tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post4290973253821562856..comments2024-03-23T10:31:52.756-04:00Comments on Rick On Theater: 'Everybody Comes To Rick’s'Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-21421190815325909732024-01-06T18:31:05.104-05:002024-01-06T18:31:05.104-05:00While I thank Rick for the extent of his research ...While I thank Rick for the extent of his research I wish something more could be said of the collaborators on the entire film who clearly had no illusions about Fascist Spain. Right from the opening we can see that the refugees are anything but Jews, but Spanish from the Civil War. If I did not live in Spain and have a passionate interest in the SCW I would never have noticed, which explains why this aspect is overlooked - which leads me to "Everybody Comes To Ricks" and how it came to be written in the first place. What intrigues me is that Burnett "stopped off" in Vienna to export the money he would get from Jews who needed to flee. I have a very strong suspicion that the intermediary in this operation was none other than Otto Katz, whom many have identified with the Victor Laszlo character ( they were both Czech and Katz was well known in Hollywood ). My hunch is that Katz was diverting some of this money to Moscow ( and himself, no doubt). In any case, Katz was executed in the infamous Doctors' Trial in Prague in 1949, still believeing Comrade Stalin had made a terrible mistake. Futhermore, when changes were made to the script of Everybody Goes To Ricks, I feel that Koch and the other scriptwiters were heavily influenced by Hollywood scriptwiters who had actually fought in the Spanish Civil War with the Lincoln Battalion, in paricular Alvah Bessie, a member of the Hollywood Ten who fell foul of McCarthy in the 1950s. Bessie appears as a composite character in the movie Trumbo. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-40651091953759170832023-05-12T22:07:44.350-04:002023-05-12T22:07:44.350-04:00Thank you, Rick! Here's lookin' at you, ki...Thank you, Rick! Here's lookin' at you, kid. ;)Gaylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01063751041254023806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-47478454439745717592023-05-12T17:25:33.716-04:002023-05-12T17:25:33.716-04:00Gayle:
As you can read in my post above, that'...Gayle:<br /><br />As you can read in my post above, that's my understanding from my research. <br /><br />(As I also state in the report, I read the typescript of 'Rick's' and I can attest to the title as it was originally written, irrespective of any variations you may find.)<br /><br />Thanks for commenting. Good luck with your novel.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-87753284225178126122023-05-11T15:47:50.255-04:002023-05-11T15:47:50.255-04:00Hi, Rick: I'm writing a novel in which the her...Hi, Rick: I'm writing a novel in which the heroine acquires an early draft of the CASABLANCA script. My research lead me to believe the movie's original working title was EVERYBODY COMES TO RICK'S and that the name Lois wasn't changed to Ilsa until later either. Is that correct? I don't want to get it wro ng. Thanks in advance for your help!Gaylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01063751041254023806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-12785064146639559322023-02-11T02:47:32.630-05:002023-02-11T02:47:32.630-05:00Thank you very much, Rick. Hemingway's work fo...Thank you very much, Rick. Hemingway's work for theatre, "The Fifth Column" was published in 1938. [ Text: https://tinyurl.com/4nwnh7uk ] Much eminence is given to a Madrid bar, Chicote's. <br />Where Murray Burnett tells his story of attending a bar in the South of France is F Scott Fitzgerald territory. <br />The movie is set in stone and not one chip can be taken off it. The genesis of the theatrical work is the greater intrigue.<br />Thanks.Laurence H Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129695835536022374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-83457355438286387802023-02-10T05:23:32.309-05:002023-02-10T05:23:32.309-05:00Thanks, whoever you are.
