Humphrey Bogart Was the Coolest Guy Ever!

Born December 25th, in 1899, Humphrey Bogart would have been 110 years old this coming Friday, Christmas Day. However, due to a lifetime of hard drinking and smoking, he died in 1957 of "Chronic AWESOME!"

Bogie was born to a surgeon father and a successful commercial-illustrator mother. He was stricken by the acting bug early and we're all the better for it.

Bogart was the last of the "Real Men" out there. It's been down-hill on the testosterone front ever since he left.

From "Petrified Forest" to "High Sierra" to "Maltese Falcon" to "Casablanca" to "To Have and Have Not" to "Key Largo" to "The African Queen" to "The Caine Mutiny" to "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" to "Dark Passage" to "The Big Sleep" to "The Desperate Hours". In any one of his nearly 80 films, he's the guy you want to be.

Even when things didn't work out that well for his character, Bogie took it like a man and showed us how.

This is one of those biographies I write, where I'm not sure what to say. It seems everyone should already know everything there is to know about this icon. I feel I'd be repeating myself.

But, like all the bios I do here, the real purpose is for introducing myself by showing you who my heroes are.

Here's a cool tribute someone put on YouTube. Lot's of great Bogie quotes too. Maybe I can say it best by letting him say it.



Another great image. No one ever got Bugs Bunny nervous...Yosemite Sam and his guns, giant Russian bears, huge Mexican bulls...no body ever blew Bugs' cool. Except Bogie...and Lauren "Baby" Bacall...

Thanks Bogie. I got nothing to say. Tongue-tied at a guy who's been dead since 6 years before I was even born. I'll always love your films.

Here's lookin' at you.

CHRISTMAS BONUS:

Yes, Bogie was in a Christmas film. "We're No Angels" with Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Basil Rathbone and Leo G. Carroll

It's about 3 escaped convicts from Devil's Island (Bogart, Ray and Ustinov) who attempt to murder and rob a shopkeeper and his family (Carroll) until they see that he is the victim of something much worse, poverty. The three then commence to provide a Christmas the family won't soon forget.

It's a heart-warming comedy without any undue holiday schmaltz. You owe it to yourself to see it.

Here's a quick preview: