"By 1944, Humphrey Bogart had at last achieved the stardom... that had for so long eluded him." "It had taken him 20 hard years to accomplish success in his career... and he was determined to maintain it." "His personal life, however, was another story." "Troubles at home were escalating as his wife, Mayo Methot... was becoming more physically and mentally unstable." "On the other side of the country, a young model, Betty Perske... began the same journey from New York to Hollywood... that Bogart had taken 10 years earlier." "Writer Ernest Hemingway and director Howard Hawks... would be the unlikely pair to bring Bogart and Perske together... lighting the spark for one of Hollywood's most legendary romances." "They really made that torrid zone sizzle." "The son of a wealthy paper manufacturer from Indiana..." "Hawks, who was sometimes referred to as the Gray Fox... had been a writer-director since arriving at Hollywood in the 1920s." "Studio bosses, and he worked for all of them... 'cause he freelanced for a good part of his career... became accustomed to the fact... that he was a taciturn, seemingly unemotional man." "But he had an incredible knack or gift... for making great movies, for telling good stories on film." "By the 1940s, he had become one of the industry's most respected talents." "For years, Hawks had wanted to direct a film version of a Hemingway novel." "Hawks boasted that he could make a movie... out of the worst thing Hemingway ever wrote." ""What's that?"Hemingway asked." "The Gray Fox replied:" ""That bunch of junk:" "To Have And Have Not. "" "Hawks handed the novel over... to studio writer and long-time collaborator Jules Furthman." "Furthman's various drafts closely resembled... the novel, which proved problematic." "The book concerned a rum smuggler in Cuba... who gets involved with revolutionary bank robbers... and is killed in the end." "The Roosevelt administration didn't like the idea of bringing it to screen." "They tried to force the studio to cancel the film... by withholding its export license... because it depicted corruption and violence in Cuba." "So Hawks came up with another plan." "Studio research showed a solitary Caribbean island... outside the government's Good Neighbor reach:" "Vichy-controlled Martinique." "The solution was simple:" "Change the setting." "Hawks handed over Furthman's draft to his favorite script doctor..." "William Faulkner." "The assignment was a dream come true for Faulkner... who was delighted to be collaborating with the more successful Hemingway." "In one week's time, Faulkner shifted the story to Martinique... eliminated episodes, created new ones, changed characters... and put them all under the single roof of a hotel." "Look, we're Americans." "His name's Johnson." "My name's Morgan." "We're living at the Marquis Hotel." "That do you?" "The script, however, was Hawks'least concern." "He was more interested in creating an instant star out of a total unknown." "How long have you been away from home?" " This is about the time for it, isn't it?" " Time for what?" "The story of my life." "Unlike Bogart, Betty Perske wasn't born to wealth... when she came into the world in 1924." "The daughter of a poor Jewish family in the Bronx..." "Perske's parents divorced when she was a small child... and she rarely saw her father." "Raised by her grandmother, whose last name was Bacall... she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts... and as a young woman earned bit parts on Broadway." "She was also a model, and her photo on the cover ofHarper's Bazaar in 1943... caught the eye of Nancy "Slim" Gross, who happened to be Howard Hawks' wife." "Slim showed Hawks the cover... and he was immediately taken by the sultry gaze staring back at him." "He was also something of a star maker." "He liked discovering and nurturing young talent." "Hawks brought the young model to Hollywood... signing her to an exclusive seven-year contract... that started at $100 a week." "Hawks then began the process of turning Betty Perske into Lauren Bacall." "Even so, the studio wasn't convinced she was right for the character of Marie... a hardened woman of the world." "To bolster support, Hawks introduced her to Bogart... on the set ofPassage to Marseille... but there was no thunderclap, as she later recalled." "For Bacall's To Have and Have Not screen test..." "Hawks allegedly wrote the famous "whistle scene"... though its true authorship remains in doubt." "Faulkner later found a way, while filming, to shoehorn in this scene... which was not a part of the original script." "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?" "You just put your lips together and blow." "The test successfully removed any lingering doubts... the studio may have had... and Hawks brought her to Bogart for a second meeting." "Bacall was beautiful, she was young... she was talented, she was feisty." "Bogart hadn't paid much attention to her." "He met her just before they began to shoot." "He said, "I saw your test, kid, we're gonna have a lot of fun."" "And of course they did when they started." "They began it on a leap year..." "February 29th, 1944." "Without a finished script, shooting began