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Lauren Bacall Delivered “The Look” and the Goods at the Nasher Salon Series

When Hollywood was legendary and the studio system was turning out the likes of Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant, a teenage Lauren Bacall was catapulted to film royalty thanks to her captivating looks, one-of-a-kind voice, sultry acting, and marriage to Humphrey Bogart, the leader of the infamous Holmby Hills Rat Pack (predecessor to Frank Sinatra‘s Rat Pack).

Last Thursday she held court at the Nasher Sculpture Center as part of the Nasher Salon Series. Arriving for a lunch with a full room of guests, she surprisingly was upstaged by her companion — Sophie, (pictured with, from the left, Lauren Bacall, Jeremy Strick, and Michael Cain) an adorable and extremely well-manned Papillion. But, no fear of female jealousies. Bacall actually enjoyed the attention that Sophie received. Once seated at Table #1 with Nasher Director Jeremy Strick and old friends Karla and Liener Temerlin (pictured with Nancy Nasher Haemisegger in center),  Sophie sat in her owner’s lap and never raised her nose above the table. Obviously, this wasn’t Dakota-living Sophie’s first rodeo. However, later as Bacall talked to the room of guests, Sophie (pictured) decided that Jeremy was her lap of choice and sat patiently. That Jeremy just has a way about him.

Leave it to the Nasher folks to set the luncheon up perfectly. With B&W movies from Bacall’s past on two of the walls and framed pictures of the lady on each table, it almost made you wish you had brought your autograph book. One table of enthusiastic fans insisted on having their group photographed around the picture centerpiece.

But once she arrived and sat down, everyone controlled their enthusiasm and made it through lunch waiting for her discussion with Dallas Film Society Chairman of the Board Michael Cain.

Poor Michael was just a tad bit apprehensive about the chat. Seems that he had gone a couple of rounds with the sharp as a tack lady when she was in town a couple of years ago for the AFI Dallas International Film Fest. Like Harriet Hubbard, the lady suffers no fools.

The lunch bunch including Dallas Film Society‘s Tanya Foster at one table and Carmelita Whiteley with Barbara Daseke (pictured right with Carmelita Whiteley) at another was thrilled to have such a icon of the great days of movies among them. She didn’t let them down. Her talk was filled with nuggets from the golden days of Hollywood with personal feelings interjected throughout.

Then it was back to her hotel with Sophie to rest up for the evening’s talk.

Just past 7 it was a return to the Nasher. With red carpet once again waiting at the curb, the black limousine pulled up and out came the girls. Sophie in her finest fur and Bacall with little if any makeup in black. No, she isn’t the teenage “Slim” from To Have and Have Not, but darn it if she doesn’t still have “The Look.” Graciously, she and Sophie posed for pictures with the VIP guests (pictured right Dr. Joanne Stroud with Lauren Bacall) and chatted with each of them.

Then it was time to go downstairs for the talk. As she entered the room, the sellout crowd gave her a standing ovation. Or, rather, gave her and Sophie a standing O.

Michael once again girded his loins to interview Bacall. With cards in hand, his plan was to go through the questions in chronological order. That evidently didn’t fit Bacall’s plan. He had to reshuffle his cards. Then he asked about her romantic relationship with Bogart that started during the filming of To Have and Have Not.

Whoa!

The Look was not a happy one. She corrected Michael that she and Bogie did not have any type of romantic relationship during the filming of the movie: “He was married.”

Michael looked nervous.

He asked if it was true that for her first movie, Howard Hawks gave her a choice of either Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart as her leading man.

She looked a bit shocked instructing Michael that she was not in a position to choose anything. . . “I was too scared.” Looking at Bacall now, it was hard to believe that she’d ever had a nervous Nellie moment.

Michael then asked about a string of her various “leading men” including Woody Harrelson. Mistake. . . big mistake!

“Take him out of that list! Woody Harrelson? That is a lulu,” she demanded. Later she diplomatically said she liked him (Woody), but …

At this point in the cat-and-mouse game, Michael was on the verge of tossing the cards and just letting nature takes its course. Instead he decided to simply forgo the chronological order and just chat. Wise decision. That is until he asked if it was true that Bette Davis was her role model.

Screech of brakes.

She questioned his use of the expression “role model.” After getting the definition of role model clear in her mind, she concluded, “I wanted to be Bette Davis (as an actress), but not live her life!. . . No one had what Better Davis had. She was surprising.”

In passing, Michael mentioned that guests might like to read her “book.” Like a schoolmarm correcting a student in front of class, she let him know the word should have been “books.”

At this point, Michael wisely decided to let the lady have her head and answer questions from the audience:

• On her recent Lifetime Achievement Oscar: “There’s so many awards. There are awards for breathing. But I figure, what the hell. If it’s for me, it can’t be that bad.”
• “Did she have a song with Humphrey Bogart? Bogie’s song was That Old Black Magic, but “he had no taste when it came to music.”
• On George W. Bush and current trends in art/writing/etc.: “I think people are affected by events and government. For eight years, we had a government that couldn’t even spell the word ‘art.’ There was no appreciation of the arts in those eight years. George W: one of the great brains of our age.”
• Is there somebody she would love to work with? “Unfortunately, most of them are dead.”
• She momentarily reflected on the days of the big studios. “It was the best time for quality movies. Solid, wonderful projects. … The standards were higher in those days. … Today stars run it, with the big salaries.”
• On the Australian actors: “The Australians have taken over. Cate Blanchett. Nicole. Hugh Jackman. I’m a groupie for Hugh Jackman.”  Like talking with old friends, she looked into the audience and asked if they had seen him in the The Boy From Oz. . . “You’ve got to see him in it!”
• She was astounded that no in the room knew who Louis Bromfield was.
• “I was once told, ‘Always be with people who know more than you.’ So what am I doing here?”

Then just as Michael was getting ready to close the evening’s program, one more question arose from the audience: “Next time you’re in Dallas, will you talk about Frank Sinatra?”

“The Look” froze. OMG, did the person not know the history behind Bacall and Sinatra? Well-read Photoplay and Walter Winchell devotees of the 50′s raised eyebrows and prepared for a Bacall bashing. Would Bacall order Sophie to tear the questioner’s throat out?

“Why would I want to talk about him?” she said with feathers obviously ruffled. Then she settled back in her chair and the “Look” changed to be like a Persian cat appearing to have just swallowed a very plump canary. “He was very good when he sang,” she purred.

Only problem of the night was the staging of the event. Unlike 79-year-old Robert Duvall‘s recent appearance in which he sat in a high chair on stage, 86-year-old Bacall sat in a low chair. This change of staging was probably due to the staff’s concern for her comfort and safety. However, guests in the back of the room found it a bit challenging to see her on the stage, with some resorting to standing along the sides of the room for a better view.

That situation should be easily remedied for the next Nasher guest — Gladys Knight, who will be interviewed by KLUV’s Jody Dean on June 17. Tickets go on sale May 2 at 8 a.m. and remember Nasher Sculpture Center Patron Members get a nice discount on tickets.