You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow. -Lauren Bacall as Marie ‘Slim’ Browning in To Have and Have Not (1944)
The “whistle” line from the scene above was Lauren Bacall’s most famous moment in film. The moment would jump start her extensive career. It’s a scene which is still sexy and electric and holds up to today’s libertine standards in the classiest of ways. It’s hard to believe Bacall was only 19-years old at the time, as she just oozes confidence and chews up the scene and, her leading man and future husband, Humphrey Bogart. The film is To Have and Have Not which was co-written by author William Faulkner based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name.
Sadly, the day after Robin Williams passed away, we lost another legend, in actress Lauren Bacall. Bacall suffered a massive stroke at her home in the Upper West Side in Manhattan. She was 89-years old at the time.
A superstar from the very beginning, Lauren Bacall, born Betty Joan Perske, was relentlessly imitated but never duplicated. She was truly one-of-a-kind, a goddess of film noir. Check out The Big Sleep (1946) and Key Largo (1948), two other noir films she starred with Bogart.
As a fashion icon, she radiated elegance, grace and glamour. As a femme fatale on the silver screen, the smoky-voiced siren knocked ’em dead. The actress was pure gold.
Lauren Bacall is survived by her son Stephen Humphrey Bogart, her daughter Leslie Bogart, and her son, actor Sam Robards. Our thoughts go out to her family, friends and fans.
- The New York Times: Lauren Bacall Dies at 89; in a Bygone Hollywood, She Purred Every Word
- Los Angeles Times: Lauren Bacall, legendary actress, dies at 89
- Wall Street Journal: Lauren Bacall Dies at 89
- CNN: Famed actress Lauren Bacall dies at 89
- NPR: Legendary Film Star Lauren Bacall Dies At 89
- Slate: Lauren Bacall Was Game for Anything, Even Getting Punched Out on The Sopranos
- Huffpost Style: 18 Times Lauren Bacall’s Style Was Absolutely Flawless
- Vanity Fair: Bogart & Bacall (1997 Book Excerpt)
- Slate: All 16 of the Icons Name-Dropped in Madonna’s “Vogue” Are Now Gone
- The Hollywood Reporter: Lauren Bacall (1924-2014): An Appreciation
- New York Magazine: Lauren Bacall Could Teach You a Thing or 2 About Style
- The New York Times: That Voice, and the Woman Attached
- The New Yorker: The Shadows of Lauren Bacall
- Entertainment Weekly: Lauren Bacall remembered: A video tribute
- Slate: The Designing Woman, The perfect career of Lauren Bacall—an exquisite beauty with the quickest mind in the room—in five films.
Rest in peace, #LaurenBacall. pic.twitter.com/FTKIDbxpxg
— AFI (@AmericanFilm) August 13, 2014
The SAG Awards is saddened to hear of the loss of Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall – http://t.co/JajKj1ZrmU pic.twitter.com/xLs2ptKRQZ — SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) August 13, 2014
In memory of one of the last great Hollywood icons: http://t.co/ha3iKNfa9k pic.twitter.com/y41HHesZS1
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) August 14, 2014
Lauren Bacall could teach you a thing or two about style: http://t.co/R93VwnqFwQ pic.twitter.com/G59wTrYIbT — New York Magazine (@NYMag) August 14, 2014
In an interview with ELLE, Lauren Bacall reminded us EXACTLY why she was such an icon: http://t.co/9i6SDe6Usr pic.twitter.com/5RVsFlua2A
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) August 13, 2014
