...Here's looking at you, kid.

The Writers Guild of America voted the screenplay of Casblanca
as the best screenplay of all time, in its 101 Greatest Screenplays vote...

But who wrote it?
Or should I say, who stole it?
Most likely the guys that got credit for it stole it.
That's how it works in Hollywood.

I'm sure some writer involved who contributed the most
didn't get the credit...but why?

The Starmaker

The Starmaker...

I mean, I understand now the use of the word "not working". I guess
in Billy Wilder's days there were a lot of illegal immigrants who didn't
know how to
speak English....
so they use broken English.
If the door is lock, they say things like "the door's not working", or
the door's "broken", since they don't know how to say the word "open".
That can be a
very hard word for a immigrant to say.

So he really meant to write
Walter Neff: Yeah, unless you got a bottle of beer that's not "open".

I think immigrants talk cute.

Like wash TV...
or fack you!

I spent last night with a illegal immigrant girl and I spent most of
the time correcting her English. Now she sounds like me.

The Starmaker

She said, "Let's get the fack out of here!

I said WHAT?

floridawildcat2...

Dude, a very sad thing to read. But as I know nothing about
Hollywood, probably true. I do know a little about human nature. If
it isn't nailed down somebody will steal it. I've always loved
Casablanca. I don't know who really created it, but it was a great
flick, probably the greatest flick. I've never seen a more beautiful
woman or a story more filled with sacrifice.

The Starmaker...

Not only that, but the most famous line in the movie, NOBODY WROTE IT, NOBODY GOT CREDiT FOR IT!

The Starmaker

The Starmaker...

and i forgot to add, nobody even said "Play it agan Sam."

Forge...

'Course he never actually says "play it again..."

The Starmaker...

I always wondered, ...who was to have *supposed* to have said it?

neff...

I think Bogart says 'Play it, Sam' when he's hittin' the bottle in the
dark in the club afterhours. Rick (Bogie) tells his buddy (Sam, jammin
in the shadows on his piano): 'If she can take it, so can I' (or
somethin like that...course, I could be wrong)--it's right before the
flashback sequence in Paris...the montage work for that was nicely done
by Don Siegel (long before he directed Invasion of the Body Snatchers
and Dirty Harry).

The Starmaker...

What I meant was, they both said it.
I just don't know which one of them was to have suppose to have said it.

She says it first:

ILSA
Play it once, Sam, for old time's
sake.

SAM
I don't know what you mean, Miss
Ilsa.

ILSA
Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes
By."

and then he says it afterwards:

RICK
You played it for her and you can
play it for me.

SAM
Well, I don't think I can remember
it.

RICK
If she can stand it, I can. Play it!

It just looks more to me like it came from her, not him.
There are more of the words "Play it again, Sam" coming from her than him.
She's the one that said "Play it, Sam."
All that is missing is the "again" word. He doesn't even say "Sam"!
I've seen that movie many times, and not once did I ever even think
that phrase came from him. I always thought it came from her...that the audience
was deriving the words from her, not him. I guess everybody sees movies differently.

The Starmaker

edrhodes...

I think Ilsa gets closest.

"Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.' "

As far as the ending is concerned. Rick's rediscovered his humanity and
the French captain has found his. The two of them are going to go out
and do what's right.