Actress LAUREN BACALL has died at age 89, according to the HUMPHREY BOGART Estate. With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall, the Bogart Estate said in a statement. Unconfirmed reports say her cause of death was a stroke. Bacall was signed by Warner Bros. in 1943 and went on to become a scene-stealing star in movies alongside the likes of MARILYN MONROE, ROCK HUDSON, and Bogart, whom she later married. In 2010, Bacall received a Life Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. True Story: Many years ago when I still lived in New York, I went with several of my National Shakespeare Conservatory classmates to see HAROLD PINTERs latest, Betrayal. Because we were all poor and students, and the play was still in previews, we received discount tickets from school. The play starred ROY SCHEIDER, BLYTHE DANNER, and RAUL JULIA, and I was so excited to see these greats practice their craft. I got there late--per my usual--and as I walked toward the box office, I noticed a tall, slender, elegant woman in an ankle-length fur coat (It was winter in the city and cold.). After picking up her ticket, she turned and looked right at me and then went into the theater. It was Lauren Bacall. When I met my friends in the balcony, I told them that Bacall was in the audience, and I made up my mind at the first intermission to head to the lobby to see if I could find her again. I was seldom starstuck, but she and Bogey had been favorites since my Saturdays of watching old black and white movies on Movie Matinee with my mom. You know how to whistle, dont you, Steve? I remember her cooing. You just put your lips together and... blow. What gay boy wouldnt swoon over a line like that? I hurried to the lobby, but after several futile searches through the tony crowd, I gave up. I couldnt find her anywhere. I was about to head back to the balcony, defeated, when I turned a corner and bumped right into the lady herself. She held a shot glass of some bronze-color liquor, and despite my jarring her, she didnt spill a drop. I stammered my apology. Im--Im--Im so sorry, I sputtered. She quickly assessed the damage and chuckled, No harm done. And thats when I did something Ive never done before or since. I asked a very ballsy and completely uncharacteristic question. Uh, Miss Bacall... are you looking for a kept man? I shocked myself with my own boldness. I may even have gasped. What could have possessed me? Had I suffered some kind of head trauma in our tiny collision? I waited, breathlessly, for her to point her finger, accusingly, at me, and then have two goons drag from the building. But after a moment, she threw her head back and let go that deliciously throaty laugh of hers. No, she said finally, But if I do, darling, I know who to call. With that she blew me a kiss and slinked away. True story. Good night, Betty. Ill continue to wait for your call.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 01:20:55 +0000
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