Monday, June 8, 2009
A Sizzling Scene - "To Have And Have Not"
Oh my! Some might say that it's too early in the morning for this video, but I wouldn't say that.
Did I ever tell you that I shook hands with Lauren Bacall? Several years ago, Grandpère and I were entering the theater in New York to see Paul Newman play the Stage Manager in "Our Town", the first stage play that he had done in 38 years and the last stage play that he ever acted in. There was Bacall standing in a line of people which looked to me like a receiving line. At the time, it didn't occur to me that she was unlikely to be in a receiving line, as she was not in the play. As GP looked on, somewhat embarrassed, I walked over to her and said, "Miss Bacall, may I shake your hand?" She seemed startled, but she shook my hand. I mean, what the hell! She was standing there. I suppose that it was not cool for me to do that, but now I have a story to tell.
Maybe I should have asked her to autograph my "Playbill" instead.
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Yes, I've always loved Lauren Bacall from the first I saw her in the movies on the old late night movie showings on channels 9 and 7 in Chicago. I didn't get to shake her hand but I did see her live starring in Applause in London in 1973. She was extraordinary!
ReplyDeleteNote from online bio:
"Bacall has won two Tony Awards for her starring Broadway musical performances in Applause and Woman of the Year. She starred for a year in the London run of Applause as well, which earned her Britain's Evening Standard Award."
Klady, lucky you. I'd love to have seen Bacall in "Applause", but that was back when we had little kids and little money, and stage plays in NYC were way beyond our means. I've never seen her live, except to shake her hand, but she was terrific in the movies.
ReplyDeleteI had little money but no kids at the time -- college student living in London who saw all sorts of marvelous things, to which I found cheap tickets - Royal Ballet, the opera, as well as the theater. I used to skip meals, walk miles and miles to avoid taking the subway or to get from a 10p to a 5p zone, and enjoyed seeing shows from the nose-bleed sections. Those were the days.........
ReplyDeleteKlady, I should have done more before I had kids, but I was barely making ends meet after I got out of college, and then I went to graduate school and was even poorer. And then I got married.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. I really liked her as an actress. Never saw her live, though. That clip is dynamite. She and Bogey made the screen sizzle.
ReplyDeleteShe was a great actress. I envied her looks for a long time, but she got old, just like me, and I don't believe she ever had "work" done on her face. I saw her once on Dick Cavett's show a good many years ago, and she said that she never would, something to the effect that, "My life is written on my face." I admired her for that.
ReplyDeleteI saw her last on French television. The lady speaks very good French as befits a Mme de Forest-Bogart...
ReplyDeleteGrandmere --good for you! --and did you wash your hands right away, or let the presence linger for a while!
ReplyDeleteMimi, the only thing to be embarrassed about, is that you didn't throw yourself at her feet and worship! ;-D
ReplyDeleteBetty Joan Persky (LB) is a woman who will be HAWT till the day she dies...
She speaks lovely French, does she? That's nice to know, Göran.
ReplyDeleteI didn't wash my hands. I let the presence linger, Margaret.
JCF, you're right. She's still HAWT.
DP, you must remember this. Your hand touched the hand that touched the hand of Lauren Bacall. How awesome is THAT?