Watched "Three On A Match" for the first time. Nice movie, though I didn't expect it to be over so quick. Joan Blondell was great as usual, but Ann Dvorak was just fantastic. I need to investigate her movies more! Bogie was solid in an early gangster role, but it was a pretty small one. Here's something that was unexpected. In the beginning there's a scene where the school teacher is asking the class where Mary is. Those couple of lines seriously reminded me of Fast Times At Ridgemont High: - Has anyone seen Mary Keaton? She was here this morning, and I'm sure I saw her in the yard a few minutes ago. Vivian? - Where is Jeff Spocoli? I saw him earlier today near the first floor bathrooms. Is he still on campus? Desmond? It's a stretch and a tiny little part I know, but somehow those scenes linked up in my mind as soon as I saw them. It just goes to show you that teachers don't like truancy, not matter what the year is!
I watched "The Petrified Forest" last night on Amazon Prime. This was a solid film, no doubt about it. It kind of had the feel of Key Largo actually, but that's a good thing! Bette Davis was fine, but Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Howard and Charley Grapewin were the real stars. Gramps has some great lines: "What'd I tell ya? Look at that chin, he's a killer alright. Lucky we got ringside seats!" If they ever did a remake, Allan Havey should play Boze. He's a dead ringer for Dick Foran! By the way, what was up with Bogie's arms? Any time he was standing up without holding anything, his elbows seemed to be locked in position (think 3CPO!). It was noticeable. Was this supposed to be a part of Duke Mantee's character or was he somehow injured when they were filming? "We can all be quiet and peaceable and have a few beers together and listen to the music" (with that distinctive accent!)
Supposedly Bogart based his performance, in part, on John Dillinger. Perhaps the body language was borrowed from Dillinger? Another theory would be that in a theater setting his body language would come across to the "cheap seats" more so than his facial expressions - so everyone in the place would know that he was deeply disturbed ... and Bogart retained that element for the film version.
Ah ha, that's an interesting concept about Dillinger. That could make some sense. Bogart need not have worried about his facial expressions not coming across on film though. He looks haggard in the movie, as he should. Tired and on the run, wondering if a dame snitched on him, and having come across an Englishman regaling everyone with his own philosophical musings. "Oh, I'm eternally right. But what good does it do me?". Duke thought twice about simply shooting him to silence him, as that's exactly what Alan asked him to do! This movie is getting better the more I think it over.
Yes, the camera would pick up his facial expressions, but once he had the character "down" from doing it night after night in the theater, I wouldn't think that he'd be eager to drop the overt body language, or any other aspect that had led to his success. It's amazing that this performance and the one in "Dead End" didn't lead to starring roles and stardom much faster than it did!
Watched "Caine" last night. Like most, when I watch this movie (whenever its on), I pay most attention to the brilliant testimony on witness stand. But overlooked is the amazing facial expressions he has in the scene when he is pleading with his staff to support him earlier in the movie. its quite amazing actually.
Bogart fans may be interested in BOLD VENTURE a half-hour radio-play intended to evoke the atmosphere of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. Bogart starred as Slate Shannon and Lauren Bacall as Sailor Duvall in a series of Hemingway-esque adventures set in "sultry exotic Havana, Cuba and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean." https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/thriller/bold-venture Bold Venture - OTR Bold Venture is the name of Bogart's boat. He sounds drunk much of the time.
I watched "Conflict" (1945) recently. Sydney Greenstreet is always a pleasure to watch, and adds to my enjoyment of any film. Still, this one didn't really get rolling until the pawn shop and apartment scenes when Richard Mason begin to question his sanity. "You see sometimes a thought can be like a malignant disease that starts to eat away the willpower. When that happens, it's my business to remove the thought before it can cause destruction." - Dr. Hamilton
I can watch these Bogart, Robinson, and Cagney films over and over again.. Once you give them a couple minutes.. They've got me hooked. I'm all in again, and again.. I'm repeating the lines in my mind as I watch. I always scan TCM the entire week ahead. Get the recordings set, and ready to go. Just watched the ''Asphalt Jungle'', "Born To Kill", yesterday. ''Out Of The Past'' is coming up I think tomorrow, one of the greats.
Huge Bogie fan. Massive Errol Flynn fan as well. Now if Warner Bros could just get their act together and start releasing all that great stuff on blu ray!
Yep, excellent list.. but many of the early classics fell in his lap due to arrogant George Raft refusing the roles.. giving the master the opportunity to step in and shine.
The Desperate Hours (1955) There aren't too many Bogart movies in widescreen, so I savor them whenever they're on. The cinematography in this one was great. The story kept getting ramped up and I really like the way some of the hostages went back into the normal lives and came back, either to keep up appearances or to try and retrieve a package. At times this felt like a Hitchcock film. One complaint from me Spoiler would be about the ending, which seemed a little pedestrian. I thought Griffin and Kobish would at least make it out of the house and attempt a getaway, perhaps with one of the Hilliards in the car as they planned. When all the law enforcement moved in, it seemed like the ending was a foregone conclusion. The trick with the gun was clever though. Griffin: "You haven't got it in you, Pop." Hilliard: "I've got it in me all right. You put it there."
He he, indeed! And is it just me, or did Gig Young and Richard Long look and speak awfully alike? I was sure that was Jarrod Barkley playing Chuck until I saw the credits.
Bogart's my all-time favourite actor. Including cameos I count seventy eight (78) films that he appeared in. I have copies of all but four of them: Broadway's Like That (1930) (short); A Devil With Women (1930); Body and Soul (1931); and Always Together (1948) (uncredited brief appearance). If anyone knows where copies my be available, please post. Jeff
I believe Bogie nailed Duke to perfection.. loved the way he developed the arm/elbow positioning. He had worked it all out from the NY Broadway performances by then. Truly a top notch film.
Bogie ~ FINALLY Winning the Academy Award for "The African Queen" ''The stuff that dreams are made of...'' H.B. should have won other Oscars for better movies. He was terribly overlooked, at least the AFI puts him at # 1 actor of all time.
Not a Bogart film - That said, one of the Film Noir classics is on TCM tonight. "DETOUR" great introduction to noir, not like ''Double Indemnity'' but a good starter to the genre.. Very sorry about the late ''hot tip'' .. I just now noticed it myself. It literally just started at 10:00 E. / 9:00 C TCM
you should check out Up the River (1930), a comedy, early talkie and Bogart’s second movie ever, and Spencer Tracy in his first. Strangely, Tracy plays the gangster, and Bogart looks markedly younger than he ever would again on film.
Believe or not, I'd never seen The Roaring Twenties (1939) before. I've seen Angels With Dirty Faces and I really enjoyed that, so I was looking forward to another Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney pairing. I was a little underwhelmed to start. It felt a bit by-the-numbers for the first half. I guess I'm not drawn to Cagney as an actor by himself, and it was mostly him in the beginning. After the opening war sequence, Bogart doesn't show up again for quite a while. It didn't really have that something extra until Lloyd and Jean tell Eddie about their relationship and he unexpectedly gives in and accepts it. I liked the Panama Smith character, telling Eddie the truth to him that everyone else can easily see. "In this business you shouldn't worry about your old age."
