Yesterday marked the 100th birthday of Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske), one of the greats of 20th Century cinema.
Bacall came to fame as soon as she hit Hollywood, following a meteoric rise as a magazine model. She famously wound up in LA somewhat by accident, noticed by the wife of Howard Hawks. Hawks meant to send an inquiry about her, and his secretary misunderstood and had her sent out to LA.
She was placed into a major studio picture immediately by Hawks (who was managing her career) and her introduction to Humphrey Bogart made her one half of of one of the most storied romances in cinema history.
I'll be honest, I've never seen her less than great in anything. Bacall was a natural beauty, sure, but she was also a natural talent from day one. To Have and Have Not, her first picture, makes her seem like a seasoned pro, and she was, I believe, 19 at the time of filming (with the apparent world-weary maturity of a 40 year old).
We think she's great here at The Signal Watch, and are so very glad that Mr. Hawks' staff made their error and got Bacall into the movies. Now get out there and watch Key Largo.
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