Humphrey Bogart’s Childhood Life

Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957), nicknamed Bogie, was one of the most influential American film actors of the 20th century, best known for defining the tough, world-weary hero of classic Hollywood cinema. In 1999, the American Film Institute officially ranked him as the number one male star of classic American cinema.

Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born on Christmas Day 1899 in New York City, the eldest child of Belmont DeForest Bogart and Maud Humphrey. The name “Bogart” derives from the Dutch surname “Bogaert,” meaning “orchard.” Belmont and Maud married in June 1898. He was a Presbyterian, of English and Dutch descent, and a descendant of Sarah Rapelje (the first European Christian girl born in New Netherland). Maud was an Episcopalian of English heritage and a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland. Humphrey was raised Episcopalian but was non-practicing for most of his adult life.

Bogart’s father was a cardiopulmonary surgeon. His mother was a commercial illustrator who received her art training in New York and France, including study with James Abbott McNeill Whistler. She later became art director of the fashion magazine The Delineator and a militant suffragette. Maud used a drawing of baby Humphrey in an advertising campaign for Mellins Baby Food. She earned over $50,000 a year at the peak of her career – a very large sum of money at the time, and considerably more than her husband’s $20,000. The Bogarts lived in an Upper West Side apartment, and had a cottage on a 55-acre estate on Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York. When he was young, Bogart’s group of friends at the lake would put on plays.

Bogart had two younger sisters: Frances (“Pat”) and Catherine Elizabeth (“Kay”). His parents were busy in their careers, and frequently fought. Very formal, they showed little emotion towards their children. Maud told her offspring to call her “Maud” instead of “Mother,” and showed little, if any, physical affection for them. When she was pleased, she “[c]lapped you on the shoulder, almost the way a man does,” Bogart recalled. “I was brought up very unsentimentally but very straightforwardly. A kiss, in our family, was an event. Our mother and father didn’t glug over my two sisters and me.”

Bogart was teased as a boy for his curls, tidiness, the “cute” pictures his mother had him pose for, the Little Lord Fauntleroy clothes in which she dressed him, and for his first name. He inherited from his father a tendency to needle, a fondness for fishing, a lifelong love of boating, and an attraction to strong-willed women.

Bogart attended the private Delancey School until the fifth grade and then attended the prestigious Trinity School. He was an indifferent, sullen student who showed no interest in after-school activities. Bogart later attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, a boarding school to which he was admitted based on family connections.

Although his parents hoped that he would go on to Yale University, Bogart left Phillips in 1918 after one semester. He failed four out of six classes. Several reasons have been given; according to one, he was expelled for throwing the headmaster (or a groundskeeper) into Rabbit Pond on campus. Another cited smoking, drinking, poor academic performance, and (possibly) inappropriate comments made to the staff. In a third scenario, Bogart was withdrawn by his father for failing to improve his grades. His parents were deeply disappointed in their failed plans for his future.

30 Amazing Photos of a Young Evelyn Nesbit in the 1910s

Florence Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884, or 1885 – January 17, 1967) was an American artists’ model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her career in New York City, as well as her husband, railroad scion Harry Kendall Thaw, whose obsessive and abusive fixation on both Nesbit and the prominent architect Stanford White resulted in White’s murder by Thaw in 1906.

In the 1910s, Nesbit’s life was defined by a transition from being a passive figure in the “Trial of the Century” to an independent, though struggling, performer. After her husband was committed to an asylum for the 1906 murder of architect Stanford White, Nesbit found herself cut off from the wealthy Thaw family and forced to rebuild her life.

Between 1910 and 1912, Nesbit was a headliner on the Keith vaudeville circuit. While critics often noted her act relied more on her fame than raw talent, she drew large crowds as people flocked to see “the girl in the red velvet swing.” In 1913, she began a successful dancing partnership with Jack Clifford. Their popularity surged particularly after Harry Thaw escaped from his insane asylum that same year. In 1914, she published her first memoir, The Story of My Life, to capitalize on public interest and tell her side of the scandal. 

Nesbit gave birth to her only child, Russell William Thaw, in October 1910. She maintained that Harry Thaw was the father, though he vehemently denied it and the Thaw family used the dispute to cut her off financially. She finally divorced Harry Thaw in 1916. That same year, she married her dancing partner Jack Clifford, though the marriage was short-lived and he abandoned her by 1918.

Toward the end of the decade, she moved into the emerging film industry. She appeared in nearly a dozen silent films, including Redemption (1917), in which she acted alongside her son.

Despite earning significant money in vaudeville, she faced constant financial pressure as the Thaw family withheld her expected inheritance. During this decade, she also began a lifelong battle with morphine addiction and alcoholism. Evelyn Nesbit in the 1910s was essentially America’s first modern “famous for being famous” celebrity, trying (and often failing) to find a stable identity outside of the tragedy that made her a household name.

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Martine Carol: The Golden Venus of French Cinema

Before the world knew Brigitte Bardot, there was Martine Carol — the undisputed “Golden Girl” of post-war French cinema.

With her radiant blonde hair, hourglass figure, and captivating screen presence, Carol was the ultimate symbol of French glamour in the 1950s. She rose to international superstardom through her collaboration with director Christian-Jaque, most notably in the lush historical epic Caroline Chérie (1951), a role that defined her career and cemented her status as a national icon.

