To Have and Have Not is a 1944 American romantic war adventure film directed by Howard Hawks, loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s 1937 novel of the same name.
It stars Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan and Lauren Bacall; it also features Dolores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael, Sheldon Leonard, Dan Seymour, and Marcel Dalio. The plot, centered on the romance between a freelancing fisherman in Martinique and a beautiful American drifter, is complicated by the growing French resistance in Vichy France.
Hemingway and Hawks were close friends and, on a fishing trip, Hawks told Hemingway, who was reluctant to go into screenwriting, that he could make a great movie from his worst book, which Hawks admitted was To Have and Have Not. Jules Furthman wrote the first screenplay, which, like the novel, was set in Cuba.
However, the screenplay was altered to be set in Martinique, because the portrayal of Cuba’s government was believed to be in violation of the United States’ Good Neighbor policy.
Hawks’s friend William Faulkner was the main contributor to the screenplay, including and following the revisions. Because of the contributions from both Hemingway and Faulkner, it is the only film story on which two winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature worked. Filming began on February 29, 1944, while Faulkner continued to work on the script, and ended on May 10.
The film premiered in New York City on October 11, 1944. Audience reception was generally good. Critic reviews were mixed, with many claiming the film was a remake of Casablanca (1942). Critics specifically mentioned Lauren Bacall’s performance or the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall on screen. Bogart and Bacall began an off-screen relationship during production and married in 1945, after the film’s release. To Have and Have Not was one of the top 10 grossing films of 1944 and received an award from the National Board of Review.
Plot
In the summer of 1940, world-weary Harry Morgan operates a sport-fishing boat, the Queen Conch, in Fort-de-France, on the French colony of Martinique. It is not long since the fall of France and the island is under the heavy-handed control of pro-German Vichy France.
Harry makes a modest living chartering out to tourists, crewed by his blithering friend Eddie. Harry affectionately looks after Eddie, a one-time top mate reduced to a rummy by alcohol. The island is a tinderbox of dissent, harboring many people sympathetic to Free France.
Harry’s current charter client, Johnson, owes Harry $825. Johnson insists he hasn’t enough ready money to square his account, but promises to get the funds when the banks open the next day.
Back at his hotel home Harry is approached by its owner, Gérard (known as “Frenchy” to English speakers), who urges Harry to help the French Resistance by smuggling some people onto the island. Harry steadfastly refuses, choosing to keep out of the current political situation.
Also at the hotel, Harry first sees Marie (“Slim”) Browning, a young American wanderer who has recently arrived on the plane from Rio. Seeking to avoid the advances of a drunken Johnson she volunteers a duet of “Am I Blue” with pianist Cricket and his ensemble in the hotel bar.
A keen observer, Harry notices Slim pick Johnson’s pocket, and follows her to her room directly across the hall from his own. He forces her to hand over the wallet, which is found to contain $1,400 in traveler’s cheques and a plane ticket for early the next morning before the banks open.
On returning the wallet to Johnson, Harry demands that he sign the traveler’s cheques to pay him immediately. Just then a shootout in front of the hotel between police and the Resistance spills over into the bar, and Johnson is killed by a stray bullet. The police take Harry, Slim, and Frenchy for questioning, seizing Johnson’s wallet, Harry’s passport, and his own money when he proves combative.
Back at the hotel, Gérard offers to hire the now effectively penniless Harry to transport Resistance members Paul de Bursac and his wife Hélène from a nearby islet to Martinique.
Harry reluctantly accepts. Meanwhile, a sexually charged romance has been developing between Harry and Slim, who feels Harry is starting to fall for her. Her hopes are shattered when he uses the bulk of the money he earned in transporting the fugitives to buy her a ticket back home to America on the next plane out.
Harry picks up the de Bursacs, but his boat is seen and fired upon by a navy patrol vessel. De Bursac is wounded, but Harry manages to escape and transfer his passengers to a pre-arranged rowboat. When he returns to the hotel, he finds Slim still there, having chosen to stay with him.
The de Bursacs are hidden in the basement of the hotel; at Frenchy’s request, Harry removes the bullet from Paul’s shoulder. He learns the couple have come to Martinique to help a man escape from the penal colony at Devil’s Island in order to aid the Free French. De Bursac asks for Harry’s assistance in this operation, but Harry respectfully turns him down.
