New York theater goers guffawed when word got out that Katharine Hepburn was to star in a broadway musical about Coco Chanel. They roared when it was announced that Bacall was to star in a musical version of All About Eve.
Applause was a hit and Bacall’s huge gay fan base flooded the theatre, seeing the show more than once. I admit, I was one of those fans. It’s odd that this Obit doesn’t even mention Applause, which was a real triumph for her and spawned more than a few TV stars of the 70s.
Seeing her in person those few nights, working her ass off, was a thrill after seeing her for so many years on the big screen with Bogey. I was too young to have seen their films in first release, but the NYC art houses played them often, usually a double bill, and I was in film school, after all.
From HuffPo:
Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall, star of films such as "To Have and Have Not" and "Key Largo," died Tuesday at her home in New York City after suffering a stroke, according to reports.
She was 89.
The estate of her first husband, Humphrey Bogart, confirmed the news on Twitter.
Bacall's sultry appearance, smoky voice and provocative roles propelled her to fame, and would inspire generations of actresses. Her mastery of "The Look," a suggestive expression where she lowered her head and glanced up, has taken a place in Hollywood lore.
Bacall and Bogart met while filming 1944's "To Have And Have Not", the first of their four movies together. The couple married in 1945, had two children, and remained together until Bogart's death in 1957. Bacall would go without acting for almost 20 years after his death. (it was actually closer to 15 years.)
Born Betty Joan Perske on Sept. 16, 1924 in the Bronx, the actress had 72 film credits to her name. She began taking modeling and acting classes as a teen, and landed several walk-on roles in theater. A Harper's Bazaar editor hired her to model for the magazine, and she landed on the cover in 1943.
Bacall received her only Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in the 1996 film "The Mirror Has Two Faces," where she played Barbara Streisand's mother, but her list of accolades is indeed substantial. She won two Tony Awards for her stage performances and received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Career Achievement from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1992. In 1997, she received the Kennedy Center Honor, which the Los Angeles Times reports surprised her.
"Listen, I never went into this business thinking of winning anything," Bacall was quoted as saying. "I went into it because I loved it and I wanted to be good at it. It was a form of expression for me. I love to hide behind characters. So [any recognition] I get is a perk. It's just an extra. Just the fact that all that happened to me last year, it is -- well -- fabulous."
Bacall wrote two memoirs, including "Lauren Bacall: By Myself", which won a National Book Award in 1980.
Theses deaths usually come in 3’s - so who is next?
And so it goes.
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So sad. I always liked Lauren.
ReplyDeleteI remember that she was appearing in 'Applause' when I made my one and only walk down Broadway, way back in 1969. Pity that I wasn't as big into theatre in those days as I was later to become, so didn't give it another thought. But it's certainly sad indeed to hear the news even though she did have a good 'innings', longer than many. As you say, let's hope it's not just one in what's in danger of becoming a cluster of bad news.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the fan base who flooded the theater. What stage presence she had. And who can forget the close of the first act when she pronounced these words: "Welcome To The Theater"
ReplyDeleteI only wanted orchestra seats, so I would wait by the box office on week nights just in case some were turned in or not picked up. My bad. She was a great lady and a true 'broad' in every sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteher voice was mesmerizing; a class act. we will never see the likes of lauren bacall again.
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