Acque del Sud

The screen adaption of Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not enjoys its place in cinematic history because it is the first screen teaming of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Turns out to have been a personal milestone for the both of them as well.

I was watching my VHS copy of To Have and Have Not today and included was the movie trailer and in it Warner Brothers announced it was introducing two exciting new screen personalities, Lauren Bacall and Dolores Moran. Ms. Moran was pretty enough and gave a nice performance as the wife of the resistance leader, but some careers take off and some don't. Didn't hurt Lauren that she married her leading man either.

The location of our story is Martinique right after the fall of France in 1940. As a French colonial possession Martinique fell into the hands of the Vichy collaborationist government. They didn't get free of them until 1943, months after the Germans occupied all of France in November of 1942.

Humphrey Bogart is an expatriate American along the lines of his Richard Blaine character in Casablanca. He doesn't own a swank nightclub, he's just got a charter fishing boat that lives on and runs with an alcoholic pal, Walter Brennan. But like in Casablanca, a shooting in a nightclub of his client Walter Sande gets him involved with the local Vichy police and the politics of the island.

It also gets him involved with Lauren Bacall who's just looking for a way to get back to the USA. She's not above a little light fingered action to help herself, but all that does is get her introduced to Bogey. And their sizzling scenes made cinematic history.

To Have and Have Not is fortunate to have the presence of Hoagy Carmichael one of the greatest musical talents America ever produced. He plays Cricket, the club piano player and he sings and plays Hong Kong Blues one of his greatest songs. Hoagy also wrote for this film, How Little We Know, which Bacall sings for her supper.

Dan Seymour and Sheldon Leonard play a couple of especially smarmy Vichy police officials. They have the upper hand until the very end when tables get turned rather suddenly. The only two film I've ever seen something turn that quickly is John Ford's Wagonmaster and the Richard Widmark police drama, Madigan. You can only push Bogey just so far.

Even in revivals today when Lauren Bacall tells Bogey all he need do is whistle and she'll come running, the whistles of affection will go up in theater. As well they should.

Loosely based on Ernest Hemmingway's novel, To Have And Have Not features crisp dialogue, seamless direction from Howard Hawks and top tier acting. But be that as it may, the film is best remembered for the coupling of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who quickly took their on screen romance out into the real world. The rest as they say is history.

The story is set in the Caribbean city of Fort de France, Martinique, shortly after the fall of France to the Germans. Harry 'Steve' Morgan (Bogart) is a world wise fishing boat captain who is wanted to do a secretive people smuggle from a nearby island for the French Resistance. Initially very reluctant, Harry has to take on the job when a series of events leave him flat broke. Also into his life comes Marie 'Slim' Browning (Bacall), an American pickpocket who has come to the island more by default than design. So with his alcoholic pal in tow {Walter Brennan} and the Gestapo breathing down his neck, Harry has a whole heap of issues suddenly making his once neutral and tranquil life explosive.

Legend has it that Hemingway & Hawks were involved in a debate one day during one of their fishing trips in Florida. The out-shot of that argument was that Hawks proclaimed he could make a winner of a movie out of what he considered was Hemingway's worst novel, To Have & Have Not. Hawks duly delivered this hugely endearing, often funny and entertaining movie that is a lesson in on screen chemistry and finely tuned writing {Jules Furthman and William Faulkner}. The similarities to Casablanca are many, so in that, this is weak by comparison. In fact dig away the buzzing like atmosphere here and you find a pretty weak plot. But in its purest escapist form the film is a triumph. Savvy, sexy and not short on suspense, To Have And Have Not holds up to its classic status. 8/10

Well, was you? That's Eddie's (Walter Brennan) inexorable question all throughout "To Have and Have Not" to anyone within earshot. And it's only the 3rd or 4th best line in the movie. Seems there's this one line where one person tries to teach another person how to whistle. And another one after a passionate kiss when a gal tells a guy that it's even better when he helps. Duh! But I like what happens after yet another passionate smooch between Bogie and Bacall. She pulls away and says to him, "You need a shave," after which she immediately love-slaps his unshaven face. It's her way of telling him without words that she's attracted to him and she really doesn't give a good hoot whether he shaves or not.

By now, just about everyone knows that this movie is all about "Steve" (Humphrey Bogart) and "Slim" (Lauren Bacall). In their first movie together, the two exhibit an explosive chemistry rarely seen from any other actor-actress combo. As one watches the movie, with the great Howard Hawks putting the two thru their various paces, one simultaneously imagines the two of them falling in love offscreen -- which they did! -- just as they do in this movie. For more on this, I highly recommend Lauren's autobiography -- "By Myself." In that book, she talks about the two of them sneaking around to see each other like a couple of teenagers -- which she was! As I recall, Bogie was still married at the time -- though estranged from Mayo Methot.

