I understand Howard Hawks enjoyed talking to young people:
And, mentoring talent:
“We discovered Bacall was a little girl who, when she becomes insolent, becomes rather attractive. That was the only way you noticed her, because she could do it with a grin. So I said to Bogey, “We are going to try an interesting thing. You are about the most insolent man on the screen and I’m going to make this girl a little more insolent than you are.”
All kidding aside, The Guardian published an article back in February that encapsulates Hawks’ genius rather aptly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jan/15/howard-hawks-films-david-bromwich
I found these old photos of Nancy Gross (in the contemporary press she was referred to as a “free lance writer”) who would later be know as Slim Keith. She was the second of Mr. Hawk’s three wives. (As I hinted, fidelity wasn’t one of his strong suits.)
‘The love impulse in men frequently reveals itself in terms of conflict.” BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
Honeymoon in Cuba -1941
Exiting Divorce Court – 1948
Oh, the first picture and your accompanying text is saucily hilarious (the comment on his enthusiasm for “young people”: Genius :)) but the progression from the penultimate to the final photograph is so *sad*.
Hawks, at his best, *was* a great director. Thanks for the link!
Great director, a little bit of a crabapple of a person 😉
Great post, Vickie. Always appreciate these on this filmmaker. Would you mind if I forward the link to a blogger hosting a Howard Hawks Blogathon later this month?
Please do 🙂
Vickie speaks True! 🙂
Vick, thanks for the bit on the “insolent” way Hawks wanted to characterize Bacall because I read he based Bacall’s famous To Have and Have Not role on his wife, Slim, I was trying to find as much about her as I could, she must’ve been a knock-out.
Reports are she was captivating and also athletic and musical – when I was little I remember her speaking somewhere and being struck by how poised she was. Well, considering my age at the time I probably thought she looked like a princess or a queen 😉