Where Are They Now?: Lauren Bacall
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Hannah
in "The Mirror Has Two Faces"
Talk about a big name co-star. When it was announced that Lauren
Bacall had been cast as Barbra's mother, Hannah, in The
Mirror Has Two Faces, movie fans around the world cheered.
Here was one of the most glamorous film stars of the twentieth
century being teamed up with the most famous star of more recent
times in a film that explores mother-daughter relationships. The
casting couldn't have been more perfect. And as it turned out,
Barbra Streisand directed this legendary actress to her first,
and to date, only Oscar nomination, not to mention a Golden
Globe win. Quite an accomplishment for both women.
 But
Barbra and Lauren Bacall go way back - to the 1960s, in fact.
Bacall and husband Jason Robards celebrated with Barbra at the
opening night cast party for Funny Girl at the Rainbow
Room in 1964. During that evening, Bacall was interviewed and
had nothing but glowing things to say about Barbra's overall
talents and of her performance as Fanny Brice. Who knew then how
successfully their paths would cross some thirty-two years
later.
 Bacall,
of course, is the definition of a show-biz legend. Her marriage
to Humphrey Bogart is the stuff of Hollywood lore. Their
on-screen chemistry gave Tracy and Hepburn a run for the money (Key
Largo, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, to
name a few). Her films are all classics, as are some of
the sultry lines she delivered to Bogie in front of the cameras
("You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your
lips together and blow" - To Have and Have Not, 1944).
Lauren Bacall
has written two autobiographies (Barbra, take note), and like
Barbra, has been a friend of US Presidents. The photo of Bacall
serenading President Harry Truman in 1945 has become one of the
iconic images of the twentieth century.
Though her singing voice is not what one would automatically
consider to be Broadway caliber, Bacall somehow managed to win
the Tony award as Best Actress in a musical - not once, but
twice! She won awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman
of the Year in 1981. She was that good.
Lauren Bacall is a long time resident of New York and at 81,
shows no signs of slowing down. Her next picture, These
Foolish Things, is due out this year.
So, we applaud Lauren Bacall's career, her longevity and her
versatility.
And we applaud Barbra for recognizing a class act. |
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