"Bogie" on the radio? Believe it.
Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall starred in the short-lived radio drama, Bold Venture, which lasted just a year (1951-2). Just the same, there was also a TV version of the series, with Dane Clark in Bogart's role of Slate Shannon. Bogart's movie career was nearing its end, and one has to assume that someone convinced him and Bacall to give radio a try.
I first discovered Venture when it was included on an old time radio CD I picked up from Radio Spirits a ways back. Now that I'm starting to give more attention to those old radio shows of the past, now's a good time to join Slate and his partner, Sailor Duvall (Bacall) aboard Bold Venture. VistaRadioShows uploaded the series opener:
It plays like any number of Bogart films, and with good reason. Reportedly, it was inspired by one or two of the movies Bogart & Bacall did together. The chemistry is there, but it's just unfortunate that it didn't last.
Rating: B.
2 comments:
Humphrey Bogarts career was nearing it's end? Hardly, he was a major box-office draw and one of Hollywood's top salary- earners until he got too ill to work in 1956. The reason he and Bacall did BOLD VENTURE in 1951-52 was because Bacall was pregant and couldn't make movies at the time and so they self-produced this syndicated radio series like a number of major Hollywood Stars who were jumping on the radio bandwagon did in the early 50's when they could pre-record shows on tape and radio was fighting television's rise by throwing money at big stars.
RICHARD M ROBERTS
Thanks for clarifying things. As you note, it was four more years after Venture ended that Bogart became ill. At least now I know what precipitated the development of this show. Thanks again.
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