The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-08-26
BOgart
Pinch-Hits For
SObOI
BY HUMPHREY BOGART
Writing This Column While SObOl
Is On Vacation

1uSG LlL1S, G1l11Ap DIG 4CSASUVSS
that I was her son.
81 will read the reviews to
you" she said.
I sat up in bed and listened and
as she read them I wished that !
had never heard of the play called
swiftly" by John Peter Toohey.
For Alexander Woollcott said:
THE young man who embodied
the aforesaid Sprig was what
might mercifully be described as
inadequate" He referred to the
juvenile, Bogart. And Alan Dale
was no less enthusiastic. Said he:
''Mr. Bogart gave some rather
trenchant examples Of bad act
ing" Another reviewer whose
name I can't remember was GER
tain that I was not only mediocre
but terrible.
$50 you're an actor, mother
said.
Mother never wanted me to
be an actor, / don't know what
plans she had for my future
when on Christmas Day in the
year 1900 was born in SlOan'S
Maternity Hospital in New York
city. I was too young at the
time to ask her. Perhaps she
thought / would be a surgeon
like my father, Belmont DefOr-
est BOgart. Or maybe she fig
ured would be as clever as my
grandfather was. He was the
first fellow to figure out how to
Autograph on tin and made q
lot of money out of the idea. If
she had any such thoughts, 1
have failed her miSerably.
know nothing about tin except
that it is something used in the
making of beer cans.
If there hadn't been a war, !
might have gone, like Enrol Flynn,
to New Guinea to mine gold and
fight head hunters. Or I might
have knocked out Philadelphia
Jack O'Brien in one round. Being
no longer a student of Phillips
Academy, where my father was
remembered with pride, I couldn't
go home -. So I joined the Navy
The Navy is a good place for
a man who hates work. I am
that kind of a man and I Jared
well for two years, spending my
days figuring out ways to escape
labor of all kinds.
After I was discharged, my
longing for the sea won me
job as tug and lighter inspector
for the Pennsylvania Tug and
Lighterage Company. AS this re-
quired the expenditure of GER
tain amount of energy was soon
seeking other employment.
Father had a number of crate
tAl patients. One of them sent
me to the brokerage firm OF
StrGuS and Company tOith a
strong letter OF recommended
ton. 1t must haze been a good
letter because tDGS made head
of the purchasing department.
Like a Horatio Alger hero / tOGS
on my DGy to the top.
/ haze Gl1DGyS liked to sleep
late. think that is tDhy /
turned to the theGter after I wGS
fired for failing to get to t0ore
on time.
We lived around the corner
from William Brady and I grew
up with William, Jr. Wher
Straus and Company needed their
purchasing department head nc
longer, I felt that the Brady
family should do something tc
keep a member of the Bogari
family off the streets. Young
William took me to his fathers
office and prevailed upon the
old man to give me q job as
office boy. A Brady office boy
must be active, so after two
weeks I was promoted to the
position of studio manager. pro
duction manager and casting di
rector for the Brady picture" en-
terprises, engaged at the moment
in producing a film called Life, D
with Airline Pretty and Rod La
ROGUE. A week before the pic
ture was completed Mr. Brady
discharged the director, Travis
Vail, and told me to finish the
thing. I did a fine job There
were some beautiful shots OF PEG
pie walking along the streets
with me in the window making
wild gestures. There was an au
tomobile chase scene in which
car ran into itself. So Mr.. Brady
stepped in and directed the rest
of it himself. He eventually sold
it to Zuker for 100000. making
100000 on the deal. The film
was never released. that's how
good it was.
Life" convinced Mr.. Brady
that he should confine himself
to the theater. He retained my
services, making me company
manager for his travelling com
pany. Young William accom-
panied me on those hegiras from
theater to theater and I learned
a lot from him.
I'm another inStdllment Mr..
Bogart will recount his expert
enceS working for Mr.. Brady.
VOTE AMERICAN
AZ Portraits on Stamp