Humphrey Bogart died 50 years ago this month, and he is still the toughest guy to have graced the silver screen. Like this article in mywesttexas.com states, they just don’t make movie stars like they use to. I don’t know of any current star that can tie the shoes of the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, or the like. There is not one. They may think they can, but that’s just narcissistic of them–they don’t compare.
The America of the silver screen era was a very different one than we have today. When people went to the movies they paid to see a star that “was bigger than life.” They expected no less…and they got it. What gets me is, that it wasn’t that one star was bigger than the other, they, for the most part, were equally grand. You can count the good ones today on your hand. And when you do find the one today, they stand out from the rest in big way. It was not like this in old Hollywood.
I am going to go one step further than this article, yes, these stars looked tough, in control, gruff, and may not have been physically imposing by today’s standards, but it took an act like their’s to make us believe, that even a 5′ 8″ , 150 lb Humphrey Bogart was a tough guy that you wouldn’t mess with. Think about it, many of these tough guy types played tough roles right into their 50′s. Does that happen today? Ah, no.
The problem today is that Hollywood worships youth and beauty, and undermines talent. You might argue that old Hollywood did the same. Maybe. But thank goodness that more often than not, old Hollywood wanted talent rather than youth and beauty. That’s because old America demanded it. Period.
One Response to “Bogie–Still Toughest Guy In Hollywood”
I would say that there are still “tough” guys in Hollywood that are playing these roles into their 50s, such as Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford, but are they as glamorous and sophisticated?
Guys like Bogie or his director friend John Huston were a guys guy. They drank, smoke, went on animal hunts, and could do it with a sense of class.
You are right. I don’t think there are many contemporary actors that compare to someone like Bogie.
Dear Old Hollywood