Humphrey Bogart Books

Time-wasting fluff piece, this lightweight mish mash of lists, facts, and trivia is OK, but not worth crossing the street for.

Spend a couple of hours watching Casablanca, then read a real biography of Bogart, such as Bogart by Sperber.

I guess Jack Nicholson is the closest thing to him today. But if you're hoping that this book might serve as a how-to-be-Bogart book, you're mistaken. There's much more to Bogart than a cigarette and Fedora. I guess it's something you either have or don't have. It's what makes each of us unique. He wasn't exactly a handsome man, but he sure had presence. But if there was a how-to-be-Bogart book, this would be it. It's like the Bogart almanac. It has all the dates, the statistics, the quotes, the films, the radio programs, the plays, and the television appearances in glorious detail. If you're a Bogart fan, this book's for you. If you aren't a fan, this book will make you one. Oh, and you should also see Casablanca.

Humphrey Bogart was my movie idol beginning when I was in my teens (about a dozen years after he died). I read what I could about him and, of course, did my best to see all of his movies. Over the years my interest in movies expanded to include other actors and subjects. At the same time, the late night TV movies showed fewer and fewer "old" movies so my Bogart movies seemed limited to "CasaBlanca" and "The African Queen". Not a bad couple of movies to watch but too limited to live out my Bogart mania. Thus I looked forward to reading "The Ultimate Bogart" when I saw it in the book store. I enjoyed how it brought back my enthusism for one of cinema's great actors. However, I felt that the book was overloaded with too much trivia; especially the unneccessary information about the expansion of Bogart's legend after his death. The author categorizes his chapters which has the unfortunate affect of repeating a lot of information that fits into more than one such category. What we come up short on is more information of a biographical nature. There is a great filmography and Bogarts fans will enjoy the trivia tests. There is also a very good bibliography. However, I can't recall the last time I got excited over a bibliography.

This is a book for Bogart fans but they will already know most of the information. At least they will have a guide now as to where to turn for more.

He is without a doubt one of the Coolest Cats to Ever be on the Big Screen.I have seen many of His Movies&He had a Edge to His Craft.this Book Explores His Rise&the way He went about things.some very Interesting things are mentioned.I enjoyed all the info.

I picked up this paperback recently in the $1 store, only for its famous name and backcover promises. When I finally got around to reading it, I was instantly impressed with the author's clever and original turns of phrase, his captivating characters and a story that is just "out there" enough to be intriguing without seeming implausible. Stephen Bogart's female characters lack some depth, but the story is told from a man's POV, and so they are presented through a male lens, and I think this is the flavor of the novel. Detective RJ Brooks is a flawed human being, but a likeable mensch, and I'm eager to seek out Mr. Bogart's other writings.

I picked up this novel because of the famous name, and I wanted to see if Stephen could actually write, or if he was just flying along on his famous parent's coattails. I was pleased to find an amusing story and a good mystery and a fairly strong main character. However, the secondary characters left something to be desired, especially the character of Casey. I had no idea why RJ would be remotely interested in this woman. I was disappointed that Bogart didn't flesh out the character of Wendy a bit more, since she had promise, but she disappeared without a word, along with the evidence she was going to find for RJ. I also felt that there were a few too many loose ends left in the story. This can be a plus in some stories, but in this case all I saw were dangling threads. I hope that Bogart continues to write about RJ Brooks, because that character is very strong and enjoyable. And hopefully in his next install! ment we'll learn more about the characters that had to sit in the sidelines.

