"Bogart", by A.M. Sperber and Eric Lax is the most comprehensive book on Humphrey Bogart that you will ever find. At 522 pages, it brings Bogart into focus - not just as a reluctant hero to millions, but as a human being with joy and sufferings just like all of us.
Born in New York on Christmas Day 1899, Humphrey was born to a prominent doctor father and children's artist mother. His childhood was not a happy one - his father had a violent temper and was not only an alcoholic but a morphine addict. His mother was undemonstrative and a bit neglectful of Humphrey and his two younger sisters. When the parents left the children in the care of servants, the three Bogart children were frequently abused by their caretakers.
As a teen Bogie would stage his own plays, starring his friends at Seneca Point, where the Bogart summer home was located. He lived for the summers when he could stage a show for the parents. A horrible student, it was only because of the Bogart name that Humphrey was accepted to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. However, he didn't do well and was eventually kicked out. However, after facing his parents and their shame, Bogie went to Brooklyn and enlisted in the Naval Reserves to fight in the war. By the time his stint for active duty came up, however, the war was just about over.
Bogie made his official stage debut in 1922 and never looked back. He consistently got work off-Broadway in mediocre plays, but Bogie loved every minute of it. Twelve years later, Bogie starred in his first film, "Midnight" from Universal Studios. No one noticed him or the movie. One year later Bogie was back on stage in New York, in "The Petrified Forest". The play received rave reviews and particular attention was paid to Humphrey Bogart's portrayal of Duke Mantee, the escaped convict.
Hollywood came calling again and this time signed Bogie to a contract at Warner Brothers Studio. "Forest" was being made into a film co-starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, and Bogie landed the part that made his name on Broadway. The film was a hit, but Bogie still struggled to break through on screen as a leading man. It was not until 1941, in "High Sierra", that Bogie was finally the leading man in a film.
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