The Magnificent Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall died yesterday at the ripe old age of 89.  She was the seductive costar of  a number of classic 1940's movies with Humphrey Bogart, the most memorable of which (in my opinion) was 'To Have and Have Not'.  She married Bogart after this movie and had a story book romance with him until he died in 1957.  She had a husky voice and bedroom eyes, but what came out of her mouth was insightful and irreverent and for 1944 you really have to admire her.  Of course, her characters were riding high on the wave of feminine power that came with WWII, when the men were all "Over There" and the women were working with heavy machinery in factories across America. None-the-less, she created classic and memorable characters that no one should miss seeing.

My favorite line from 'To Have and Have Not' is:
"You know Steve, you're not very hard to figure, only at times. Sometimes I know exactly what you're going to say. Most of the time. The other times... the other times, you're just a stinker."  

Her character really had a way with words.

It is poignant to reflect on her death vis-a-vis the death of another celebrity this week, Robin Williams.  While his death felt premature and tragic, hers feels like a healthy one.  It was only a month ago that I watched 'Ernest and Celestine', an animated French movie that she did the voicing of the unlikable and controlling nun at the mouse orphanage who was known as 'The Grey One'--she worked up to the end, and she was wonderful at it.

 It is surreal to have an icon of the 1940's die in such close proximity to the comedic superstar of my childhood, but like Robin Williams, Ms. Bacall left a behind a rich body of work that will live on for future generations to enjoy.