Private Investigator R.J. Brooks is irate to learn that Andromeda Studios is planning to make a sequel to the classic movie, As Time Goes By, the film that co-starred his parents. Though in New York to escape Tinseltown, R.J. tells a reporter that he will do anything to stop the film from ever being produced since it would be an affront to the memory of his parents. This interview becomes national news when people from the studio start being killed. The police are positive that R.J. is the culprit since he basically confessed his plans. ......R.J. begins to investigate the series of murder destroying the project. He hopes to not only clear his name, but to locate the missing studio head at the bequest of the man's daughter. As more deaths occur, R. J. realizes that he must identify the culprit soon before he becomes the next victim of someone with a terrific grudge towards the production of the sequel. ......The author is the son of his namesake and Lauren Bacall, and he sprinkles references from their movies throughout his novel. However, readers need to realize that THE REMAKE OF AS TIME GOES BY is an excellent who-done -it regardless of the author's gene pool. R.J. is a fabulous private investigator whose escapades readers will enjoy. This novel and the first R.J. tale (PLAY IT AGAIN) are fun to read who-done-its because the mystery is quite good and the Hollywood footnotes add a unique touch. Readers will think that this is the beginning of a long friendship. ......Harriet Klausner

I think this is a wonderful romance film. As a personal fan of Humphrey Bogart I think his part was excellent. This book is deffiently worth reading.

A really good read. This biography is filled to the brim with Bogie wise-cracks and witticisms, making him an endearingly warm, if flawed, protagonist. His marriage with Mayo is fascinating, filled with passion, melodrama, danger and heartbreak. Sadly, all Mayo's dramatics do not gain her eternal love-she is instead dumped for a 19 year old Bacall. Though the author goes on to describe Bacall's ingenuity at taming her wild husband, he doesn't go a good job of showing if anything besides youth and beauty attracted Bogie in the first place.

Since Bogie didn't meet Bacall until he was 45, and had had several amazing adventures in his youth, Bacall's entrance seems to come in after all the good times have rolled. His life with her was still filled with pranks and drinks and glamour, but it was a more sober, reflective time for him, particularly with the onset of fatherhood and cancer. Though Bogie is a larger than life character-funny, sexy, dangerous, romantic and timeless-- his most exciting years were with a woman who wasn't the love of his life.

This book contains at least one photo from most of Bogart's films with desciptions. There are-some-behind the scenes photographs as well. This book will leave you wanting more...

Bogart's first novel about fame, fortune and the misery of being the child of celebrity parents is witty and colorful. The most interesting character is the female reporter that he warns himself not to fall in love with, she's a radical feminist and well, he's never had one of those before. R.J. Brooks and his secretary have a snappy yet somehow flat repartee that shows his true character: lazy, spoiled, self-indulgent and not concerned with the feelings of the people around him. Although the character is drawn from Stephen Bogart's own life and his parents' movies, the book moves slowly unless you know the artist and can hear him talking. I doubt Mr. Bogart has ever been to the opera, owned a red tabby cat or dated a feminist. I doubt that these were original ideas. I doubt that R.J. Brooks, as portrayed, would have figured-out the crime without more adventures. Sometimes it seems that Bogart was being paid by the word. The momentum builds in the final scene when the writer seems to slip away from some pre-programmed tape recording. He should stick with what he knows. I don't think he's a natural to write fiction, however, if he would like to share his own life glossed over as fiction, he'd do better intriguing us with that. He can be, in person, a natural wit and this is not evident in the character of R.J. Brooks. The you're gonna take it and you're gonna like it works well for him in person, yet needs stronger descriptions in the book to come alive.

Taking a page from Stuart Kaminsky's "Toby Peters" mysteries, author Crider builds a fun tale of murder and mayhem in old (1940's) Hollywood with P.I. Terry Cook being ably assisted in solving a tinseltown murder (or two) by none other than Humphrey Bogart. Atmosphere and ambience are first-rate, and Crider succeeds in the trickiest part of his conceit by actually having Bogart SOUND like Bogart, or at least our impression of him, throughout. As a mystery it's about a "3". Astute readers will pick up on the killer fairly quickly if they apply Roger Ebert's "Economy of Characters" theory. But what sets this apart for film buffs is the sense of going behind the scenes and noting the "real" people Crider deftly hides behind his fictional characters. This is promised as the first in a series featuring the star and the hapless detective, and one looks forward to the next installment. One word of caution though, if Ibooks IS planning on future volumes, they REALLY ought to spring for a proofreader! There are so many gaffes within this modest tome, that one often has to apply one's own detective skills towards making sense of some of the sentences (note: Spellcheck alone just ain't gonna cut it, fellas!)
A welcome debut, though. Let's hear it for Bogie & Cook!

