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To Have and Have Not (1944)Pages: (1) (2) (3)Background To Have and Have
Not (1944) wasdirector Howard Hawks'wartimeadventuremasterpiece - a
minor filmclassiclooselybased uponpart of Ernest Hemingway's 1937 novel
of the samename. Jules Furthman and William Faulknerpartnered their
talents to write thescreenplay, retaining some of thesharp dialoguefrom
thebook.Warner Bros. Studiosdecided that it needed a sequel in an exotic
locale to follow up theirearlier success of Casablanca (1942), so they
chose thissimilar vehicle withcomparable ingredients: an exoticlocale in
the Caribbean (WWII Martinique), an unmarried ex-patriate American (a
charter-boatcaptainwho is tough,sardonic, andpolitically apathetic - at
first), aromanticloveinterest tocreate on-screen electricity, Free
French (Gaullist) resistance fighters, a Vichy/Gestapopolicecaptain, a
cafe/bar and apiano player.And this film paired an unhappily-married
Humphrey Bogart and young Lauren Bacall for thefirsttime (this was Lauren
Bacall's startling moviedebut at 19 years of age),leading to one of
Hollywood'smost enduringromances. The coupleactually fell inlove
togetherwhilemakingthe film - and weremarried shortly afterwards in
1945. Taglinesadvertised Bacall as a self-reliantleadwho could play
opposite Bogey: "The ONLY kind of woman forhis kind of man." Their
palpablechemistry and electricity is sizzling as their relationship
rapidlyheats up (on-screen andoff-screen), and they affectionately call
each other "Slim" and "Steve." [Hawks' andhis wife'spet nicknames for
each other were Slim and Steve.] The film wasalso thefirsttime that
Bogart worked with Hawks - Bogart and Bacall were further teamed together
in Hawks' follow-up film The Big Sleep (1946), a version of Raymond
Chandler'sfirst Philip Marlowe novel.