There are others that get honorable mention. A short list: The Notebook, West Side Story, Love Story, The Big Sick, Terms of Endearment, Titanic, Ghost (and you can add your favorite to the list). But none of them have had the lasting cultural impact that a movie based on an unproduced play, rushed into production due to crew and cast going off to war, has had (the play that the movie is based on landed on producer Hal Wallis’ desk on December 12, 1941).

Think of the lines from the movie that are now part of our collective lexicon:

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
“We’ll always have Paris.”
“Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.”

The song “As Time Goes By” rivals any song from any movie—not just romantic films.

The unproduced play was titled Everybody Comes to Rick’s and was written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. The screenplay was credited to twin brothers Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. The Epstein brothers got a late start on the script as they were in Washington, D.C. working with Frank Capra on the Why We Fight series.

The Academy Awards bestowed on this movie were for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (out of eight nominations). The American Film Institute has the movie ranked Number 3 on the current List of 100 Top Movies.

I have a personal Casablanca story. I know a woman from Pittsburgh who was Miss Pennsylvania. She has lived in Los Angeles for many years. She was a successful model, was a TV producer, and is now a businesswoman. Definitely a winner in the “Genetic Lottery”. She was in Pittsburgh two years ago for a six-month period. She wanted her son to spend time with her family and was also in Pittsburgh to write a screenplay with a friend.

Two days before Valentine’s Day I called to invite her to my house for dinner. I told her I would make my famous shrimp & asparagus pasta. After dinner we would watch Casablanca. Her reply: “Oh, that movie is just soooo old.”

I told her what I tell anybody who thinks Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Grapes of Wrath, On the Waterfront, Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment, et.al. are “soooo old.” The people who are writing and directing the movies that we watch today were influenced by the movies listed above—plus many others. Imagine, a person writing a screenplay thinking Casablanca is too old to provide value to the writing process. I’m shocked, shocked…

There was no shrimp & asparagus pasta dinner and there has been no screenplay. This woman goes through life with less of a life for not opening the door to great movies.

My suggestion to you? If you have a “Habibi” or “Habibiti” (Arabic for loved one) in your life, make them your special dinner on the 14th day of February and then watch Casablanca.

And as we say in Spanish: Que romantico!