Page "Humphrey Bogart" Paragraph 30

On August 21, 1938, Bogart entered into a disastrous third marriage, with actress Mayo Methot, a lively, friendly woman when sober, but paranoid when drunk.

She was convinced that her husband was cheating on her.

The more she and Bogart drifted apart, the more she drank, got furious and threw things at him: plants, crockery, anything close at hand.

She even set the house on fire, stabbed him with a knife, and slashed her wrists on several occasions.

Bogart for his part needled her mercilessly and seemed to enjoy confrontation.

Sometimes he turned violent.

The press accurately dubbed them " the Battling Bogarts.

" " The Bogart-Methot marriage was the sequel to the Civil War ," said their friend Julius Epstein.

A wag observed that there was " madness in his Methot.

" During this time, Bogart bought a motor launch, which he named Sluggy, after his nickname for his hot-tempered wife.

Despite his proclamations that, " I like a jealous wife ," " We get on so well together ( because ) we don't have illusions about each other ," and, " I wouldn't give you two cents for a dame without a temper ," it was a highly destructive relationship.