This well written book covers Lauren's entire life, from her childhood in the 1920's through the new century into 2004! She writes with beautiful emotion, and shares her innermost feelings and fears with her readers. You really get to learn a lot about her as a "real" person, instead of just the stunning face we see up on the screen. She was very career driven, but also had a family. She does not write much about her children or grandchildren. I am not sure if that is because they are not very close or not too involved with her life because she was so career driven, or if she thinks we want to mostly know most about her career, or because she wants to keep those relationships private, it's hard to guess.
I think this book is a must read for any fan or hers, or Bogarts, or anyone interested in acting, or in Hollywood's Golden Age.

As for the reviews here that complain about her putting in sections about her political views... She was active in politics all her adult life. That is part of her life, why wouldn't she put that stuff in her book? And as for the end of the book where she talks about all her friend's funerals and deaths... well, if you are lucky enough to live a long and healthy life like she has, you unfortunately have to endure the deaths of all of your closest lifelong friends. Those deaths will effect a person greatly. Of course she wrote about them, that is what has been happening in her life in these later years. She was kind enough to tell us about the pain she went through and how she happily remembers those friends. I think it is beautiful how she trusts the reader with such openness. So, I am very dissappointed with the reviews that are negative for that reason.

A book that just goes on about herself and people she know's --if you are a Fan this is a must to own ..

Boring, Shallow, Very self-absorbed (much liked her previous one). This was mainly a political statement, used to trash politicians, which was clearly not my understanding until reading it. I finally finished and rather than give it away I THREW it away (which I rarely do). I wanted to spare others the pain. Spare yourself the torture and the cost.

I had read Miss Bacall's previous book, so thought to myself,for the price that Amazon was selling it at, so be it. I'm buying! What else could this great legend say however? A lot. The book was filled with many more personal stories and interests than I suspected it could be. It is an excllent book on one of the last of the great legends in Hollywood. I loved the book. Got her to sign it too, she was most gracious.

Follow Betty Bacal, the shy daughter of a Rumaniam immigrant, as she becomes stage struck, trains as a actress, has an overnight success modeling for Vogue, and is transformed by director Howard Hawkes into Lauren Bacall, the newcomer who sweeps Humphrey Bogart off his feet.

Bacall's tale is irresistible, and she tells it well. The story of her transformation at Howard Hawks's hands into the Slim of "To Have and Have Not" is all the more delicious because Bacall remains, while the cameras are not running, an inexperienced teen who misses her mother and her family in New York. Bacall's off-screen innocence contrasts strikingly and delightfully with her knowing on-screen persona.

Bacall's account of her romance and marriage to Humphrey Bogart is graceful and moving. Bacall quotes Bogart's letters to her during their courtship: these reveal his stunned incredulity at finally finding love after a lifetime of romantic failures. Their marriage is a sweet reward to Bogart after years of domestic strife, and his gratitude at finding happiness and fatherhood in midlife is tremendously affecting. Bogart's gallantry and courage in his final illness reduced me to tears, as did Bacall's despair at losing the love of her life.

By her own account, Bacall's second marriage to Jason Robards was not a success. She cares for her children (two by Bogart and one by Robards), but they do not appear central to her life. The great loves dominating Bacall's post-Bogart years remain her mother and the acting profession. Bacall's dedication to her craft is evident, both on stage and on screen, and she remains ever grateful for a good role-- a gratitude that grows more poignent as she ages.

