21. Humphrey Bogart and Mayo Methot
Bogie and Bacall have become the cognomen for an enduring romantic relationship, signifying the marriage and relationship between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. But Bogie was not always involved in a marriage so harmonious and enduring. His marriage to Mayo Methot is an example. They were married in 1938 and within a few months, their relationship was defined in the press by naming the couple The Battling Bogarts. Both were heavy drinkers (drinking was part of Bogie’s on and off-screen image) and in his wife’s case mental illness was aggravated by the alcohol, as well as her conviction of her husband’s inveterate cheating (which was largely untrue, at least at first).
A deeply chagrined Bogart once showed a visitor a supply of interior doors kept in the basement of his house, ready replacements for those broken down by one of the happy couple. Bogart named his treasured yacht at the time Sluggy in honor of his wife, who was sometimes referred to with the same name in the press. Mayo once threatened Bogart with a pistol at a dinner party before several horrified witnesses, though she was disarmed without shots being fired. After numerous separations and reconciliations, the couple divorced in 1944. During one period of “conciliation,” Bogart informed the press that he was returning to their home, “in other words, we’ll return to our normal battles”.
