20 Facts You Need to Know About ‘Casablanca’

November 21, 2017 by John Harrington

November 26 marks the 75th anniversary of the premier of the wartime drama “Casablanca,’’ one of the greatest, most beloved, most quoted — and misquoted — movies of all time.

The film is based on the unpublished play “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” that was co-written by by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. Julius Epstein, Philip Epstein, and Howard Koch rewrote the story for the big screen.

The movie stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid, with Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson in supporting roles.
Every movie aficionado knows the plot: Rick Blaine (Bogart), a jaded American expat running a cafe in Vichy-controlled Casablanca, must choose between his love for a woman, Ilsa Lund (Bergman), or help her and her husband, Czech resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Henreid), escape from Casablanca to continue his fight against Nazi Germany.

“Casablanca” received mostly positive reviews and did well, though not spectacularly, at the box office. In 1943, it won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director (Michael Curtiz), and Adapted Screenplay (the Epsteins and Koch).

What helped “Casablanca” become an iconic film was its repeated showing at Harvard University’s Brattle Theater in the 1950s. The showings were very popular, and soon other colleges have adopted the tradition as well. “Casablanca” would find succeeding generations of viewers with the advent of television. By 1977, “Casablanca” was the most frequently broadcast film on American TV.

“Casablanca” endures because of its great cast, superb screenwriting that produced some of cinema’s greatest quotes, the memorable music score from Max Steiner, the notions of sacrifice and redemption during wartime, and a hero for the ages.

In commemorating the first 100 years of the 100 greatest American movies of all time in 1998, the American Film Institute placed “Casablanca” second, behind “Citizen Kane.”

To mark the 75th anniversary, 24/7 Wall St. created a list of 20 things you need to know about “Casablanca” by drawing on sources such as The Internet Movie Database, Atlantic Monthly magazine, The New York Times, Britannica.com, Brattlefilm.org.

Click here to see 20 facts you need to know about “Casablanca.” 

1. Origin of “Casablanca”
“Casablanca” originated from an unpublished play “Everybody Comes to Rick’s,” co-written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. In the summer of 1938, Burnett, then a 27-year-old English teacher at a New York vocational high school, went to German-occupied Vienna to help Jewish relatives smuggle out money. He returned to America with the idea for an anti-Nazi play in which a bitter saloon keeper helps an idealistic Czech newspaper editor escape from Casablanca with the woman the bar owner loves. No one on Broadway was interested in the play, and it was sold to Warner Brothers for $20,000 — a large sum for two relatively unknown writers. The title was changed to ”Casablanca.”

[in-text-ad]

2. Casting for Rick Blaine part
George Raft was said to have turned down the role of cynical bar owner Rick Blaine, but the facts about that are murky. Warner Bros. studio’s records indicate Bogart may have always been producer Hal Wallis‘ first choice for the lead role. Bogart’s Rick Blaine would go on to become the fourth-greatest hero in cinema history, based on a ranking by the American Film Institute. Contrary to popular belief, Ronald Reagan was never considered to play Rick Blaine.

3. Casting for Ilsa Lund part
Other actresses considered for the role of Ilsa Lund included Ann Sheridan, Hedy Lamarr, Luise Rainer and Michèle Morgan. Wallis wanted Bergman, who was contracted to David O. Selznick, by lending Olivia de Havilland in exchange.

4. Foreign cast
The film boasted an international cast and crew. Only three of the main actors (Bogart, Joy Page, and Wilson) were American-born. Other actors, directors, and crew came from Germany, Hungary, Sweden, England, Austria, France, Russia, and Canada.

[in-text-ad-2]

 

5. Villainous Maj. Strasser
Conrad Veidt, who played the despised Maj. Strasser, was well known in the German theatrical community for his contempt of the Nazis. He was forced to flee Germany, with his Jewish wife, because of his anti-Nazi activities. Veidt put in his movie contracts that if he played Nazis they had to be villains.

6. The piano player
Dooley Wilson, who played the piano player Sam, was actually a drummer by trade. The piano playing was in reality a recording of a performance by a professional piano player, who was playing behind a curtain. He was positioned so that Dooley could watch, and copy, his hand movements. Wallis had considered Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald, among others, for the part of the café entertainer before deciding on Wilson. Sam’s piano was sold for more than $600,000 at a New York auction in December 2012.

