Daily Corinthian • Friday, August 15, 2014 • 7A
Legendary screen seductress leaves classic filmography There was no doubt: after her first appearance in To Have and Have Not in 1944, everyone knew how to whistle. That classic scene still gets attenStacy tion after Jones 70 years, and with The Lauren BaDowtowner call’s death at the age of 89 this week, videos of the famous clip from Hollywood’s golden era abound on social media. A great deal of the fascination with the huskyvoiced, pouty-lipped actress stemmed from her May-December romance with husband Humphrey Bogart, or Bogie, as he was known to fans. Bogie and Bacall met on the set of To Have and Have Not. She was 19; he was 44. The chemistry between the hard-boiled couple was obvious. In To Have and Have Not, in her
first line, Bacall’s character Slim Browning purrs, asking for a match to light a cigarette dangling from her pouty lips. Bogart’s character Steve throws her one, and she lights the cigarette, nonchalantly tossing the match over her shoulder. The whole exchange is silent, but the scene hums with sensuality. In her memoir By Myself, Bacall writes that during that the third week of filming the movie, Bogie, who was in the midst of a troubled marriage, upped the ante beyond friendly banter. After a day’s shooting, she said, “He leaned over, put his hand under my chin, and kissed me. It was impulsive—he was a bit shy—no lunging wolf tactics. He took a worn package of matches out of his pocket and asked me to put my phone number on the back. I did.” The connection had not been an instant one. At first, To Have and Have Not director How-
ard Hawks told Bacall that she was going to star opposite either Bogart or Cary Grant. The svelte young actress said that she thought, “Cary Grant—terrific! Humphrey Bogart—yucch.” At 19, however, Bacall was merely breaching adulthood. As she revealed in her memoir, she kept her budding relationship with Bogie a secret from her mother. He called her one night after he had been drinking with star Jackie Gleason, and she snuck out of bed to meet him on Rodeo Drive. Her mother caught her, ordering her back to bed, but she continued out of the house to meet him. She described the occasion: “I ran up the street— arms open wide, hair flying—to Bogie’s smiling face and safe embrace. We sat in the car for a while—Gleason didn’t know or care what was going on—it was just that Bogie had to see his Baby.
What it felt like to be so wanted, so adored! No one had ever felt like that about me. It was all so dramatic, too. Always in the wee small hours when it seemed to Bogie and me that the world was ours— that we were the world. At those times we were.” The smoldering duo married in 1945, after which they made three more films, including The Big Sleep in 1946, Dark Passage in 1947, and Key Largo in 1948. Together, they protested the blacklisting of actors purported to be Communists, campaigned for the Democratic party, and produced two children. She liked nightlife; he was a homebody. He loved seafaring; she suffered from seasickness. However, the two were kindred spirits who discovered their balance. Bogart, who had experienced three failed marriages to actresses, preferred that Bacall not continue to pursue an acting career. He told her, “If
you want a career more than anything, I will do everything I can to help you, and I will send you on your way, but I will not marry you. I’ve been through it, and I know it doesn’t work.” The marriage lasted until Bogart’s death of esophageal cancer in 1957, the result of nearconstant smoking and drinking. The night before he died that January, he took her arm and muttered, “Goodbye, kid,” reminiscent of the famous line he delivered to actress Ingrid Bergman in the dialogue of Casablanca. Later, Bacall had a relationship with Frank Sinatra and an eight-year marriage to actor Jason Robards. Although she outlived him by 50 years, Bacall’s le grand amour was always Bogie. After Bogart’s death, Bacall left California to appear on Broadway, earning a Tony Award in the early 70s. She ultimately continued her
film career, later asking, “What is the point of being here if you’re not involved? I’ve never understood why people spend their lives working really hard so they could retire. So they can stop and do nothing? … I need work. For myself. It’s what I want to do with my life. My career is essential.” In a 2011 Vanity Fair interview, Bacall said prophetically, “My obit is going to be full of Bogart, I’m sure.” Of course, it was. Yet, no one can deny that both of them were essential components of that legendary on-screen romance that burned passionately off-screen—and no one will soon forget the sultry ingénue who taught Bogie how to whistle. (Daily Corinthian columnist Stacy Jones teaches English at McNairy Central High School and UT Martin and serves on the board of directors at Corinth Theatre-Arts. She loves being a downtown Corinth resident.)