Carol’s beauty was legendary, often showcased in lavish, high-budget productions that favored her sophisticated yet provocative allure. Perhaps her most artistic achievement was starring in Max Ophüls’ masterpiece, Lola Montès (1955), where she delivered a poignant performance as a fallen courtesan.

Although her reign was tragically cut short by the changing tides of cinema and a troubled personal life, her legacy remains that of a quintessential star who brought light, color, and undeniable elegance to the silver screen during France’s cinematic golden age.

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35 Fascinating Photos of Ava Gardner in the 1940s

Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics’ attention in 1946 with her performance in Robert Siodmak’s film noir The Killers.

Gardner was discovered in 1941 after her brother-in-law, a photographer, displayed her portrait in his New York studio window. An MGM talent scout saw it, and she was quickly signed to a $50-a-week contract. For the first five years, she was virtually invisible. She appeared in over 15 films (including Shadow of the Thin Man and Du Barry Was a Lady) but usually as an uncredited “girl in the background” or “walk-on.” MGM put her through rigorous training to erase her North Carolina drawl, which was so thick that studio head Louis B. Mayer reportedly said, “She can’t act; she can’t talk; she’s terrific!”

Her career changed forever when she was loaned out to Universal for the film noir classic The Killers. Playing Kitty Collins, the sultry, double-crossing siren, she defined the “femme fatale” archetype. The image of her in the iconic one-strap black satin dress became legendary. Overnight, she was no longer just a “pretty face” on the lot; she was a major star. This success led to leading roles in films like The Hucksters (1947), starring opposite her childhood idol, Clark Gable.

Marketed by MGM as “The World’s Most Beautiful Animal,” Gardner was famous for her flawless bone structure and green eyes. Her 1940s signature style featured figure-flattering, tailored gowns that emphasized her 23-inch waist. For casual wear, she frequently wore white shirts and tea dresses with floral prints. She typically favored minimalist makeup and wore her dark hair in classic 1940s waves or shoulder-length curls.

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Beautiful Winter Scenes in the 1950s and ’60s Through Wonderful Color Slides

There is something profoundly magical about the winter landscapes of the 1950s and ’60s. Captured on Kodachrome film, the snow of this era feels purer, turning bustling city streets and quiet suburbs into serene, white wonderlands. In these decades, winter was a grand, tactile experience—children in heavy wool coats and colorful knit mittens spent hours building elaborate snowmen, while classic cars with their heavy chrome bumpers and rounded silhouettes navigated the slushy roads like steel giants.

The aesthetic of a mid-century winter was defined by a beautiful contrast: the cold, crisp blue of the outdoors meeting the warm, amber glow of frosted windows. From the vintage wooden sleds to the sight of neighbors shoveling driveways in fedoras and trench coats, every scene felt like a living Christmas card.

To look back at these snowy frames is to revisit an era of simple joys, where a heavy snowfall wasn’t just a weather event, but an invitation to slow down and embrace the quiet beauty of a world blanketed in white.

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Dany Robin: The Fragile Elegance of French Cinema

Dany Robin (1927–1995)was a quintessential French actress who enchanted audiences during the 1950s and 60s with her delicate beauty and gamine charm. Originally trained as a ballerina at the Paris Opera, she brought a unique sense of grace and poise to the silver screen, often being compared to a French Audrey Hepburn.

Robin became a prominent figure in French romantic comedies and dramas, most notably starring in Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Room Upstairs (1946) and the delightful Holiday for Henrietta (1952). Her international fame peaked when she was cast by Alfred Hitchcock in his spy thriller Topaz (1969), where she portrayed the sophisticated Nicole Devereaux.

With her soft features and impeccable style, Dany Robin remains a timeless symbol of the “Parisienne” spirit, radiating a blend of innocence and quiet sophistication.

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Amazing Photos From The Beatles Christmas Show of 1963

The Beatles’ Christmas Show of 1963 was a grand variety production conceived by their manager, Brian Epstein, who had long-held theatrical ambitions. Staged at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park, London, it marked the pinnacle of the band's breakthrough year in the UK.

The event was styled as a traditional British Christmas “pantomime,” blending musical performances with comedy sketches and variety acts. The residency ran for 16 nights, from December 24, 1963, to January 11, 1964, totaling 30 performances. The show featured multiple support acts managed by Epstein’s NEMS Enterprises, including Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and The Fourmost, as well as outside acts like Rolf Harris.

The Beatles appeared throughout the night, not just as the headliner. They participated in light-hearted, often “wooden” comedy skits between other acts, which were greeted with “uncontrolled hysteria” by fans. The band closed the show with a 25-minute set featuring nine songs: “Roll Over Beethoven,” “All My Loving,” “This Boy,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “She Loves You,” “Till There Was You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Money (That’s What I Want),” and “Twist And Shout.”

Two “warm-up” concerts were held in northern England, one in Bradford on December 21 and another in Liverpool on December 22, though these lacked the full costumes and sketches of the London production.

Demand was immense; all 100,000 tickets sold out within weeks of going on sale in October. After the opening night on Christmas Eve, the Beatles flew back to Liverpool on a private chartered flight to spend Christmas Day with their families, returning to London for the Boxing Day show.

The 1963 show was so successful that they did it again in 1964. However, by 1965, the band had grown tired of the “all-around family entertainer” image. They hated the hokey costumes and the lack of musical focus. As George Harrison later noted, they didn’t want to be “actors” in a pantomime; they wanted to be a rock band. After the 1964 run, they essentially retired from the variety show format to focus on their studio work and standard touring.

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