Bert & Morty

In the summer of 1966, actor Jason Robards Jr – husband of Lauren Bacall, was booked on charges of disturbing the peace. Robards was put under a citizen’s arrest by actor Jon Hall after Hall found him and a friend running around his backyard extremely intoxicated, “apparently trying to play Tarzan”. The pair had an enormous Great Dane dog with them that they allegedly tried to get to attack Mrs. Hall by ordering it to “sic”. The dog though merely wagged it’s tail and was not a threat. Robards and his friend were arrested and held in jail a few hours before posting $110 each for bail.

Source: Robards Arrested for Tarzan Caper, Lawrence Journal-World, Aug 22 1966, Page 2
Photo: Corbis

In 1947 Kirk Douglas starred in a Broadway revival of the play Heaven Can Wait. This was very early in his career and perhaps he was still nervous because he discreetly placed a picture of his good luck charm in one of the scenes of the play. Kirk Douglas’ good luck charm was Lauren Bacall. He used to be a waiter in a restaurant she frequented. Lauren told Warner Bros. producer Hal Wallis about him, who signed him to a contract and the rest is history. Kirk went on to have a long and successful career.

Source: Cornel Wants His Wife in ‘Arms aand the Man’, The Miami News, Dec 11 1947, Page 36

In 1957 a group of millinery designers compiled a list of the Top 10 Best “Hatted” Women in America. There’s some familiar faces from Hollywood along with a few lesser known ones. Here they are, in no particular order.

Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower (First Lady): She just naturally loves hats and has made women all over the country, hat conscious.
Mrs. Ivy Baker Priest (US Treasurer): She proves that a woman can be feminine and charming and still have a brilliant career
Arlene Francis (TV Star): She is typical of a group of young and lovely women in New York’s stage and television field who consistently demonstrate the charm and effectiveness of a press hat.
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (Socialite): She is one of the most beautiful women in New York society, and she knows how to do justice to a hat.
Mrs. Cyrus McCormick (Socialite): She epitomizes the chic that a mature American woman can achieve by taste and intelligence.
Lauren Bacall (Actress): She not only has a beautiful face, but she has a flair acquired early in her career as a New York fashion model. She knows that the right makeup and hairdo are necessary to do justice to a beautiful hat.
Joan Crawford (Actress): Can you think of anyone who could do more for a hat?
Mary Bothwell (Canadian Soprano): She epitomizes the chic that a mature American woman can achieve by taste and intelligence.
Mrs. Titus Haffa (Chicago Hostess): Her whole personality is so colorful and dramatic. Unlike most women who think of hats as accessories, she builds an entire costume around an exciting hat.
Audrey Hepburn (Actress): She has set a new style in young, natural charm – and she knows how to wear a hat.

Source/Photo: Hatters Select Their Favorites, The Southeast Missourian, Apr 19 1957, Page 12

Lauren Bacall says the day she married Humphrey Bogart she ceased to be a child, at least in the eyes of the law. The 20-year-old actress petitioned superior court to revise a movie contract containing provisions for her protection as a minor. She presented the argument that under California law when a girl marries, if she is over 18 and under 21, she legally becomes an adult.

She asks a refund of 10 percent held from her salary for savings. Her petition also asks dissolution of a trust fund, created for her mother, Mrs. Natalie Bacall, under which another 10 percent of her earnings were impounded.

Miss Bacall and Bogart, 45, were married May 21.

Source: Lauren Bacall Says She’s Legally Adult, The Evening Independent, Aug 2 1945, Page 5
Photo: Planet Barbarella

1944