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CASABLANCA is now one of Hollywood’s most iconic films ever, but when it premiered in New York Nov. 26, 1942 its stars didn’t think much of it. 

Ingrid Bergman hadn’t wanted to play Ilsa opposite Humphrey Bogart’s Rick. She really was in love with the idea of playing Maria opposite Gary Cooper in Paramount’s FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS. Although that role brought her an Oscar nomination, she’s remembered today for starring in Warner Bros.’ CASABLANCA.

Bogart didn’t like CASABLANCA either and told Orson Welles during production, “I’m in the worst picture I’ve ever been in.”

Paul Henried was unhappy that Selznick International loaned him to WB to play Victor Lazlo. He’d just co-starred with Bette Davis in NOW, VOYAGER and felt that playing a secondary role in CASABLANCA would hurt his romantic lead status.

CASABLANCA was based on the1940 unproduced play EVERYBODY COMES TO RICK’S, by Murray Burnett & Joan Alison. MGM’s Louis B. Mayer passed on buying the movie rights for just $5,000. Then it was read at WB Dec. 8 1941, one day after Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, and story editor Irene Lee got Jack Warner to approve paying $20,000 for it. Studios suddenly needed pictures with patriotic themes. Two weeks later, producer Hal Wallis moved ahead with the project, changing its title to echo WB’s exotic 1938 hit ALGIERS.

Composer Max Steiner hated the song “As Time Goes By,” which Burnett loved, that came from the 1931 Broadway musical EVERYBODY’S WELCOME. Steiner wanted to write his own song, but Bergman’s hair had already been cut short for BELL TOLLS, so she couldn’t reshoot her scenes with Dooley Wilson, who was actually a drummer pretending to play piano.

“Time” wasn’t eligible for an Oscar nom because of its Broadway origins, but WB wasn’t expecting awards for CASABLANCA. It won, however, in March 1944 for directing (Michael Curtiz), adapted screenplay (Julius & Philip Epstein and Howard Koch) & best picture. When its big win was announced, Jack Warner rushed onstage with what Wallis called “a broad, flashing smile and a look of great self-satisfaction. I couldn’t believe it was happening. CASABLANCA had been my creation. Jack had absolutely nothing to do with it. As the audience gasped, I tried to get out of the row of seats and into the aisle, but the entire Warner family sat blocking me.”

In 1944 best picture wasn’t the night’s last award. Four acting wins followed as did the honorary Thalberg Award — which went to Wallis and was his second one. Stories broke the next day about a Wallis/Warner rivalry. A month later, Warner terminated Wallis’ contract. That sent Wallis into independent production where he went onto make hits like the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis comedies, Elvis Presley’s movies & John Wayne’s TRUE GRIT.