in politics, his support of President Roosevelt, and his involvement with HUAC.

The book also attempts to portray Bogart's personal life, including a glimpse at his many marriages to such actresses including Mayo Methot and Lauren Becall. However, in detailing the many problems and battles fought with Mayo, for example, the authors spend little time informing the reader just what attracted Bogart to her in the first place. In some cases the wives are ushered in and out of the story without any real sense of them as human beings, just as topics for discussion over drinks with buddies like John Huston.

All told, for readers interested in Bogart's life in Hollywood, and for film buffs interested in a fascinating glimpse of Warner Bros from the 1930's on, this book is enthusiastically recommended.

No question, by the time you finish this book, you are whirling with knowledge of Humphrey Bogart, whom no one can ever really know because he was so complex with a mixture of his shadow and light side that it seems he was the most confused of all about himself. One thing is certain: He had a great, great talent, and his films are as much loved today as when he was in his prime.

Several things are left out of the book, and I wonder why. One is the fact that Mr. Lax states that Bogart's sister was a great financial responsibility for him as she was in a private sanitarium for mental illness. In 1955 Frances Bogart Rose was a patient in the Metropolitan State Hospital (for the mentally ill) at Norwalk, California. She was allowed occasional visits to the Bogart home, but her return was always a concern because of the heavy drinking at Bogart's home and its effects on her. Perhaps it was at an earlier time that she was in a private sanitarium, but Mr. Lax gives the reader the impression it was for life. Since Bogart, who died in 1957, left her no bequest in his will (in spite of leaving small bequests to the household cook and his secretary), one can assume he knew she in some way would be cared for during her lifetime

Another issue not covered is Bogart's involvement with women during his mariage to Bacall, which even Bacall speaks of in her autobiography, stating she did not find out about some of the women until after Bogart's death (perhaps the best documented claim is about the young lady who cut his children's hair, a total opposite from Ms. Bacall). Yet the author points out Ms. Bacall's attractions (and in the case of Adlai Stevenson, she obviously had fallen in love). As Bacall states in her book, she did not have an actual affair because she knew that Bogart would leave her if she did. This is not to say they did not love each other deeply. Perhaps if she had not rejected another great love of his life, his yaught and sailing, and snooted the crew, preferring instead to attend Hollywood parties, the time and experiences they could have shared there would have resulted in a more close-knit bond. On the other hand, she was only twenty when she married him, and the fact that she lived with such a complex and difficult man until his death says something for her.

This book packs you with a wallop because it is so well written, very well researched and documented, the photos are great. Remember, he was an extremely heavy drinker and all his activities were lived under a cloud of alcohol or the affects of alcohol, even his greatest preformances. A gentleman and a boor. crude and erudite. kind and cruel. But talented, talented, talented!

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the iconic actor, Humphrey Bogart. It has become my favorite biography of him and I've read many others (by Jeffrey Meyers, Alistair Cooke, David Thompson etc.) The book follows his life in chronological order. Very well read, full of interesting anecdotes from his friends and foes. You can't help but admire Sperber and Lax's heartfelt and devoted research.

I've already held high regard for the man through watching his movies. But this book endears him to me. Like all geniuses, he was a little unbalanced (hereditarily), temporarily illogical, temperamental, mystified and self-destructive. However, those are the price one pays for wit, humor and unique talent which, lucky for us, came to him in abundant. The book would make you realize why he's still matters today, after his death for fifty some years. For the man is a myth, his personality a legend!

This biography is as detailed about the legendary actor as it is large.

"Bogart" was started by Ann Sperber. After her death Eric Lax finished the book. Sperber interviewed over 200 people in her research ranging from family such as Lauren Bacall and son Stephen, to friends in Hollywood.

Humphrey Bogart's childhood was detailed. His parents were successful as a doctor and an artist. They were also addicts that didn't spend a lot of time with their children.

The authors followed Bogart's journey in acting, how it started and his long journey that ultimately led to stardom. His marriages were also detailed.

The personal politics of the movie studios, especially Warner Bothers was examined. Bogie and Bacall's battles with the studio were discussed.

Bogart's political views and his actions were detailed.

This is a large book that includes an Index and a Filmography that any Bogart fan will appreciate.
An excellent book about Humphrey Bogart- his childhood, the good and the bad experiences that his contemporaries shared.

When I first saw this new Bogart biography, I wondered how much more can be said about one of the most talked about stars in Hollywood's history, let alone a volume numbering 700 pages. While I'm not a "Bogart fan", per se, two of his movies are among my favorites (Casablanca and Maltese Falcon) so I gave this book a go. Boy, am I glad I did! From birth to death, and everything that happened in between, this biography is thorough, well-researched, and very readable, and everything a great biography needs to be.