To Have and Have Not with Bogart and Bacall

A must-see if only for the smokin’ hot screen debut of 19-year-old Lauren Bacall and the origin of her legendary off-screen romance with Humphrey Bogart, To Have and Have Not is a pretty good little movie. Made with a sure hand by director Howard Hawks, featuring southern novelist William Faulkner in the writing credits, based on an Ernest Hemingway novel, it has a nice pedigree, and one of the most famous lines in film history: “Just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you?”

The legend is that one drunken night, director Hawks allegedly bet Hemingway that he could take what both considered his worst novel - To Have and Have Not - and turn it into a screen hit. To do it, Hawks borrowed quite a bit from Casablanca, with Bogart as a live-and-let-live American expat unwilling to be drawn into the war in Vichy-controlled Martinique (not quite as exotic as Morocco, but close), and threw in brave resistance fighters, a quirky piano player in the bar, an underground leader who needs help, and of course, The Woman.

In this story, Bogie’s Harry Morgan captains a pleasure fishing boat, and is approached to provide transport for a resistance hero. He doesn’t want to get involved, but a couple of plot twists leave him broke just when needs money to do a favor for the mysterious young woman who’s just shown up. Reluctantly, he buys in, and we’re off on a wartime adventure as Bogie rescues the good guys and foils the villains. The plot doesn’t reach the heights of Casablanca, and the action scenes are a bit lame. Nevertheless, it offers up snappy dialogue, showcases Bacall in a number of fetching costumes, and dishes up a gorgeous French woman who tries to give Bacall a run for her money. (No contest.)

Bogart does a nice job in the weary virility style of action hero. (Think Indiana Jones, Marshal Matt Dillon, and just about any character played by James Garner.) He’s a reluctant hero with nothing to prove, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. If he gets a little knocked around in the process, well, that just makes him more attractive to the leading lady.

Bacall sizzles the celluloid as Marie Browning, a dame who can crack wise with Bogie, and even at her tender age (19 when the film was shot, although she plays older) knows how to hustle a chump on the make when she wants a drink. She picks up a few bucks by singing with Cricket the piano player (Hoagy Carmichael), and does a creditable job with the tunes. The Bogart-Bacall chemistry jumps off the screen, and her jealousy is very believable when the wife of the resistance leader gets a little too fond of Harry.

Walter Brennan is endearing as Harry’s sidekick Eddie, a scruffy drunk who’s more than a little soft in the head. Carmichael is captivating as Cricket, although a few of his song lyrics are sadly dated. The rest of the cast is a serviceable group, but nothing close to the standout ensemble of minor characters that gave Casablanca so much of its charm.

Bacall was discovered by Hawks’ wife, who saw her picture in a Harper‘s Bazaar photo shoot. Both Hawks and Bogart were married when the film was made, and the gossip was that Hawks was none too pleased that Bogart was the one who got the girl off screen, leading to one of Hollywood’s most successful and long-lived marriages. It didn’t stop them from teaming up again for The Big Sleep, one of the truly great noir films.

Bacall has said that “The Look” made famous in the film - her head downcast, sultry eyes looking up at Bogart - was a product of her nervousness, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she played against the older, established star. Whatever. Between “The Look” and her beautifully tailored, glamorous costumes, she became an instant icon of American style and sensuality.

Not a masterpiece, but a must for anyone who loves the glamour of old Hollywood and a legendary romance.

Recommended for you:

If you liked To Have and Have Not, you may like other Humphrey Bogart films, especially Casablanca, The Big Sleep, and The African Queen.

Just the Facts:

Year: 1947, Black and White
Director: Howard Hawks
Running Time: 100 minutes
Studio: Warner Brothers