The police return to the hotel and reveal that they recognized Harry’s boat the previous night. They also reveal that they have Eddie in custody again, this time withholding liquor from him to get him to reveal the details of the smuggling plot.
Cornered in his hotel room by the Vichy authorities, Harry turns the tables, killing one and holding police captain Renard at gunpoint. He forces him to order Eddie’s release and sign harbor passes. Harry, Eddie, and Slim then head together for the Queen Conch, with the intention of meeting up with Frenchy and the de Bursacs, to free the man from Devil’s Island.
Cast
Humphrey Bogart as Harry “Steve” Morgan. A nearly immediate casting choice, Bogart was cast by Warner Bros in early 1943.
Walter Brennan as Eddie. Hawks met with Brennan for a pre-production conference in December 1943. Brennan’s contract was loaned from Goldwyn for $2,500 per week from March to May 1944 to play Eddie. The agreement included that Brennan’s name would appear 60 percent of the size of Bogart’s name in the credits.
Lauren Bacall as Marie “Slim” Browning. At the time of casting, Bacall was an 18-year-old model. She had appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and was noticed by Hawks’ wife, Nancy “Slim” Keith, who showed the cover photo to her husband. Hawks sought Bacall out in April 1943 and signed her for the role, her first movie appearance. In the film, Harry calls her by the nickname “Slim”, and she calls him “Steve”, the nicknames used between Keith and Hawks. Hawks shot her screen test with contract player John Ridgely in January 1944. Her screen test was the seduction and “whistle” scene. This scene wasn’t originally meant to go in the film, but Jack L. Warner told Hawks that he needed to integrate it into the film, and so it was later adapted into the film. After the screen test, Hawks signed his first personal contract with an unknown actress with Bacall. After she turned nineteen, Hawks changed her name from Betty Perske, using a variation of her mother’s maiden name “Bacal” for her new surname. Hawks had to decide whether the love interest in the film would be split between two female actresses or rest alone on Bacall. Warner Bros was uninterested in Hawks using Bacall and required Hawks to screen test some of the studio’s actresses such as Dolores Moran and Georgette McKee. After the success of Bacall’s screen test, however, Hawks was confident in Bacall and believed he just needed to convince Feldman, Warner, and Bogart. Bacall was offered the part in early 1944, with half of her contract belonging to Hawks, half belonging to Warner.
Dolores Moran as Mme Hélène de Bursac. Ann Sheridan was considered for the part of Sylvia/Helen when her character had a larger role in the film. With the part of Sylvia/Helen smaller, Moran was cast as a more voluptuous contrast to slender Bacall.
Hoagy Carmichael as Cricket. A prominent songwriter, Carmichael was discovered by Hawks at a party. This was his first credited film role. He had previously appeared in Topper.
Sheldon Leonard as Lieutenant Coyo.
Walter Surovy as Paul de Bursac.
Marcel Dalio as Gérard (Frenchy). French actor Dalio had appeared with Bogart as Emil the Croupier in Casablanca.
Walter Sande as Johnson, Harry’s inept charter client.
Dan Seymour as Capitaine Renard. Seymour who played Abdul in Casablanca signed up to play as a Cuban revolutionary and was shocked to notice his character wasn’t in the script. Instead, he was given the role of a Vichy policeman, and Hawks insisted he gain weight (he was 300 pounds at the time) as well as sport a slight French accent.
Aldo Nadi as Renard’s bodyguard
Paul Marion as Beauclère
Eugene Borden as Quartermaster
Patricia Shay as Mrs. Beauclère
Emmett Smith as Bartender
Pat West as Bartender
Cee Pee Johnson as Drummer at Bar du Zombie (uncredited)
Production
On a ten-day fishing trip, independent director Howard Hawks tried to persuade Ernest Hemingway to write him a script, but Hemingway was not interested in working in Hollywood. Hawks insisted he could make a film from Hemingway’s “worst story”. Although Hawks had a high regard for Hemingway’s works in general, he considered To Have and Have Not a “bunch of junk” and told Hemingway so.
Hemingway and Hawks worked on the screenplay during the remainder of the fishing trip. They decided the film would not resemble the novel, but rather would tell the story of how Morgan met Marie. Marie’s character was extensively altered for the film.
In May 1939, Hemingway sold the book rights to the Hughes Tool Company, with whom Hawks had connections. Hawks bought the book rights in October 1943,