[in-text-ad]

7. ‘As Time Goes By’
You can’t think of “Casablanca” without the song “As Time Goes By.” It was written by songwriter Herman Hupfeld in Clifton, New Jersey, at what was then called The Robin Hood Inn. Today, the place is a banquet hall and there is a plaque in the lobby of the establishment noting the song was written there.

 

8. Play it again, Sam
The line “Play it again, Sam” is never said in the film, even though Woody Allen used it as the title of one of his early movies. The closest anyone comes to saying it is when Bergman as Ilsa Lund comes to Rick’s Café Américain for the first time, sees the piano player Sam, and says, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’”

9. Just a pawn
Early in the movie, Bogart is shown playing chess with himself. The chess match in the film was a real game Bogart was playing by mail with a friend during filming.

[in-text-ad-2]

10. Letters of transit
The letters of transit — documents that would allow people to leave Casablanca for destinations such as Lisbon — figure prominently in the movie, but they did not exist. They were a plot device created by the screenwriters. Even if they did exist, why would the French Vichy government that controlled Casablanca recognize documents signed by Free French leader Charles DeGaulle? Playwright Joan Alison always expected this part of the story to be challenged but it never was.

11. La Marseillaise
One of the most stirring scenes of the film is when patrons of Rick’s Café Américain defiantly sing the French national anthem. Among those singing with tears in her eyes is actress Madeleine Lebeau, who played Rick Blaine’s erstwhile girlfriend Yvonne. Those weren’t Hollywood tears from Lebeau; in June 1940, she and husband Marcel Dalio — who is also in “Casablanca” — fled Paris ahead of the German army, went to Lisbon, and eventually sailed to Canada before going to Hollywood.

[in-text-ad]

12. Filming at airport
The film’s famous conclusion occurs at the Casablanca airport at night. Because the movie was made during World War II, the production was not allowed to film at an airport after dark for security reasons.

13. Compensating for lack of height
Bogart had to wear platform shoes to play opposite Bergman because he was shorter than her.

14. Unable to return to America
When Maj. Strasser is questioning Blaine, he mentions that Blaine is unable to return to America for reasons that are unclear. Julius Epstein later said that he and his brother Philip tried to come up with a reason why Rick couldn’t return to America, but nothing seemed right. So they decided not to give a reason at all.

[in-text-ad-2]

 

15. Good, not great, opening
In its initial U.S. release, the film was a substantial but not spectacular box-office success, taking in $3.7 million. It was the seventh highest grossing film of 1943.

16. Life and art
The movie coincided with the Allies’ invasion of North Africa that included Casablanca. It was the first major action of U.S. troops in the North African theater of war. The film was used to help boost support for the invasion. It was also a good marketing opportunity for the movie.

[in-text-ad]

17. Truffaut nixed a remake
In 1973, a Warner Bros. executive asked noted French film director François Truffaut about directing a remake. He refused. “I know American students adore this film, especially the dialogue, and they know every line by heart,” he said. “I can’t imagine Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve succeeding Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.”

18. Short-lived TV series
There have been two mercifully short-lived Casablanca TV series, one that aired in 1955 and 1956, another in 1983. The latter show, a prequel, featured “Starsky and Hutch” star David Soul as a young Rick Blaine. Other actors included Hector Elizondo, Scatman Crothers, and Ray Liotta in supporting roles. The producers shot five episodes but it was canceled after two.

19. Theo Epstein connection
Julius and Philip Epstein, who won the Academy Award as screenwriters for the film, are the grandfather and great-uncle, respectively, of baseball executive Theo Epstein. The younger Epstein helped end two of the longest Major League Baseball World Series championship droughts: the Boston Red Sox in 2004 after 86 years and the Chicago Cubs in 2016 after 108 years.

[in-text-ad-2]

20. Most quoted movie of all time
“Casablanca” is the most quoted movie of all time, based on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Movie Quotes, which was culled from the opinions of 1,500 filmmakers, critics, and historians. The list includes six quotes from “Casablanca.” They are: “Here’s looking at you, kid” (No. 5); “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” (No. 20); “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By’” (No. 28); “Round up the usual suspects” (No. 32); “We’ll always have Paris” (No. 43); and “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine” (No. 67).

Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored

A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.