Williams in early stages of Parkinson’s disease, wife reveals The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Robin Williams was in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and was sober at the time of his suicide, his wife said Thursday. In a statement, Susan Schneider said that Williams, 63, was struggling with depression, anxiety and the Parkinson’s diagnosis when he was found dead Monday in his Northern California home. Schneider did not offer details on when the actor comedian had been diagnosed or his symptoms. Williams’ death shocked fans and friends alike, despite his candor about decades of struggle with substance abuse and mental health. With Parkinson’s, Williams faced shouldering yet another challenge.
Parkinson’s disease is an incurable nervous system disorder that involves a loss of brain cells controlling movement. Tremors, sometimes starting out in just one hand, are among the early symptoms. It can also cause rigid, halting walking, slowed speech and sometimes dementia. Symptoms worsen over time and can often be treated with drugs. Actor Michael J. Fox, who has long had the disease, is known for his efforts to fund research into it. Pop star Linda Ronstadt revealed in 2013 that she had Parkinson’s and said the disease had robbed her of her ability to sing. Boxer Muhammad Ali, the late radio personality Casey Kasem and the late Pope John
Woman caught hiding cash in girdle at airport The Associated Press
ROMULUS, Mich. — A 78-year-old Florida woman tried to fly on an international trip from Detroit Metropolitan Airport with almost $41,000 in cash hidden inside her girdle, bra and carry-on bag, federal authorities said. A complaint filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit said the woman
was trying to board a flight April 2 to the Philippines with her daughter. She initially said she had $200 in cash but submitted a form declaring she had $1,200, prompting questions. Officers found $8,000 in wallets in her carry-on bag, $4,000 sewn into a cloth pouch and nearly $1,000 in envelopes, according to the complaint.
Paul II are among other well-known figures diagnosed with the disease. “Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly,” Schneider said. Parkinson’s affects about 1 million people nationwide, 6 million globally. The cause isn’t known but genes are thought to play a role. There is no standard test for Parkinson’s; doctors rely on symptoms, medical history and neurological exams to make the diagnosis. Dr. Tanya Simuni, director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Northwestern Univer-
sity’s medical school in Chicago, said patients often react to the diagnosis with surprise and despair. Depression is often present even in early stages and can sometimes precede tremors that help doctors make the diagnosis, Simuni said. Referring to Williams, she said it’s important to emphasize that not everyone who is depressed is at risk for Parkinson’s, “especially in this tragic case.” She noted that many can live for years without severely debilitating symptoms, but also that 20 years after diagnosis, as many as 80 percent develop dementia. Antidepressants are among drugs commonly prescribed for the disease, along with medication to help control jerky move-
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ments. Dr. Christopher Gomez, neurology chairman at the University of Chicago, said while it makes sense to think that a diagnosis could make someone feel depressed, depression and Parkinson’s have a deeper, more organic connection. They are thought to affect the same regions of the brain, although their neurological relationship isn’t well understood, he said. “It’s downright curious that there’s so much depression in Parkinson’s,” Gomez said. Williams had publicly acknowledged periodic struggles with substance abuse, including alcohol. Recently, depression prompted him to enter rehab. Schneider said that those who loved Williams
are taking solace in the outpouring of affection and admiration for him. “It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid,” she said in her statement. Williams, whose comic brilliance first gained wide attention on the 1980s sitcom “Mork & Mindy,” evolved into a respected dramatic actor who starred in films such as “Good Will Hunting,” for which he won an Oscar, “Dead Poets Society” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” He was invariably upbeat in public and with his friends and colleagues, and was known for his philanthropic efforts and support for U.S. troops.
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