I love Bogart and Bacall films and raced through this book. It's really readable. I thought there was more on Bogart than Bacall - perhaps because he was older and had a longer career. The author drew lots of different sources together and incorporated some really interesting details. The scenes relating Bogarts illness and final days were heartbreaking. An interesting read for fans of the films and golden age of Hollywood

The Real Bogie and Bacall by Catherine Curzon is a fascinating, in-depth commentary on one of the most famous romances of all time, and one that I found very surprising for the wealth of facts and intrigue that I did not know. Absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to Pen & Sword | White Owl and Catherine Curzon for this awesome ARC . My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

A legendary love story navigating fame, adversity, and enduring passion against all odds.It was the Hollywood romance that warmed hearts and thrilled audiences, but the path to true love was littered with alcoholism, abandonment and bitter disappointments.Humphrey Bogart had crawled up the hard way, leaving behind a childhood without affection for a life as the idol of millions. Bogie’s road to stardom had been long and tough. With 3 marriages to his name and a reputation as one of the hardest drinkers in Hollywood, happiness was always fleeting.Lauren Bacall grew up in New York as the apple of her hard-working mother’s eye, dreaming of the limelight.Modelling by day and tearing tickets at night, when she was summoned to Hollywood to make a screentest, Betty Bacall grabbed it with both hands. There she became the vampish Lauren Bacall, a teenage nobody who would make her debut in To Have and Have Not opposite the quintessential Hollywood tough guy, Humphrey Bogart.

44yo Bogart and 19yo Lauren Bacall fell in love during the filming of To Have and Have Not (1944).Bogie and Bacall starred together in film noirs The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948). The couple had two children, Stephen and Leslie.

Humphrey DeForest Bogart(December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), starred in The Petrified Forest (1936), Dead End (1937), his big break was in High Sierra (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Dead Reckoning (1947).His first romantic lead role was a memorable one,as Rick Blaine, paired with Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942), which earned him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.His other noteworthy films included The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), In a Lonely Place (1950), The Caine Mutiny(1954),The Barefoot Contessa (1954),and Sabrina (1954).In 1951, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in The African Queen (1951).

Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924–August 12, 2014), aka Lauren Bacall,starred in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), Designing Woman (1957), and Written on the Wind (1956) etc. Bacall was one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

This is a very comprehensive history of bogey and bacall’s relationship and there was a lot of really interesting things that I did not know. I have always loved this couple and their old movies so I really appreciate it and very very impressed with the research

Departing from her usual focus on eighteenth and nineteenth century British history, Catherine Curzon brings her incredible skill with the written word to Hollywood and the twentieth century in her latest book. Exploring the romance between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in all of its highs and lows, Curzon explores their histories, beginning with their childhood and early career, their joint appearances in To Have and Have Not (1944), and their tumultuous, wildly glamorous, and successful romance after that film. Curzon seeks to honestly and realistically tell this story amidst the backdrop of the golden age of Hollywood, and she successfully captures the atmosphere and glamor of the period in this book. As in her other books, she captures characters, setting, and historical context in this incredible biography of two Hollywood stars and brings them and their romance to life for readers who may or may not be familiar with these two figures. The organization of the book by their lives and relationship into three acts is clever and creative, but it does make for long chapters that are slightly unwieldy for those who dislike long chapters. Another fascinating and vibrant book by Curzon, this is a must-read for fans of Hollywood and her other history books.

Humphrey Bogart, who endured a tough climb to stardom and battled alcoholism, found unexpected love with the much younger Lauren Bacall, a young model-turned-actress from New York. Despite his turbulent past and three failed marriages, Bogart's romance with Bacall, which began on the set of "To Have and Have Not," captivated the world. "The Real Bogie & Bacall" chronicles their unlikely yet enduring love story amidst the challenges and spotlight of Hollywood.

I have a fondness for “the Golden Age” of Hollywood and I’m always interested to learn more about the time. Humphrey Bogart is a well-known name, but I can’t say I knew much about him before I began reading. It was interesting to read about how he became an actor. I knew even less about Lauren Bacall, and it was fascinating how her path to her career was so different to that of her husband.

I’m always hesitant about love stories where there is a significant age gap, but it really did work for this couple. They supported each other in their careers and built a life together.

This is a book I would recommend to readers interested in the Golden Age of acting or are interested in learning about these two actors.

Thanks to Catherine Curzon, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book.


I love reading about learning more about my favorite Hollywood couple and the golden age of Hollywood. This was a fast paced and easy to read book. I but I wish betty had gotten more attention as well. Th book is split up into 3 acts with the first two following Bogie and Betty's lives separately from their births to right when they meet, and the third act follows them as husband and wife all the way to Bogie's passing. I really enjoyed this book

A COZY READ ABOUT A HOLLYWOOD POWER COUPLE

I have loved Golden Era Hollywood for ages; Lauren Bacall's wedding dress from How to Marry a Millionaire is my DREAM DRESS and I adore Casablanca, so of course I needed to read this book. It was a sweet love story against the odds and a cozy read, but I wish Bacall had gotten more attention than she did.

What I liked

👍 Vibe: I don't think I can get it any closer, there was just a cozy, relaxed vibe about this book that really took me in. I liked how thorough it was without getting bogged down by tedious facts or stories. It just felt easy.

👍 Hollywood: A subject that never ceases to fascinate me, Golden Era Hollywood. I watch the movies religiously and love the podcast You Must Remember This, but have not had much luck finding a book that gave me the same pleasure. This came extremely close to nailing what I was looking for, and it made me really happy.

What I didn't like

👎 Bacall: It may have been slightly due to the age difference, but Bogie got a lot more attention than Bacall in this book. Yes, he was 20 years her senior, but I would still have loved more back ground information about Bacall. And I would have loved her chapters to have been all about her. Sadly, Curzon had a habit of juxtaposing the two lovers in Bacall's chapters. She'd remark something about Bacall's life and then compare it to Bogie's - even though we'd just the read it in Bogie's chapters. The reader is smart enough to remember what we've just read. And sadly it meant even less attention to Bacall, who had an equally fascinating life.

This is a very comprehensive history of bogey and bacall’s relationship and there was a lot of really interesting things that I did not know. I have always loved this couple and their old movies so I really appreciate it and very very impressed with the research

While I loved Lauren Bacall's 1978 autobiography, written from her own point of view, to my surprise I found this account of my favorite love story of all time to be much more satisfying.

As a historian with a specialized interest in old Hollywood, author Catherine Curzon has the research chops to surround and permeate the story of Bogie and his Baby with needed context. Their story is enriched by knowing what was going on during the eras they lived in, as well as learning more about their relationships with friends, family, lovers, and the unique business that is the entertainment industry. Even the cities of New York and Hollywood are influential—and influenced—by this famous couple and are well-lit backdrops for Bogie and Bacall as they struggled with life choices while living in these entertainment-centric cities.

This larger scope brings so much more context to events and decisions that shaped Bogart and Bacall throughout their lives, forming them into two people instantly recognizable by anyone in America, and quite a few more globally.

Anyone who is intrigued as much as I am by this classic power couple, or by the early days of Hollywood, classic noir films, impossible relationships, or the cultural standards of decades past will find history coming to life in the pages of this excellent book.

My thanks to Catherine Curzon, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Bogie and Bacall were one of the great romances of Hollywood. This intimate view of where they came from an how love flourished gives readers a new insight to their relationship. Must read for anyone who wonders how two opposites can attract.