Any weaknesses? A few. Then Some, penned 27 years after By Myself, doesn't live up to the magic of the first installment, although one must admire Bacall's spirit in producing it. And Bacall's rather cursory depiction of her children leaves the reader wondering about the status of her relationships with them. But these criticisms are minor ones when measured against the charm and drama of Bacall's story.

Lauren Bacall is now in her 80s. Her memoirs span over 60 years of cinema and stage history. Her story is well worth reading for those who appreciate American theater and film. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in the private side of the Bacall-Bogart saga.

I'm reluctant to give this book a star rating because it's like rating the author's life. This memoir/biography is not a sensational page-turner in the "Mommie Dearest" sense, which is probably why it's out of print now, but I think what Stephen Bogart has to say about his father and the experience of being the child of celebrities is interesting and a valuable addition to the biographical literature on Humphrey Bogart.

The central paradox of this book is that though it's meant to be an honest, soul-baring self-examination, it can't be because of the obvious chilling shadow Stephen Bogart's mother casts over it. The introduction by Lauren Bacall has an ominous tone of "I've read this over and little Stevie has my permission to say these things," and the younger Bogart's exploratory journey into his past is clearly done with an awareness that he's doing it under his mother's surveillance (most obviously when he goes to visit the house where he and his family lived when his father was alive--this is when he's a middle-aged man with children of his own--and he brings his mother along.) It seems to me that Stephen Bogart probably has a lot more to say than what he dared put in this book, and though Lauren Bacall should live and be happy, it's not going to have a chance to come out until she's gone.

I don't imagine any of us really know what it is like to be the son of a legend..the incredible pressure that must come with living up to your father..it sounds like a wonderful easy life but as Stephen Bogart let's us know it's not..a book full of anecdotes and stories, self-examination, a bit too much whining for my tastes but nevertheless some tasty morsels can be found in this book..

Heard BOGART: IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER, written and
read by Stephen Humphrey Bogart . . . his son was only eight
when he died and for a long time, it was difficult for him to
deal with his legendary father . . . only with the encouragement
of his famous mother, Lauren Bacall, was he finally able to
come to terms with some of the anger he felt toward his father.

I'm still not quite sure that I understand this feeling; it's almost
as if he blamed his father for dying . . . however, Stephen
Bogart did a good job of researching his father Humphrey, and
he shares many amusing anecdotes that I not heard previously.

In addition, I enjoyed reading about how Bogart and Bacall
met and fell in love.

BOGART: IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER gave me the impression
that Humphrey had no idea how to raise his children, but it
was clear that he did love them . . . Stephen Bogart now
appreciates this fact, too.

The book is a collection of stores from interviews conducted by Stephen. Who, after a battle with cocaine, removing the chip from his shoulder, and maturing, decided to find out who his fater was. The book is a fast read, has a few interesting stories, and the pics are good. Glad I checked it out of the library and didn't pay for it.

Well written but hardly engaging, Stephen Bogart descends to the predictable far too often. Open any section and the recipe will be identical: Fascinating anecdotes about Humphrey Bogart & mid-century Hollywood are sandwiched between massive slabs of "oh my daddy died and thats why life has been so hard for me me me!" The mantra of selfpity continues throughout. For those who blame their parents for the crippling hardship of adulthood (!) this is the book for you. Bogart fans will perhaps be less pleased - 2 stars for fluid prose & the bits which actually deal with Bogie, icon & man

Although there were some glaring errors in this book, I didn't find it that bad a story. Bogie comes across pretty realistic, and the sneak peaks that we get at big names is always fun in these books. This book's time frame is supposed to take place around the time that Bogart was filming the Maltese Falcon, and the story runs a parallel storyline to that great Dashiell Hammett story, only in this case they're looking for a missing cornucopia filled with priceless jewels. The stakes are high and before the missing artifact is found, three bodies are found. One of the killed was Bogie's and his wife Mayo's housekeeper so Bogie feels he must get involved in order to solve the mystery of who killed her in his house.