388:"provided an exotic locale and a character named Rick who ran a cafe but little in the way of a story adaptable to the screen". Burnett unsuccessfully sued for $ 6.5 million in damages, contending his play had provided the heart of the film. In 1991, Howard Koch, who was then 89 years old, said in a letter to the
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aired in 1983, Burnett and Alison sued Warner Bros. for royalties. Burnett also said that he wanted to control his characters and intended to complete a sequel to the play. In 1986, the New York State Court of
Appeals determined that the pair had signed away all rights to their work under the terms
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ruled in 1986 that they had signed away their rights in their agreement with Warner Bros. Under their threat not to renew the agreement when the copyright reverted to them, the film company paid them each $ 100,000 (equivalent to $ 240,000 in 2023) and the right to produce the original play. It
561:
Born Alice Joan
Leviton (3 May 1901 – 30 March 1992), she used Joan Alison as her pen name. She was born in New York, was a competitive billiards player in her teens, and married Samuel Nirenberg in 1920, with whom she had three children, divorcing in 1937. Alison and Burnett first
466:
After a trip to Europe with his wife
Frances in 1938 to help their Jewish relatives smuggle money out of Nazi-occupied Austria, the Burnetts went to the Mediterranean. They saw many exiles and refugees there. Burnett was inspired by events to make notes for a play.
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of their agreement when they sold the play. With the copyright due to revert to
Burnett and Alison in 1997, they threatened not to renew their agreement with Warner Bros. The company paid them each $ 100,000 and gave them the right to produce the original play.
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Soon after, Carly
Wharton and Martin Gabel took an option to produce the play. But there was resistance since it might seem to some that Lois (Ilsa in the movie) "had slept with Rick in Casablanca in order to get the letters of transit".
175:. While there he started to make notes for his anti-Nazi play. In the summer of 1940, the 27-year-old teacher completed the play in six weeks with the collaboration of Joan Alison. They featured Rick, an American bar owner of the
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for $ 20,000, considered a record for an unproduced play, especially by two unknown writers. A story editor, Irene Lee
Diamond, had read it in manuscript in New York, and recommended it for "sophisticated hokum".
187:, whose European inhabitants, military personnel and refugees often frequent the café. Eventually, Rick helps an idealistic Czechoslovak resistance fighter escape with the woman Rick loves.
113:
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At the time of his and Alison's suit in 1985, Burnett was working for
Corporation for Entertainment and Learning in Manhattan. He had the first 15 pages written for a sequel to
843:
Catalog of
Copyright Entries. Part 1. Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series Volume 13 for the Year 1940. Library of Congress. Copyright Office
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Alison lived in an apartment in New York's
Greenwich Village (60 E. 8th St). She died in 1992 at the age of 90. Two days after her death notice appeared in
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231:, who worked on the politics. Only Koch was with the project during filming, when he continued to write new dialogue and scenes. The title was changed to
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356:, Warner Brothers and the credited screenwriters downplayed the significance of the play in relation to the movie. Koch and the Epsteins received an
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Feeling they had not received full recognition for their contributions, Burnett and Alison tried to regain control of the property, but the
152:
In the summer of 1938, while on vacation from his job as
English teacher at a vocational school, Burnett and his wife Frances traveled to
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He completed the play about "Rick's" during the summer of 1940, in collaboration with his writer friend, Joan Alison. Their first play,
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since March of that year. Later, the couple visited a small town in the south of France, where they went to a nightclub overlooking the
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502:), together with Frederick Stephani. It featured a wounded veteran who teaches at a vocational high school in New York. It opened on
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Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. Library of Congress. Copyright Office p 71
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The film's opening credits say "Screen Play by ... Based on a Play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison." After the success of
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He was first married to Frances, with whom he had traveled to Europe in 1938. They divorced after having a daughter, Lori.
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David Gritten, "You Must Remember This : The 'Casablanca' Story Began as a Play--and After 50 Years, Finds a Stage"
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on December 28, 1910. He was a high school teacher at Central Commercial High School before becoming a playwright.
242:" came from Burnett and Alison's play. The song, from 1931, had been Burnett's favorite when he was a student at
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797:
747:
Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection : an Annotated Repertoire
246:. "As Time Goes By", written by Herman Hupfeld, was first performed by Frances Williams in the musical comedy
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Martin N. Kriegl, "'CASABLANCA:' A comparison between the classic motion picture and its stage play source"
618:, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends remembered her with a special screening of
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for a record figure of $ 20,000 (equivalent to $ 341,000 in 2023). It was adapted for film as
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Alexander, Ron. Metropolitan Diary. New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) 08 Apr 1992: C2
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Round up the Usual Suspects: The Making of "Casablanca". Bogart, Bergman, and World War II,
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482:"Later he wrote a book called Hickory Stick, didn't copyright it, and they made it into
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The lead actors were not particularly aware of the film's basis. For instance, in 1974,
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David Margolick, "The Creator of Rick's Cafe Seeks Rights to 'Casablanca' Characters,"
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David Margolick, "The Creator of Rick's Cafe Seeks Rights to 'Casablanca' Characters"
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Burnett met his second wife, actress Adrienne Bayan, when she had a role in his play
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that, after rereading the play, he thought it had provided "the spine" of the movie.
