Poster Casablanca
Rick Blaine, the sentimental tough guy in Casablanca, pined for "As Time Goes By."
The Kobal Collection

Flicks in Five: Casablanca

Flicks in Five: Casablanca

Picking a romantic score from all the romantic films is a challenge to say the least. The best Hollywood movies have often been romantic love stories. Whether happy endings or ill fated, we adore them: Rhett and Scarlett in Gone with The Wind, Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and of course, Ilsa and Rick in Casablanca.

It's the film that made Ingrid Bergman a star, and it won so many awards, including the Oscar for Best Director, Best Picture and Beset Writing.

Max Steiner's music was nominated, yet Steiner actually had a problem with the fact "As Time Goes By" was not his. He spoke against using it as the theme of Rick and Ilsa's love, saying he'd rather write an original song. But Hal B. Wallis came back and said the filming was over, Bergman had cut her hair very short for For Whom The Bell Tolls and was already busy shooting it on location. Therefore, the scenes couldn't be reshot, and "As Time Goes By" stayed in Max Steiner's score.

This week on Flicks in Five, we'll hear some of that beloved theme.

Original Trailer — Casablanca

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