Casablanca: The Play
The script for Casablanca came from a play titled Everyone Comes to Rick's. Everyone Comes to Rick's had been written Murry Burnett and Joan Allison, who had actually been hoping to get their play to Broadway. One noticeable difference was the name of the beautiful woman - Lois Meredith - who appeared in Rick's night club. However, while many Hollywood legends imply that Hollywood screenwriters penned much of Casablanca from scratch, an analysis between the play and script shows that much of the groundwork for Casablanca was taken from the play. However, inexperienced playwrights, Burnett and Allison signed all of their rights to their un-produced play to the studio for the sum of $20,000 in 1941.
Casablanca: The Movie
Warning: Spoilers
Two German couriers carrying important official documents were murdered on the train to Oran. The murder and his accomplices are heading to Casablanca. Capt. Renault has demanded his typical round up of criminals, suspicious characters, and beautiful women. And so starts the search for the two stolen exit visas. But, they've trapped the murderer. He'll be at Rick's, because, as you see, everyone comes to Rick's. At Rick's Cafe, the usual business is taking place - gambling, drinking, and just a bit of plotting against the Third Reich, but not by Rick, of course.
Ugarte, realizing that the heat is on, passes the exit visas to Rick, before he is taken to jail. Rick sticks the visas in the piano, while Sam sings "Knock on Wood". The upbeat song is quite a back drop to the tension between Rick, and Ferrari, who has come to buy Rick's, or Sam. In the meantime, Yvonne has been drinking away her problems with Rick, who rejects her. Rick tells his bartender Sasha to take her home. Renault reprimands him, saying "How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. One day they might be scarce." Rick tells Renault that he came to Casablanca to "see the waters." Renault warns Rick that Victor Laslo is looking for those visas. They make a 10,000 franc bet. Major Strasse appears and they arrest Ugarte, despite his plees to Rick.
Enter Victor Laslo, with Ilsa Lund on his arm. While Renault finds pleasure in introducing the wanted party to Rick, but it seems that Rick has already met Ilsa before, in Paris. "The german's wore gray, you wore blue." Rick breaks two precedences -- he drinks with Ilsa, and picks up the tab. They leave, and Victor asks Ilsa how she knew Rick. Ilsa lies. Later, he waits for her, drinking, and demanding that Sam play "Time goes by", as he remembers their time in Paris, and how she left him at the station. Unfortunately, by the time Ilsa gets there, he is drunk and angry. They argue about why she left him in Paris. Ilsa leaves.
The next morning, Victor Laslo is warned by Renault and Major Strasse that there are no exit visas,and that Ugarte has been killed. Ilsa and Rick rehash the events of the night before, and Ilsa tells Rick that she is and was married to Victor. Senior Ferrari also tells Victor and Ilsa that, while he might be able to get her out, he could not get an exit visa for him, and suggests that they see Rick about the stolen visas. They go to Rick's, where Rick jokes to Renault that Yvonne has gone over to the other side. A young refugee asks Rick for advice about whether she should sleep with Renault to get the Visas. Rick tells her to go home, then allows her husband to win enough money for visas. Renault yells at him for interrupting his love affairs. Victor asks Rick for the visas. Rick's reply is "ask your wife". However, when a bunch of drunken Nazi's start to sing a German folk song, Rick permits Sam to play La Marseilles. After the outbreak, Major Strasse orders that Rick's be closed, and threatens Ilsa that Victor will either be jailed or killed if he does not cooperate with the authorities. Later that night, while Victor goes to a resistance meeting, Ilsa goes to Rick. She tries to convince him to give her the visas, then pulls a gun on him. He is not threatened, and Ilsa breaks down, admitting her love for Rick. They talk for a while, but are interrupted when the resistance meeting is broken up and Carl and Victor flee to Rick's for safety. Rick sends Ilsa out the back with Carl, and talks to Laslo. The Vichy police break into Rick's and arrest Victor.
Rick tells Renault that he is taking Isla out of the country, and tells Renault to let Victor go, and to arrest him on a big charge, while Rick and Ilsa make off for Lisbon on a plane , then makes arrangements with Senor Ferrari to sell Rick's, including Sam. His plan unfolds as Ilsa and Victor show up at the Cafe, and Rick tells Ilsa that he hasn't told Victor yet. Renault comes in to arrest Victor, but Rick pulls a gun on Renault. Rick tells Renault to call the airport, but Renault calls Major Strasse instead. At the airport, Rick tries to convince Ilsa that she needs to get on the plane, by reminding her that Victor will die in Casablanca, and tells her that they "will always have Paris". Just as everything is ready, Strasse shows up. Ilsa and Victor fly off to Lisbon. Strasse shoots at Rick, but Rick shoots first and kills Strasse. Renault clears Rick of his crime by telling the police to "round up the usual suspects".
As they walk off into the fog, Renault offers Rick a visa to Lisbon, Rick reminds Renault that he owes him 10,000 Francs, and, as the credits roll, Rick tells Renault that "This may could be the start of a beautiful friendship."