Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942, dir. Michael Curtiz)

“Bogart’s response to the success of Casablanca was more typically sardonic. He enjoyed telling his fourth wife, Lauren Bacall, how Charles Enfield, the studio’s head of publicity, had the amazing revelation that the actor had sex appeal.

Says Bacall, ‘Bogie would say, ‘Of course, I did nothing in Casablanca that I hadn’t done in twenty movies before that, and suddenly they discover I’m sexy. Any time that Ingrid Bergman looks at a man, he has sex appeal.’”

-excerpted from The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II

Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart on their wedding day (1945, photo by Ed Clark for LIFE)

Bacall: “In the bathroom I could hear the start of the Wedding March. Oh God, why hadn’t they waited? Later George told me Bogie looked up and said, ‘Where is she?’ George’s romantic reply: ‘Hold it! She’s in the can!’ I emerged - [the piano player] started again - and George and I started our descent. My knees shook so, I was sure I’d fall down the stairs. Bogie standing there looking so vulnerable and so handsome - like a juvenile…

“When I reached Bogie, he took my hand - the enormous, beautiful white orchids I was holding were shaking themselves to pieces; as I stood there, there wasn’t a particle of me that wasn’t moving visibly…As I glanced at Bogie, I saw tears streaming down his face - his ‘I do’ was strong and clear, though. As Judge Shettler said, “I now pronounce you man & wife,’ Bogie and I turned toward each other - he leaned to kiss me - I shyly turned my cheek - all those eyes watching made me very self-conscious. He said, ‘Hello, Baby’. I hugged him and was reported to have said, “Oh, goody.’ Hard to believe, but maybe I did.”

“Everyone hugged and kissed everyone else and more tears were shed. Bogie said it was when he heard the beautiful words of the ceremony and realized what they meant - what they should mean - that he cried.”

-excerpted from By Myself and Then Some by Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall & “The Look”

“I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie. That was the beginning of The Look. It became my trademark.”

“Let’s face it: I want it all— just like you and everybody else. It may not be in the cards, but the prospect is so dazzling that I have to try.”

-Lauren Bacall 

Lauren Bacall in publicity still for The Big Sleep (1946, dir. Howard Hawks)

She was worth a stare. She was trouble.

She was tall and rangy and strong-looking. She had a good mouth and a good chin. There was a sulky droop to her lips and the lower lip was full. She had a drink. She took a swallow from it and gave me a cool level stare over the rim of the glass.

-Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (1939)

Art of the Pose #4 - Lauren Bacall (circa 1955, via)

“Baby’s a real Joe.”

-Humphrey Bogart on Bacall

Lauren Bacall (1944, photo by Bert Six)

The phone in the bedroom rang. I picked it up. It was Lauren Bacall. 

“I’ve been waiting for Tony for an hour,” Lauren said angrily. “Where the hell is he?”

“Lauren,” I replied, “you’re complaining to me because my husband is late for a date with you?”

“Well, dear,” she said, “If your husband doesn’t respect your marriage, why should I?”

“You’re absolutely right, Lauren,” I said, “He’ll be there in a few minutes. Look for a man with a bandaged head.’”

-Shelley Winters, in her autobiography The Middle of My Century. 

Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not (1944, dir. Howard Hawks) (via)

Q. How did the Bacall character in To Have and Have Not develop?

Howard Hawks: We discovered that she was a little girl who, when she became insolent, became rather attractive. That was the only way you noticed her, because she could do it with a grin. So I said to Bogey, “We are going to try an interesting thing. You are about the most insolent man on the screen and I’m going to make a girl a little more insolent than you are.”

“Well,” he said, “you’re going to have a fat time doing that.” And I said, “No, I’ve got a great advantage because I’m the director. I’ll tell you just one thing: she’s going to walk out on you in every scene.” So as every scene ended, she walked out on him. It was a sex antagonism, that’s what it was, and it made the scenes easy.

-excerpted from Howard Hawks: Interviews

Bogie & Bacall with the B17 “Hell’s Angels” of the 303rd Bombardment Group during the war bond tour (1944) (via)