Lauren Bacall, R.I.P.

Above, Lauren Bacall in the 1940s.

It was in the early or mid-1970s that I first took notice of actress Lauren Bacall. It was in To Have And Have Not, her first on-screen pairing with future husband Humphrey Bogart.

Her sultry looks and mannerisms leaped off the screen. She definitely had it. It later became the "the look" that Bacall became famous for. And that voice of hers, husky but sexy at the same time.

Since then, I saw other films in which she was in, some with Bogart like Key Largo and The Big Sleep, and others with John Wayne such as Blood Alley and The Shootist (Wayne's last film).

Lauren Bacall died yesterday at home at age 89, reportedly from a massive stroke. She had a good run. She never really retired. She continued acting up to this year. Not bad.

Above, Ron Howard, Lauren Bacall and John Wayne in a lobby card for The Shootist.

Her passing, it is being written, marks the "end of an era" of the golden age of Hollywood. At this moment, I really can't think of any other stars remaining from that era. Lauren Bacall was definitely in the "upper tier" of stars from that era. Thankfully, her work lives on in film and forever preserved on DVD.