Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) arrives at the harbor in Martinique to take Mr. Johnson on a fishing trip. That Martinique is now controlled by Vichy France creates some bureaucratic hassles for an expat American like Morgan. He has a perpetually drunken mate, Eddy (Walter Brennan), who talks incessantly. During the trip, Mr. Johnson fails to catch a marlin and even loses the rod and reel. Worse, he skips out on paying Morgan, leaving him in the lurch. Though he had declined an offer to smuggle French Resistance onto Martinique, he now must in order to survive. The Vichy French Gestapo are soon sniffing for fugitives, paying particular attention to Morgan. On top of this, a woman has arrived in Martinique, Marie Browning (Lauren Bacall). Sparks fly from the first meeting of Harry and Marie, though they never use those names. She calls him 'Steve' and he calls her 'Slim.' Their flirty banter is far more interesting than the Casablanca knock-off storyline.
"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and... blow."
Though based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway, it was reworked to have a happy ending and a laudable hero. William Faulkner wrote the screen play. Howard Hawks directed. This movie was where Bogart - then 44 - and Bacall - only 18 - met. Within three weeks, they were having an affair. By the following year, Bogart had divorced his third wife and married Bacall. They remained married until his death at 57.
Here is a bland story that has some terrific acting and some lively dialogue. It even includes Hoagy Carmichael who, strangely enough, is how Ian Fleming pictured James Bond. Unexpected.
Good popcorn fun!
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