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for best screenplay in 1943, but little recognition was given to Burnett and Alison.
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Catalog of Copyright Entries. Library of Congress. Copyright Office - 1970 Page 170
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Aljean Harmetz, Obituary: "Murray Burnett, 86, Writer Of Play Behind 'Casablanca'"
654:
Aljean Harmetz, Obituary: "Murray Burnett, 86, Writer Of Play Behind 'Casablanca'"
219:, who worked on the romantic pairing of Rick and Ilsa; twin-brother screenwriters
207:
When Burnett and Alison failed to find a Broadway producer, they sold the play to
172:
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In 1943 Alison had collaborated with lyricist Stella Unger and blind pianist
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David Denby, "'Everybody Comes to Rick's': 'Casablanca' on the Big Screen'"
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Burnett wrote, produced, and directed many radio plays, including the 1952
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168:. A black pianist played jazz for a crowd of French, Nazis, and refugees.
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took an interest, but no film project developed. Their second effort was
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227:, who worked on the overall structure and dialogue; and screenwriter
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250:, which had played on Broadway from October 1931 to February 1932.
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Warner Bros. gave the script for adaptation first to screenwriter
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112:. Written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison in 1940, prior to the
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DVD, Turner 1999 with Murray Burnett interview about Cap Ferrat
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In 1940, Burnett and Alison also collaborated on another play,
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Burnett returned to the USA via the UK, staying a few weeks in
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an anti-Nazi spy vehicle, attracted the interest of director
124:. The film became an American classic, highly successful and
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relatives smuggle money out of the country occupied by the
426:. In April it transferred to the West End, running at the
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ranked by many as one of the greatest films ever made
553:. He died on September 23, 1997, in New York City.
498:(writer Amnon Kabatchnik says the correct title is
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1940 play written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison
584:1942. In 1945, theatrical producer Lee Sabinson (
532:, which ran for 38 episodes on CBS Radio in 1953.
94:is an American play that was bought unproduced by
961:Journal of Higher Education and Research Society
609:), described as a "modern Alice in Wonderland."
549:. Burnett was the uncle of documentary director
963:(ISSN 2349-0209), 3(2), October 2015: 408-15.
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594:, yet another Burnett-Alison collaboration.
367:said in an interview: "Adapted from a play?
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424:Everybody Comes to Rick's Bar in Casablanca
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49:Rick Blaine, Lois Meredith, Luis Rinaldo
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659:29 September 1997, accessed 20 May 2013
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861:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Feb 13, 1945
418:in Bromley, Kent - advertised as both
114:United States' entry into World War II
870:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Nov 8, 1943
682:10 October 1985, accessed 20 May 2013
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414:was produced by David Kelsey at the
397:When the television series based on
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1005:American plays adapted into films
717:14 May 1991, accessed 21 May 2015
488:. He didn't get a penny for it."
478:, but no film project developed.
506:in 1944 starring Steve Cochran.
796:. 21 April 1977. Archived from
763:. W. W. Norton. pp. 5–6.
566:, an anti-Nazi play, in which
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622:at the Museum of Modern Art.
578:What Are Little Boys Made Of?
254:Characters in play & film
927:Obituary: "Murray Burnett,"
788:"A Talk With Barbara Kopple"
761:We'll Always Have Casablanca
494:Burnett also wrote the play
136:was produced in 1991 at the
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601:on an un-produced musical,
528:. This show was adapted as
459:Murray Burnett was born in
41:Murray Burnett, Joan Alison
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820:"Obituary: Murray Burnett"
572:Everybody Comes to Rick's.
374:In 1973, the screenwriter
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959:in Literature and Film”.
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33:Everybody Comes to Rick's
908:New York: Hyperion, 1992
520:with the German actress
420:Rick's Bar in Casablanca
936:The Weekend Australian,
759:Isenberg, Noah (2018).
749:, Scarecrow Press, 2010
701:, accessed 20 May 2013
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446:played Louis Renault.
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432:Rick's Bar Casablanca
371:? I don't think so."
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793:The Harvard Crimson
607:Tea Tray in the Sky
248:Everybody's Welcome
976:, Wordpress, 2003.
924:29 September 1997.
800:on 26 January 2021
740:Amnon Kabatchnik,
715:Los Angeles Times,
615:The New York Times
603:Cabbages and Kings
582:Dry Without Tears,
410:In February 1991,
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472:One in a Million,
428:Whitehall Theatre
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830:2019-01-14
626:References
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399:Casablanca
369:Casablanca
354:Casablanca
233:Casablanca
196:Casablanca
181:Casablanca
101:Casablanca
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38:Written by
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562:co-wrote
378:wrote in
285:Ilsa Lund
804:27 March
504:Broadway
381:New York
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513:series
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