I'm not sure what ...Thanks, whoever you are. <br /><br />I'm not sure what I'm to make of all this, but I appreciate the effort.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-78720302496806190732023-02-07T03:52:00.224-05:002023-02-07T03:52:00.224-05:00https://tinyurl.com/yc3vr2a5 So Rick is amended ...https://tinyurl.com/yc3vr2a5 So Rick is amended by the playwrights to have, like Hemingway, entertained his exploits in the Spanish Civil War. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-31368792650105366932023-02-07T03:44:38.945-05:002023-02-07T03:44:38.945-05:00 https://tinyurl.com/yc3vr2a5 . .is more helpful ... https://tinyurl.com/yc3vr2a5 . .is more helpful link for the Basque Coast bar evening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-3497327352571286602023-02-07T03:17:57.717-05:002023-02-07T03:17:57.717-05:00Valencia is a city in Spain and was the capital of...Valencia is a city in Spain and was the capital of the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. The song Valencia was first made popular in 1926. Here is Mario Lanza presenting : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUQzCUpZA3w Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-33813335078260385912023-02-07T01:38:34.682-05:002023-02-07T01:38:34.682-05:00I'm not going to do more than give you a '...I'm not going to do more than give you a 'tinyUrl' of a page in a book published 1941 where an evening in a south western France bar on the Basque coast is described. It seems that the story was already legendary at the time of writing and is the source for the patriotic conflict of melodies of one night at Rick's, Casablanca. tinyurl.com/yc3vr2a5 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-44979275328003691362023-01-16T11:36:52.200-05:002023-01-16T11:36:52.200-05:00Sorry, the above comment is me, I just forgot to s...Sorry, the above comment is me, I just forgot to sign in. Thanks.Svenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06427827770520996627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-46329943888526006212023-01-15T23:39:06.120-05:002023-01-15T23:39:06.120-05:00Thanks so much! You can reach me at nevets20 at gm...Thanks so much! You can reach me at nevets20 at gmail.com. I’m very interested in Murray’s trip through Europe, and then what happened to his first wife, and lastly any biographical information on Joan Allison. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-84212407131509930252023-01-12T17:15:03.250-05:002023-01-12T17:15:03.250-05:00Sven--
I have a version of the post with embedded...Sven--<br /><br />I have a version of the post with embedded footnotes--tho' not all are pertinent to your question. I won't list them all here in the Comments (there are 47 notes), but if you send me some kind of contact info (preferably, e-mail), I can either send you the annotated copy or compile a list of the sources from the notes (which will take me a while to create).<br /><br />If you tell me to do so, I'll delete the Comment with your contact so it doesn't remain on the blog for long.<br /><br />Thanks for writing in. Hope I can help.<br /><br />~Rick Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-35463484582554322462023-01-12T10:33:17.262-05:002023-01-12T10:33:17.262-05:00Hi, I'm curious what your sources are for the ...Hi, I'm curious what your sources are for the biographical information on Murray Burnett Joan Allison. She's kind of a mystery, what with the name changing, etc. Svenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06427827770520996627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-81541233476462087962022-12-06T07:46:37.319-05:002022-12-06T07:46:37.319-05:00Terrific, Lisa. What a nice memory. Thanks for the...Terrific, Lisa. What a nice memory. Thanks for the Comment.<br /><br />~Rick<br /><br />Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-16811545862495374772022-12-01T11:17:49.643-05:002022-12-01T11:17:49.643-05:00I performed in the JMU production and remember it ...I performed in the JMU production and remember it fondly. What an honor to have performed for Murray Burnett.Lisa Backerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600349048333343589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-35036013803371294462021-11-24T22:14:20.891-05:002021-11-24T22:14:20.891-05:00I lived in Woodstock in 1986-7, and had dinner wit...I lived in Woodstock in 1986-7, and had dinner with Howard and Annie Koch a few times. He used the Oscar as a doorstop in his study. We discussed many topics, from Bard College to the Blacklist, even Katherine Hepburn, who had christened his pontoon boat the African Queen. He also admitted that he thought his best screenwriting was for A Letter From an Unknown Woman, and admitted that his scripts were enhanced by talented directors and actors. He was still chuckling about War of the Worlds. <br /><br />In the summer of 1987, Byrdcliffe Theater staged a production of a mishmash of Everybody Comes to Rick’s and Casablanca with Howard Koch’s help dealing with Warner Brothers. I am not sure if the writers of the original play were involved, but I do recall that the production was lacking the radiance of the movie. The only special part was the scene when the people in the cafe sang over the Nazis. <br /><br />I think it ran for a week, but the small theater was packed to view the curiosity. We were lucky to get tickets for the limited run.lablanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16570938455000427235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-65629514978175161182021-02-26T14:14:07.497-05:002021-02-26T14:14:07.497-05:00Wonderful memories, Warren!
