“On March 1, 1956, a radical procedure began. It went on for nine hours. The esophagus was entirely removed, along with two lymph nodes and a rib. The vagus nerve, which controls digestion, was cut. Humphrey's stomach was attached to his gullet; food would have a shorter way to travel, he would fill up rapidly—too rapidly—and would never really enjoy eating again. ...

”Humphrey convinced himself that the treatments were working, and in that optimistic spirit he started smoking again, this time filtered Chesterfields. Save for the time spent in the hospital, his liquor consumption never stopped. ...

“Dressed in slacks and a red smoking jacket, he managed to get himself downstairs every evening to receive the special friends Lauren invited for a drink, usually between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. But as the disease moved into the final stages, he was forced to make his way around in a wheelchair. He weighed a little more than 80 pounds. The dumbwaiter was turned into a makeshift elevator; a butler lifted him from the wheelchair onto a stool, and the contraption brought him up and down as desired.”

-- from “Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart,” by Stefan Kanfer. Bogart died January 14, 1957, aged 57.