As for "T H a H N," there are many other fine elements that make it well worth one's time. A pretty good storyline revolving around the Free French contesting the Vichy French (Nazi collaborators) in Martinique during the early days of World War II. A strong supporting cast much reminiscent of the one in "Casablanca." Great dialogue by novelist William Faulkner and Jules Furthman. Also, a strong musical score ("Am I Blue?" -- "How Little We Know" -- "Hong Kong Blues") by Hoagy Carmichael with a strong assist from Johnny Mercer.

In a very good Humphrey Bogart movie, which this certainly is, one would never suspect that a young ingenue actress, with little training or experience, could scene-steal from a polished veteran like Bogie. And I won't say that she does such in this movie. I do know that she did not want to and was not trying to (her autobiography). The fact is, however, that it took a star actor of Bogie's magnitude to keep Betty from dominating the screen with her earthy sex appeal and pure luminescence. Her sashay out of the bar in the last scene here is enough to make any man weak in the knees. No wonder Bogie tumbled! Both onscreen and off!

So ..... tell me, now ..... WAS you ever bit by a dead bee?

Most film fans know the famous bet made between Ernest Hemingway and legendary director Howard Hawks (SCARFACE, BRINGING UP BABY). Hawks claimed he could make a good film out of Hemingway's worst novel. He does and Hemingway hopefully paid up. The great author must have forgot the star power Hawks had in access to in Bogart and Walter Brennan because that is exactly what drives the film. They are backed by the writing of William Faulkner and the direction of Hawks, who is always able to have his actors deliver slick lines quickly and effectively to have the story run smoothly. Oh yeah, an actress named Betty Bacall makes her debut opposite these screen legends and makes what I consider the most auspicious debuts of any actress from the 1940's. She meshes well with Bogie, trading quips and matching her future hubby line for line. The real star of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is Howard Hawks, a director who could create comedy, suspense, and art amidst a rather dull story.

I never read Hemingway's novel, so I couldn't tell you whether it was his worst. I believe Hemingway made the gesture and Hawks showed him up. Notice touches of the previous year's all-time classic CASABLANCA (this time the owner of the foreign booze bar is the roulette manager from CASABLANCA). World War II is a backdrop, Bogie is a cynic with that heart of gold, and he helps his "rummy" buddy, played by Walter Brennan. Bogie helped the low-life likes of Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet in 'Blanca and in this one, his scenes with Brennan are comic relief. Brennan plays a funny drunk who is prone to spilling his guts after a few rums. Bogie's "Harry Morgan" rents his boat to rich Americans for fishing and will lend a hand towards the French war effort with his sailing skills much like his power to give the infamous "letters of transport" to Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid. Similarities aside, there is an original piece of work to see in this well-paced semi-thriller, with Bogie, Bacall, and Hawks to send them sailing into cinematic history.

"Just put your lips together and blow," will live in filmgoer's minds forever, as will the fact that Bogart and Bacall practically fall in love right in front of our eyes. A problem I had with the film was the annoying interference of the copycat (CASABLANCA) French police. Sorry, no Claude Rains to add some spice to it. I understand the movie contrasts starkly with the novel, depicting the characters at an earlier age. It is predictable and you know which girl is Bogart's. It is entertaining to see Walter Brennan squirm and tick as a hopeless alcoholic who can't seem to remember a conversation that took place 5 minutes prior. True, Hawks has no official writing credit, but the film has that Hawks touch because of the humor and genuine quality the main characters present. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is a picture to sit back and watch as brash, Hollywood filmmaking of the 1940's and a nice piece of classic Hawks who moved onto THE BIG SLEEP with Bogart and Bacall soon after. Its good but not the best of Hawks or Bogart.

RATING: 7 OF 10

This is almost a clone of the more-famous "Casablanca".....and almost as good! The film is very entertaining from the get-go with all three leading actors a lot of fun to watch. I am referring to Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Walter Brennan.

This was Bacall's first film. She was 19 years old, looked 30 and never looked better. Her face, at that time, was stunningly beautiful, mesmerizing at times. So is her dialog, capped off by the famous line, asking Bogart if he knows how to whistle. It isn't just the line, it's the way she says it.....and Bogart's reaction. Bogart is outstanding, just as he was in Casablanca. Same type of character: an apolitical American overseas who reluctantly winds up helping fight the Nazis. As for Brennan, normally I don't find drunks appealing, just sloppy and obnoxious. However, Brenenan is neither here; he''s simply fun to watch and someone you can't help but like. I think he was one of the more underrated actors of his time.

The story had a good blend of intrigue, action, suspense, comedy, beautiful women, great characters and great dialog. It''s too bad it has nowhere near the notoriety of Casablanca. It 's only a small notch below it.