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On this day in New York · November 26, 1942

Casablanca Opens in New York

Warner Bros. rushed a small war picture into one Broadway theater to ride real headlines out of North Africa, and by accident produced the most quoted movie ever made.

Casablanca Opens in New York
Wikimedia Commons / Humphrey Bogart

The facts

Premiere
November 26, 1942, at the Hollywood Theater in New York City
New York run
Ten weeks at the 1,500-seat Hollywood Theater, grossing $255,000
Wide release
January 23, 1943, timed to the Casablanca Conference
Academy Awards
8 nominations, 3 wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Michael Curtiz

On November 26, 1942, Warner Bros. opened Casablanca at the Hollywood Theater on Broadway, months ahead of its planned 1943 release date. The studio moved fast because American and British troops had just landed in French North Africa under Operation Torch, and Allied forces had taken the real city of Casablanca only weeks before. Humphrey Bogart played the saloon keeper Rick Blaine, Ingrid Bergman played Ilsa Lund, Paul Henreid played Victor Laszlo, and Michael Curtiz directed. The bet on ripped-from-the-headlines timing worked. The film ran ten weeks at the 1,500-seat Hollywood Theater before Warner Bros. sent it into wide release the following January, timed again to real news: the Casablanca Conference, where Roosevelt and Churchill were meeting in the actual city.

In their words

The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.

  1. Casablanca premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York City on November 26, 1942, to capitalize on Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of French North Africa) and the capture of Casablanca.

    Wikipedia entry on Casablanca (film)

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. On November 26, 1942, Casablanca, a World War II-era drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premieres in New York City; it will go on to become one of the most beloved Hollywood movies in history.

    History.com, "This Day in History"

    Source: History.com

Why it still matters

Casablanca proved a studio could turn a real war into a movie fast enough to cash in on the headlines, and still make something people quote eight decades later. It opened a few blocks from Times Square and went on to win Best Picture within months.

Sources

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