Takeaways from Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes and a Q&A with Stephen Bogart
November 30, 2024
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to see Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes (2024) at the Laemmle in Los Angeles. To my surprise, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s son, Stephen, was in attendance for a short Q&A after the screening. (Director Kathryn Ferguson was initially slated to attend, and I was excited to hear her speak, but she unfortunately cancelled after falling ill.)
Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes differs from other Bogie documentaries in one key way: The movie explores the legend through his relationship with the women in his life. It also unfolds largely in Bogart’s own words—voiced through his correspondence and writing, I assume—which was a nice touch. (I must say at first I was worried this was achieved through AI, but happily, I saw voiceover actors credited at the end.)
“When Kathryn came to us, the whole point of it was to do something different, not the cookie cutter documentary that most people do,” Stephen Bogart said. It was something he never thought to do—and he AND his mother, Lauren Bacall, produced documentaries on his father. While I certainly know of Bogart and his work, I wasn’t too well-versed in his life—and certainly not his wives—so I found this a fascinating way to frame a classic film icon whose career has already been covered fairly widely in the media.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall with son Stephen and daughter Leslie in the early 1950s.
Here’s some of my biggest takeaways from the documentary and the Q&A afterwards.
The Biggest Surprises: Basically All of the Wives Except Lauren Bacall
Bogart and Bacall are arguably one of classic Hollywood’s most famous couples. I was also aware of Bogart’s marriage to Mayo Methot (1938-1945)—but I thought they were married in the early 1930s, closer to the peak of her movie career, and not into the 1940s. While the movie covers various events that gained them the nickname of “The Battling Bogarts,” I had no clue how violent Methot was—mainly, that she stabbed Bogart AND shot at him.
Bogart and Mayo Methot on their wedding day in 1938.
I was completely clueless when it came to Bogart’s first two wives, Broadway star Helen Menken (1926-1927) and actress Mary Philips (1928-1937). The movie surveyed the different ways each woman influenced Bogart, from Menken helping open the door to Bogart’s career on stage, to Philips nurturing his craft as he moved to Hollywood, to the key role Methot played in propelling Bogart’s rising stardom.
For all of them, marriage was secondary to their careers—except for Bacall, which was the one that stuck. They were together from 1945-1957, when Bogart passed away.
Bogart and first wife Helen Menken in the 1920s.
Bogart’s Mother
But the first woman in Bogart’s life was his mother, Maud. Bogart grew up with two distinguished parents—his father was a surgeon and his mother was an accomplished illustrator and suffragist. (She even used baby Humphrey as a model in ads she did, which I actually had heard of!) Apparently, she was also the breadwinner of the family for many years, and very dedicated to her work—almost obsessively so.
Bogart did not recall much warmth or affection in their relationship. After he was expelled from school and clearly not destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, his parents showed him the door. Their tough love propelled him to join the Navy and certainly influenced him down the road.
Bogart and his mother, above. Below, you see why his mom used baby Bogart in ad campaigns!
How Did Louise Brooks Know So Much?
Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes featured zero modern day talking heads—interviews recorded specifically for this documentary, which were few and far between, were presented as voiceovers. This was a creative choice I loved because it made for a more seamless narrative. The film also featured several stars talking about Bogart—some on video, like old interviews, and others through voiceover actors reading, I assume, personal letters or the like they had written about Bogart. The biggest surprise here for me was how much silent star Louise Brooks contributed—and how much she knew about all of Bogart’s wives! I guess they were close friends, but I would like to know more about this relationship, please.
Bacall with Leslie and Stephen after Bogart's death.
The Q&A: Stephen Bogart’s Involvement
While Stephen Bogart was a fan of Ferguson’s work and got to know her well enough to give her the OK to make this film, he wasn’t very involved in the production process. While she did have access to some of his archives and videos, he wasn’t sure at first how she’d put it all together, especially since they aren’t many people alive anymore who knew his father. It ended up turning into something different than he imagined, something pleasantly fresh. “It was stunning to me how good it was,” he said.
What Were Some of His Biggest Discoveries?
“I’ve been living this whole thing my whole life,” Stephen laughed. He’s gone through the archives so many times, so there weren’t any stories that surprised him, but there were a few he didn’t know about. (Mainly, Louise Brooks and some of the other people who “spoke” and why his father joined the Navy.) Mostly, he was surprised—pleasantly—by the unique way Ferguson crafted the documentary.
Bogart and his second wife, Mary Phillips.
What He Thought of Some of His Father’s Marriages
Stephen felt that his father really loved Mary Phillips, his second wife. When he moved to California for his career, he wanted her to stay and start a family with him, but she ultimately wanted to star on Broadway.
His mother came into the picture when his father was still married to Mayo Methot, and at that time, he just wanted to settle down. Bacall actually didn’t like Bogart at first—her own words! Leslie Howard was more her type. (Ironically, their second child was named Leslie after Howard, as Bogart was close friends with him before he died in 1943.)
After being married to three actresses, his father didn’t want to get married if Bacall intended to continue with her career. Ultimately, they did—and she kept working. He also didn’t expect to have kids at that point, either, but she wanted him to have kids. “Thankfully, they had at least one!” Stephen joked.
What Memories the Film Unlocked About His Parents
Stephen was brutally honest with this question. His father died when he was eight and was away a lot when he was young, so he didn’t get to know him very well. “So I look at him, when I see him, as an actor—which is maybe weird, I don’t know, but I don’t look at him as, ‘Oh wow, there’s my father,’” he said. “I think that ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m his son.’ And here we are 67 years later, that’s crazy.”
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