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Going Back to Rick’s Cafe Americain

August 19th, 2008
By JAZZ SHAW, Assistant Editor

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casablanca.gifBeing a hard-core fan of classic movies, particularly those with Bogie in them, I’ve long had Casablanca in my list of the top five movies of all time. Today, I will get to indulge one of my greater pleasures as I shall be one of the guests on a panel discussing trivia regarding this timeless film. At 4 pm Eastern, you can join me on Betty Jo Tucker’s Movie Addict Headquarters when she interviews Tom Barnes, author of “Casablanca Film Trivia: Here’s Looking at You, Kid!” We will also be joined by noted film critic Diana Saenger.

Betty Jo explains some of the significance of this book.

“By turning 65 this year, the world’s most revered film qualifies for Medicare, just like I do,” Barnes quips. “Now that Casablanca has reached old age, it is time to reflect on the film’s impact since winning the Academy Award for best picture 65 years ago…What better way to honor Casablanca than a book of trivia about all aspects of the film and its filming?”

Barnes includes 1,130 questions about Casablanca in his fun trivia book, and he’s worked on these questions for the past 15 years. The questions cover such areas as history, actors, script, critics, images, characters, production staff, music, geography, goofs, and clothing. Each of the 33 chapters centers on a specific category or theme, and most of the chapters end with interesting “factoids” about this fascinating movie.

One of the questions I want to cover is everyone’s favorite quotes from this film. What are yours? To add a greater degree of difficulty, you’re not allowed to use, “Here’s looking at you, Kid,” or “We’ll always have Paris.” Nor can you use, “Play it again, Sam.” (Which was never actually said in the film. Some more trivial for you there.) I won’t spoil it with mine, but I will reveal that during the show.



This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 8:10 am and is filed under Blog Talk Radio, Movies, Entertainment. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 12 Comments

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    What a great movie. Favorite lines (alas they will be approximations): "Round up the usual suspects." "I am shocked, shocked to find gambling here (your winnings sir)." Finally, "you were in blue, the Germans in gray."

    Thanks for the pleasant musings.
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    Casablanca has the single Greatest Pick-up Line ever:

    "Who are you now and who were you before? What did you do and what did you think?"

    This line invariably yields "deer in headlights" expressions and, I swear, dilating pupils :)
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    A great piece of critical writing on "Casablanca" is Umberto Eco's
    "Casablanca: Cult Movies and Intertextual Collage"

    http://www.jstor.org/pss/3685047

    Eco makes a very good attempt to explain why "Casablanca" is the cult film to end all cult films.

    He noted that "frequently the spectators quote the best lines before they are uttered." I have seen that effect in theatres . . . watching people's lips move in time to the words on the soundtrack.

    How many other films - save perhaps "Rocky Horror" - do audiences know so intimately?

    Great post, Jazz!
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    Marlowecan brings up an excellent point. Casablanca really is very likely the most quoted movie in history, both in everyday life and by people mouthing along with the script as they watch it. Even among people born four decades after the movie was made, I believe the majority of them recognize "we'll always have Paris" and "Here's looking at you, kid."

    It's also probably the most misquoted movie in history as well, with "Play it again Sam" being only one example of how we mangle it.

    Another interesting bit of NON-trivia... many people think that Ronald Reagan was originally cast to play Rick. His name actually appeared on one flyer when the film was first being talked up before production, but it's not true. Bogie was always the pick for that role.
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    Jazz said: "Casablanca really is very likely the most quoted movie in history, both in everyday life and by people mouthing along with the script as they watch it."

    This is probably true. . .although I am not sure why. Yes, good writing . . . but lots of movies have good writing. Perhaps, Jazz, you might consider that as a question to ask?

    I know we live in a DVD age, but I would encourage anyone with an opportunity to see "Casablanca" on the big screen -- maybe a college film society or rep cinema - to see it there.

    It is fascinating to take one's eyes off the screen and look at the faces of people in the audience. People LOVE this film! Their expressions of rapt pleasure, and their private smiles as they speak the words of their favorite lines.

    Amazing.
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    I have never understood why the consensus is that Citizen Kane is the best movie ever. I can appreciate CK for what it is, but Casablanca is my personal favorite. With no CGI, no explosions, etc., even my children, when I first showed it to them in their early teens, were blown away by what a great movie it is.
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    Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine.
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    There are a number of movies that are better to quote than to watch. This is very common in comedy. Since I'm in my 30s, I remember the movie Three Amigos with Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. Not a laugh-out-loud movie when watching it, but I can still quote from it quite heavily. Much of SNL and Monty Python is the same. I don't really understand this phenomenon, but it seems real. Now, I'm not saying that Casablanca is not a great movie to watch as well as quote, but we seem to like to recreate certain dialogue in our lives, and Casablanca tapped that. Partly, it's the unnatural tone of much of the dialogue. Like a myth that is on the one hand absurd and on the other hand pointing at some deep human desire.
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    If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

    That after this exchange earlier:
    Yvonne: Where were you last night?
    Rick Blaine: That's so long ago, I don't remember.
    Yvonne: Will I see you tonight?
    Rick Blaine: I never make plans that far ahead.

    Besides the fact that it was masterfully written, that juxtaposition in attitudes is what, to me, makes Casablanca so powerful. It was a coming of age story. An adult coming of age story. Heck, a national coming of age story. It was a story about a transition between a cynical, self-absorbed existence to one realizing that there are larger principles at stake, and that "three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."

    Obama mentioned a similar transition this past weekend, when he discussed what pulled him out of his self-absorption in his youth. McCain did as well, when he talked about his "cross in the sand" moment. It's a powerful message. Ask not what your country can do for you, and all that. Citizen Kane... Rosebud.
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    "I am shocked, shocked to find gambling here (your winnings sir)."

    Kathryn snagged mine!