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In 1942, in my humble opinion, one of the best movies ever made was produced. I have been a fan of Humphrey Bogart since my early youth when I would listen to my friend Chuck Smith tell me stories of old Hollywood and the people that lived lives that sounded so amazing that their lives seemed like one long cinematic movie. Chuck was part of the greatest generation serving in World War II and traveling the world; he was a student of everything, and in my talks with him as a child, I learned to appreciate nearly every form of pop culture and beyond. But Bogart genuinely intrigued me, and I loved Casablanca and have seen it many times. Still, it was shown this past weekend at the Bristol legacy theater, and I took my wife, Lorie, and my son, Eli, to see it, and I have to say I felt as though I was watching it for the first time.

The film was based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison’s unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Story editor Irene Diamond, who had discovered the script on a trip to New York in 1941, convinced Hal Wallis to buy the rights in January 1942 for $20,000, the most anyone in Hollywood had ever paid for an unproduced play. Although an initial filming date was selected for April 10, 1942, delays led to production starting on May 25. Filming was completed on August 3. It went $75,000 over budget for a total cost of $1,039,000.

The entire picture was shot in the studio, except for the sequence showing Strasser’s arrival, filmed at Van Nuys Airport, and a few short clips of stock footage views of Paris. The street used for the exterior shots was recently built for another film, The Desert Song, and redressed for the Paris flashbacks. An entire book is dedicated to making this great movie called The Making of Casablanca — Bogart, Bergman & World War II by Aljean Harmetz, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1993). I highly recommend it.

When I went to see the movie with my family, the one thing I took away was: first, I could understand why Bogart was such a star, and two, there were no special effects; it was story-driven and had great charismatic acting. We live in a world today where special effects nearly overshadow the actors and story; back in the golden age, you only had people and a story, and both kept you interested. I am so glad I got to see it on the big screen, and once the movie was over, the audience applauded a well-deserved ovation again, a reminiscence of the old days. But best of all, my wife loved it, and to quote my nine-year-old son, “that was awesome!”