Follow-Up From Yesterday

The Warner Brothers Polishing Brass

To photos that speak volumes, add this one: It's a Warners luncheon with Harry and Jack hosting military high-ups, these representing the Maritime commission. Also on hand are civilian reps from the British Shipbuilding Conference. Table ornamentation is rounded out by contract star Humphrey Bogart and freelancing Cary Grant, the latter at WB to do Destination Tokyo. The difference between Bogart and Grant on this occasion may well be that Grant is willingly present, while Bogart looks coerced. Their expressions suggest as much, at least to me. I'd call Bogie's sullen, at the least distracted. His tie is loosened amidst orderly knots maintained by the rest. That handkerchief looks ready to jump a fence. Most importantly: Jack L. is not amused. The look he's giving Bogart captures all of what I've read about their relationship. Somewhere between mild and utter disdain. Read Sperber/Lax or Robert Sklar to learn how JL treated HB like kitchen help even after triumphs of The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. If another guest spilled something, would Jack have made Bogie clean it up? I don't know how much spread this image got in 1943. Given the job of publicity director, I might have stamped "Too Revealing" on the back and circular-filed the negative.