BOOK REVIEW BY CHRIS MICH: BOGIE AND ME – A LOVE STORY BY VERITA THOMPSON WITH DONALD SHEPHERD (1984)
A MINOR SPOILER REVIEW:
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| Photo by Chris Mich. According to Verita Thompson, author of Bogie and Me, Humphrey Bogart’s favorite meal was Ham and Eggs, Eggs Over Easy...with a Martini. I had this for lunch - minus the Martini - just to get this picture. |
Bogie And Me – A Love Story (1984) is a book about adultery. Primary author Verita Thompson had an adulterous affair with classic film legend Humphrey Bogart during one of her marriages and through the last two Bogart marriages. If you’re into reading celebrity dirt, this may be your book. Of course, Thompson posits the purpose of her book in a more noble light while wearing victim glasses. While she doesn’t deny her and Bogie’s actions, she claims to be forced to author a book to tell the true story before the tabloids do. Published in the conservative 1980s, Bogie and Me is an effort for Verita Thompson to save face and her restaurant business that she fears tabloid writers will destroy. And so, she’s beating them to the punch. Thompson also “corrects” pre-existing published biographies on Bogart and tells us “what really happened.” Maybe so, but it seems like a weak premise for a book. But here we are after I spent $2.50 on this trade paperback that’s been called “gutsy”, “humorous” and “HOT” (yes, in all caps). Trust me: it’s not.
Verita Thompson was Verita Peterson in the 1940s and 50s and was Bogart’s personal hairdresser – helping him with his toupee for the last 15 years of his life. Oh, and they slept with each other a lot. In telling her and Bogie’s story, Thompson quickly level sets expectations of classic film lovers like me…
And, yes, I shared many a bed with him, too. So, this is a personal memoir, and I caution the reader not to expect movie reviews or dissertations on Bogie’s films, which would be far beyond my expertise and the scope of this book. (p.3)
Sadly, she also seems NOT to care about his films or even do just a smidge of research. Thompson tells a story of how Bill Holden and Bogie “dumped her into a hammock” on the set of Sabrina (1954) and made a good “rib” of it (a practical joke in Bogie terms). She then, twice mind you, goes on to say how the hammock had a hole in it “for reasons I don’t recall” (photo page 6). Don’t recall?! Have you ever seen Sabrina, Verita Thompson?
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| Photo by Chris Mich.I got my ham and eggs for the previous shot at a fav diner of our good friend and fellow Digging Star Wars contributor Phil Congleton. See if you can find this book in this shot. |
As frustrating as all this sounds, Thompson covers a lot of Bogart’s film titles (see this post’s labels/tags) including Casablanca (1942) and delivers glimpses into backstage life with Bogart, like this except from page 130…
As we walked along the studio streets towards the sound stage, everyone we passed greeted him. He’d often pause to talk to extras, sound men, carpenters, electricians, or others he’d worked with. He enjoyed such studio camaraderie; he loved making films, really, and rarely forgot anyone whoever worked with him.
Reading a line like that, you can almost hear the La La Land (2016) soundtrack as you picture yourself strolling the Warner Bros. backlot.
Thompson also recounts Bogie’s shenanigans with his friend “Killer” – also known as Errol Flynn.
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| Photo by Chris Mich. Verita Thompson references Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Ca several times in her book – in addition to recounting tales with Errol Flynn. Before purchasing BOGIE AND ME, I visited Errol Flynn’s grave at Forest Lawn for a Digging Star Wars project for 2025. |
Unfortunately, these stories of Bogie and Flynn deal with 40-something Flynn having sex flings with teenagers and his effort to escape the clutches of the IRS…and Bogie’s lackluster help to cover all that up.
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