I'm about five ye...Wonderful memories, Warren!<br /><br />I'm about five years older than you, and I remember those years particularly well because they included my late 20's and early 30's, the years I was in the army and then in acting school.<br /><br />I started 'Rick On Theater' to publish my play reports, but I found myself writing several personal memoirs for the blog as well.<br /><br />Have you ever considered writing one? You seem to have the material for a fine one. Think it over. (I'm in the midst of a different kind of family-history piece right now. It's a fascinating journey.)<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your reminiscences, Warren.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-24203854279301911222021-02-24T11:51:09.972-05:002021-02-24T11:51:09.972-05:00I have very good memories of those years. I was a ...I have very good memories of those years. I was a graduating senior in 1970 when I met Lori. We both were teenagers in The Adams School, at 248 E. 31st Street on the east side of Manhattan. This was a private special school for what were called "exceptional children", which 50 years later, today, would translate to "special needs kids" with various neurological/mental health/psychiatric issues.I had an interest in theatrical lighting and psychedelic lighting, which was popular behind rock bands at the time. I had gathered a group of fellow Adams students to run monthly school dances on Friday evenings at the School. Lori was one of about 8 teens who worked on these events with me. Lori and I created psychedelic light shows for the dance hall and behind the bands. Lori was "just my girlfriend", but a rather special young woman. She was into books, having recently read Fahrenheit 451 about the banning and burning of forbidden books. She lived with her father and her stepmother Adrienne, on the upper East side of Manhattan. I met them one afternoon with Lori in their apartment; she introduced me to "my father" and "Adrienne". (At my age of 19 years old, at that time I had no idea why he was "Dad" and she wasn't Mom.) She told me her father was a playright, but I never asked her what her dad had written. To me, he was just Lori's father. I wasn't a big reader, and I only saw films occasionally and at that time had never seen Casablanca. I don't recall anyone, including Murray, mentioning the film. And I spent a lot of evenings after school with Lori in her father's apartment, listening to Beatles records, and it was my first experience with real love, and hers as well.<br />warrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10199091414170473686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-54921286863460186852021-01-29T19:20:29.229-05:002021-01-29T19:20:29.229-05:00Fascinating, Warren!
Did you know about Lori'...Fascinating, Warren!<br /><br />Did you know about Lori's father's connection to 'Casablanca'? Did anyone ever mention the play?<br /><br />I hope you have good memories of that time. (In 1970, I was in the army--studying Russian in Monterey, California.)<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-9453242530184400682021-01-29T07:06:41.045-05:002021-01-29T07:06:41.045-05:00In 1970 I dated a 17-year-old girl in my high scho...In 1970 I dated a 17-year-old girl in my high school in New York City (The Adams School; Sage Academy) who went by the name Lori Burnett, and as it turns out Lori was the teenage daughter of Murray Burnett! I did meet Murray while dating her.warrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10199091414170473686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-82779570431041076042019-07-05T05:02:38.145-04:002019-07-05T05:02:38.145-04:00"Aux armes, citoyens,/. . ./Marchons, marchon..."Aux armes, citoyens,/. . ./Marchons, marchons!"<br /><br />It is pretty stirring, isn't it!<br /><br />Incidentally, I dated a girl from what was then Madison College--it was jock school for women then (mid- and late '60s, when I was at a men's college in Virginia). I can even remember her name after 50 years! (I'm old, in case you hadn't guessed.)<br /><br />Well, that was a tiptoe down memory lane. Thanks for the Comment.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-87909368069678246662019-07-05T04:50:56.368-04:002019-07-05T04:50:56.368-04:00I'm afraid I don't know. I'd suggest ...I'm afraid I don't know. I'd suggest approaching the London producer, but he died in 1996. Murray Burnett and Joan Alison are gone, too, now. See the Comment below: maybe James Madison University (in Harrisonburg, Virginia) has a lead.<br /><br />Sorry I can't be of any help.<br /><br />~Rick Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-9546985471760043642019-07-03T20:54:17.109-04:002019-07-03T20:54:17.109-04:00I attended a production of "Everybody Comes t...I attended a production of "Everybody Comes to Rick's" at the Studio Theatre at James Madison University. Probably in the 90s. Murray Burnett was there and spoke and insisted that he controlled the rights to the play. Although it was an all student production, it was quite well done, and when the cafe patrons broke into "La Marsaillaise"(as they do in the play version) live onstage, it was quite stirring, as though everyone in the audience wanted to stand up and join in.Roger Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589211911619860946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-21102876724926333882019-07-03T20:39:44.614-04:002019-07-03T20:39:44.614-04:00If Wikipedia is correct, Warner returned the right...If Wikipedia is correct, Warner returned the rights to the play to the authors in a deal to secure the film rights beyond the 1990s. If that's right, who has the play version rights now that the original authors are passed?Roger Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589211911619860946noreply@blogger.com