CASABLANCA!

"Friday Movie Suggestion Night" rolls out the "Red Carpet" for a film rated as "The Number 2 Film of All Time" from The American Film Institute: CASABLANCA! In 1942, every major film studio was producing one movie per week. "The Lions" who ruled the studios at the time, of course were Samuel Goldwyn, David Selznick, and Louis B. Mayer. But one mustn't leave out Jack Warner! Scriptwriter Murray Burnett and Joan Alison took a late 1930's trip to Europe and stopped at a Cafe with some Belgian friends. The Cafe had a black piano player, and people--literally from all walks of life seemed to resemble refugees at a time when Paris was facing a menace called Hitler. Burnett felt that the setting, with all of the sights and sounds and socio-political angst would make for a good screenplay. So, he wrote one called "Everybody Comes To Ricks". Back in Hollywood he managed to sell it to Warner for $20,000.00 (US) sight unseen! Imagine!! Warner brought in Julius and Phillip Epstein--two brothers who were charged with the task of sculpting Burnett and Alison's play into a script for a movie. The two brothers were well known for their sharp wit, humor and rapid pacing of dialogue. (You can catch this with Bogart's dialogue with the girl from Bulgaria who approaches him as he is seated having a drink at a table). Actually, the bulk of the Epstein's work led up to the film's "flashback" sequences of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) in Paris during a whilrwind romance. But this was the "studio contract" days and the brothers were swept away to another film project. Enter Casey Robinson, who now had to oversee the romantic scene-melding (brilliantly carried out over Max Steiners musical score). "As Time Goes By" was actually written and released in 1931 with little fanfare. But by 1942, it was a major hit due to this film. Originally, Dennis Morgan was picked for Bogart's role, Ann Sheridan for Ingrid Bergman's role and Ronald Reagan for Paul Henreid's role as Victor Laszlo! (Thank God this was changed!). A deal was struck between Producer Hal Wallace and David Selznick to "loan" Olivia de Havilland to Selznick in exchange for Ingrid Bergman to Wallace. Bogart was signed, but Paul Henried was under contract to play in "Now Voyager" with Betty Davis. Director Michael Curtiz ("Captain Blood" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood") was a great action film director hired to lend an inspired direction to the project. Casablanca is on the Western edge of Morocco and was selected as the site where refugee's assembled to wait for valuable "Letters of Transit" to America in an effort to escape the clutches of the Nazi's. In fact, the film's sequence where the Nazi's begin to sing their national anthem while the freedom seekers enlisted by Victor Laszlolo to sing Le Marseilles ("Viva La France"!) had Burnett literally in tears as he was writing this scene. I mention this because the tears you see in the eyes of everyone singing to drown out the Fascists on the other side of Rick's "Cafe Americain" were actors who were genuinely moved to sing of freedom over tyranny! The script was being changed every day and Ingrid Bergman grew weary of what appeared to be movie moguls who were inexperienced; in fact, they were merely scared. This was a film produced in "real time" and the ending required Bogart and Claude Rains to come back to an "Airport Hangar" set one month after filming wrapped (or so they thought). In fact, the last line was alleged to have been written by Hal Wallis himself for the sake of continuity with a startled look exchanged between Bogart and Reins. This explanation won't spoil the movie for first-timers!

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The Plot: In World War II Casablanca, (French Occupied) Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter (Humphrey Bogart) runs the most popular nightspot in town. A cynical maverick with a heart, Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit taken from two murdered Nazi's. When Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) arrives in Casablanca, French police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) does what he can to please him, including detaining Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). To Rick's shock, Laszlo arrives with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick's one time love who ran out on him in Paris where they had planned to wed. All of that unwound when Ilsa discovered that her husband whom she was told had been killed--the great resistance leader Laszlo, was in fact alive! When a bitter Rick learns the facts, they plan to run off together again using the Letters of Transit. This triangle plays out in unexpected ways. There. That's all you'll get from me! Let's have a look at one of the most extraordinary Casts in Movie History!

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Directed by Michael Curtiz; Writing Credits: Murray Burnett and Joan Alison; Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein; Howard Koch and Casey Robinson; Cast: Humphrey Bogart...Rick Blaine; Ingrid Bergman....Ilsa Lund; Paul Henreid....Victor Laszlo; Claude Rains....Capt. Renault; Conrad Veidt....Maj. Strasser; Sydney Greenstreet....Signor Ferrari; Peter Lorre:....Ugarte; Dooley Wilson....Sam. The film won the Oscar for BEST DIRECTOR, BEST PICTURE and BEST WRITING.

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This One is for My Father.