Bogart

In Search of My Father

By: Stephen Humphrey Bogart

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Here is Humphrey Bogart: the pro's pro on the set and the Hollywood renegade off it; the man's man, the ladies' man, the hard worker, and the man who liked to drink too much; the husband in three roller-coaster marriages and finally one perfect match; the proud father and absentee parent; the good friend and even better enemy.

Writing with the encouragement of his famous mother, Lauren Bacall, Stephen calls on his memories as well as the access he had to friends and colleagues of his father. The result is an intimate and personal profile of an enigmatic man whose tough image contrasted with very human ambitions and vulnerabilities.

This vastly entertaining book is filled with fascinating stories involving Frank Sinatra, Katherine Hepburn, "Swifty" Lazar, John Huston, Jason Robards, and many others.

©1995 Stephen Humphrey Bogart (P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Whitener's reading is straightforward and appealing. By the end, you feel as if someone has sat down with you and let you in on the behind-the-scenes action of some Hollywood's greatest figures." (KLIATT)

A beautiful search

. The beautified story of a man’s journey to find the father he left behind. He tells a uniquely moving story which includes some of the most famous figures of the 20th century. But,,this is a story of the loss that ultimately haunted him until he was able to find the daddy he barely remembered, The author brings the reader along to the poignant ending. The warm reader made me curious to hear the actual voice of the author.

Two books in one

I thought it was a great book. You get very detailed personal stories about Humphrey which any Humphrey fan would love and you also get a honest view of what it was like to grow up with a mega star for a father and also have to deal with the reality of losing a father. It reminded me very much of my bringing as my father was a successful working alcoholic as well. It was just a different time when the parents had their evening cocktail hours and the kids were not a part of that. My father also became I’ll around the same age. But I can also see how many of the men connected with Humphrey. It was a great book and I would highly recommend to any fan. If you change the speed of the voice to 1.1x then the problem that others complained of goes away.

but what about Bogart ?

Clearly Mr Bogart's son , the author of this book , has paternal issues . I was hoping to learn more insights on his father's life rather than the author's own suppressed and self centered childhood problems which can be best described as "whiney" .

Insight of a legend, terrible narration

It took me several tries to get into this book because the narration is so stiff and robotic. What I learned about Humphrey Bogart doesn't surprise me, I won't give anything away, but it's very nice that Stephen Bogart interviewed so many acquaintances and friends about his dad. You really feel for the small boy who lost his father at the age of eight.

Unfortunately the narrator is atrocious. He's not even conversational, he's stiff, nasally and generally unpleasant. It makes it difficult to listen to this for extended periods of time.