with Bacall asking:" ""Anybody got a match?"" "She was so nervous that she shook with fright." "Bogart tried to help her relax, but she realized that the only way... to hide her shaking was to hold her head down... chin kept low, eyes gazing up." "It was the beginning of "the look" that she made famous." "Thanks." "With Bogart's help, Bacall grew in confidence... and came to dominate the picture." "Hawks reduced the scenes of co-star Dolores Moran... and beefed up Bacall's role instead." "Bacall was really taken under not only Bogart's wing, but several others." "Bogart set a tone from the first day out." "He said, "Come on, kid, everything's gonna be all right."" "And he did look out for her." "Three weeks into shooting, the legendary romance... of Bogey and Bacall began." "He came to her dressing room to say good night... and impulsively leaned over... put his hand under her chin and kissed her on the lips." "He asked her to write her number on the back of a matchbook." "She happily complied." "This was highly unusual behavior for Bogart... who was known as a straight arrow when it came to marital fidelity." "Both of them, I think, were struck by lightning of one sort or another." "And it was very difficult, particularly for Bogart... because there was... this sense of loyalty that he held for Mayo... however long ago the love may have gone." "He was born in 1899." "He always called himself a "Last Century Man."" "With a Victorian sensibility." "And there was much truth in that." "There was a real strength of character in him." "Despite and perhaps because of the circumstances surrounding them..." "Bogart and Bacall soon found themselves in love." "It's clear after two or three weeks that something's happened." "Everybody saw them walking around holding hands." "And it's showing up in the dailies also." "There's this great chemistry and electricity between them." "Their romance threw a glow over the entire shoot... which became irreverent and relaxed." "The only person that wasn't happy was Howard Hawks." "He was furious and jealous over their relationship... upset that Bacall had not fallen for him." "Hawks had an affair with Dolores Moran, and an extra named Dorothy Davenport." "Despite Hawks'protest..." "Bogart and Bacall's relationship continued to blossom." "The two were inseparable." "Bogart nicknamed her "Baby"... and would sing the popular song Mairzy Doats to her on the set." "I like that." "While Hawks wasn't happy, Bogart's wife Mayo was even less so." "She began showing up at the studio." "The crew would warn Bogart and Bacall... and tell Mayo that Bogart was out with the cast, to try and keep her away." "But when the movie wrapped after 62 days of production..." "Bacall went to dinner at the Hawks', and Bogart went home to Mayo." "Less than a year before..." "Betty Perske was just another aspiring actress and model." "But in the weeks leading up to the premiere ofTo Have and Have Not..." "Hawks and Warner Brothers pushed her into the public eye... reinventing her past to refashion her as Lauren Bacall, a star." "It must have been a very heady thing for her to have all that come at her... because she came from absolutely out of nowhere." "But she was this new kind of girl." "She was so young, so attractive... but she had this kind of worldly sass about her." "When the film finally landed on movie screens... audiences loved her and Bogey together." "Bogart was smitten... with his leading lady... and I don't think it's unfair to say that it shows." "It shows on camera." "It's one of those instances where it's quite possible... that we are eyewitnesses to an actor and actress falling in love." "While good actors make us believe that all the time... there has to be some extra kick when it's real." "In the midst of the hoopla surrounding To Have and Have Not..." "Bogart found himself facing a crisis." "He wanted to divorce Mayo... but she was sinking deeper and deeper into alcoholism." "He was also concerned over the difference between his age and Bacall's." "She came at a very important part of his life... because he had this disastrous marriage... to this kind of difficult lady, Mayo Methot, who drank a great deal." "They called them "The Battling Bogarts"... because they would fight and throw things all the time." "But they were a great match... and they were great together." "They had a great look together." "They made money for the studio." "They were a very hot couple." "In the autumn of 1944... filming began on the next Hawks, Bogart, and Bacall project." "Here's one that has everything The Falcon had and more." "It's Raymond Chandler's latest bestseller:" "The Big Sleep." " What a picture that'll make." " Mind if I look at it?" "Things weren't the same." "The set didn't have the fun atmosphere as before." "Bogart's domestic turmoil made him erratic." "Always known as a pro, Bogart began showing up ill-prepared." "His only bright spot was Bacall." "For Christmas, he presented her with a gold whistle inscribed:" ""If you want anything, just whistle."" "Three days after wrapping up the troubled film... their engagement was announced." " Hey, Slim." "Are you still happy?" " What do you think?" "English"