Hump Day History

 I've been making a point of catching up on classics, in literature and horror particularly, but I've been meaning to venture more into the Turner Classic Movies as well.

On this day in 1946, a premiere.

Bogart is an icon of old Hollywood.  In 1999, the American Film Institute selected him as the greatest male star of classic American cinema.

Lauren Bacall was voted in at #20 for female star.

In 1997, the film was added to the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The Big Sleep is an adaptation, and the book also ranks among the best of the century.

It was originally produced in 1944, but the studio delayed the release in favor of war films.  Bogart and Bacall got married during this time, and so the studio asked for reshoots to capitalize on the public fascination with the couple in 1946.

The original cut, which was initially only shown to servicemen overseas, was found in a UCLA archive and restored by benefactors such as Hugh Hefner.

Many critics believe the enhanced interplay between the two actors is the main success of the film.