Honorary Bogie Radio Fix:
The Lowdown
Bogart (Warner’s Dynamic Star!) and Joan Bennett (who would go on to star with Bogart in We’re No Angels) are two ships passing in the night (pun intended) in this doom-fated romance between a man headed to death row and a woman with a fatal heart defect.
What I Thought
Full disclosure, I’ve never seen the William Powell and Kay Francis film that this one is based on, although it sounds like it might be worth checking out after this.
Yes – you know exactly where the plot is going. Yes – it’s hard to feel too much sympathy for Bogart every time his murder conviction is mentioned. Yes – you do wonder why the cop guarding Bogart continues to trust him even after Bogart drugs him while trying to escape.
If you can believe me though, all of that is trivial compared to the thoroughly enjoyable chemistry between Bogart and Bennett as they fall in love and spend their last days together. Neither will tell the other one their fateful secret. (And why would Bennett ever suspect Bogart’s murderous past? I mean, it’s not like every death row inmate gets to head to his execution on a cruise, right?)
At twenty-four minutes, this one’s definitely worth a listen for any Bogart or Old Time Radio fan. Plus, we get great tips on hygiene from Colgate Tooth Powder and Halo Shampoo! Did you know that bad breath can lead to unexplainable sadness? And why isn’t Halo Shampoo still a thing? Best. Shampoo. Name. Ever.
Why struck me as most interesting was that Bogart didn’t seem to be promoting a film for this one. Broadcast in December of 1945, this show came six months after Conflict was released, and six months before Bogart made his cameo in Two Guys from Milwaukee.
Maybe he liked the original film!
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