Casablanca, The Glamorous Film that Almost Wasn’t

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Despite its visually enticing sets, casual glamour, and—of course—its slate of iconic lines that even today has us reminding each other “We’ll always have Paris,” Casablanca never set out to be an entertainment history highlight. But the timing of the iconic 1942 film, which was released 77 years ago today, couldn’t have been better. Based on an unproduced stage play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the property was purchased for ,000—a then-hefty sum, driven to unprecedented heights by patriotic sentiment in the wake of Pearl Harbor.

In the film, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) a cynical expat running a nightclub in Morocco, has come into two valuable letters of transit, which refugees from the war would need to move around Europe or escape into America. (A refugee salvation fabricated by screenwriters Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein.) His claims of cynicism are tested when his former lover Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) appears in his café with her now-husband and third point of their triangle, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Suddenly, Rick is faced with a crisis of the conscious: reconnect with the woman he loves or send them both to safety?

In the modern era of media, this setup seems like a recipe for box office success: A bittersweet love story with no clear winners; a man who choses country and service over his own desires; snappy dialogue; stylish Burberry trench coats; and maybe even the potential for a sequel. (In the early 2000s, a Madonna and Ashton Kutcher remake was thankfully turned down by every major studio.) However, all three leads had reservations. In the biography Ingrid, author Charlotte Chandler recounts how the leading actress wanted to pull out of the film, both due to concerns over the unfinished script (the ending hadn’t been fully fleshed out), and her difficultly connecting with Bogart. (“I kissed him, but I never knew him,” Bergman reportedly explained about her relationship with her leading man.) Despite his eventual chemistry with Bergman onscreen, Bogart made a point of ignoring her when the cameras weren’t rolling, which many have chalk upped to a rough patch with his wife actress Mayo Methot. There was also the fact that that at 40, Bogart was finally making his debut as a leading man and was playing against an actress several inches taller than him. Meanwhile, Henreid worried that playing the second lead—who essentially gets the girl by default—would damage his growing career. There were also choice words about a “lousy, lousy script.”

Despite the general “lie back and think of England” attitude (or the “lie back and think of the USA” attitude, as the case may be), there were many truly touching moments. Many Nazi roles were played by German Jews that actually fled Germany. During the scene where the song “Marseillaise” was used to drown out the German song “Watch on the Rhine,” many of the actors watched with real tears in their eyes. And the line “here’s looking at you kid,” Rick’s wry goodbye to Ilsa in the face of their tragic parting, was reportedly improvised.

Casablanca went on to win three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Adapted Screenplay. (Bogart lost Best Actor to Paul Lukas, and Bergman was nominated—and lost—For Whom The Bell Tolls, which she shot after the film.) And although none of its creators considered the experience anything more than another day at the office, the film eventually found its place in pop culture. The American Film Institute has repeatedly voted it one of the best films of all time. Roger Ebert declared it better than Citizen Kane, if only because of its ability to reach more people. Even perennial pop culture barometer The Simpsons featured Casablanca in an episode, where Bart and Lisa discover an alternate “happy ending” version. (A twist that was considered but never shot.) It seems that while Rick might not have gotten the girl, but in addition to the start of a beautiful friendship, he did casually stroll is way into the American film history.

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