Here'slookin' at YOU, Bogie fans.
Starting today, fans of Humphrey Bogart will be flocking to Key Largo for a film festival celebrating one of Hollywood's most beloved tough guys.
The first-ever “Humphrey Bogart Film Festival” marks nearly 65 years since the premiere of “Key Largo,” starring Humphrey Bogart and his real-life wife Lauren Bacall. Although the 1948 film was shot almost entirely on a studio lot in Hollywood, California, the opening shots were filmed in the Florida Keys. The movie is often credited with putting Key Largo on the map as a tourist destination.
The event runs through Sunday, May 5th, and will be hosted by Bogart and Bacall's son, Stephen Bogart. He says the film festival was made possible through a strong partnership between the Bogart family and Key Largo officials.
"We've been talking to them for a couple of years and they decided to really get behind it -- the folks in Key Largo. And that is really what has to happen, in order for it to be successful," says Bogart.
Throughout the four days of the “Humphrey Bogart Film Festival,” audiences can attend indoor and outdoor screenings of classic Bogart flicks and more recent film noir movies. They can also catch a ride on the original "African Queen," the boat used in the Bogart film of the same name. The boat was re-launched last year following a $70,000 restoration and has been registered as a national historic site.
Featured guests at the film festival include renowned film critic Leonard Maltin and Jack Huston, grandson of John Huston, the director of “Key Largo.”
The highlight of the festival will be a “Casablanca”-themed Bogart Ball on Saturday evening, May 4, at the Hilton Key Largo Resort.
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