H. P. Lovecraft, on writing:

At night, when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour.

No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night.

- H. P. Lovecraft.

Recommended reading - The Scene-by-Scene Casablanca Film Guidebook

 

The Scene-by-Scene Casablanca Film Guidebook
A Detailed Look at the Hollywood Film Classic

by Michael Willian.

 
Published by Kerpluggo Books.
Published 2020.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0976242915
ISBN-13: 978-0976242918
 
Description:
 

It’s the ideal way to enjoy this American film classic – a comprehensive guidebook that walks you through Casablanca scene by scene. Breathing new life into the film, the guidebook is packed with intriguing insights, cool cast and film anecdotes, and countless closer looks at scene details, curiosities, historical tie-ins, gaffes and more. And it’s all presented in a smart, page turning format. Casablanca fans will be thrilled to have this humorous and insightful companion guiding them through this cinematic gem with fresh eyes.

 

Inside the guidebook you'll find: first-of-their kind illustrations showing the layouts of Rick's Cafe, the Casablanca Airport and the Paris street and bistro Rick and Ilsa visit, and where your favorite scenes take place in relation to one another; a complete chronology of key film scenes; a handy summary of World War II events leading up to the film's setting; the stories behind the countless World War II-era references that have lost their context over time; translations for the film's foreign language references, and the fascinating insights they unlock; a breakdown of songs in the film; film bookmarks for easy access to key details; And here is just a sampling of the things you'll discover: what popular chess strategy Rick invokes while playing both sides of the table, and the host of curiosities and gaffes involving the match; where Ilsa gets the gun she pulls on Rick; the incredible real-life story of how two Casablanca actors, then married, made their own World War II escape from France to America; Carl's profession before he waited tables at Rick's; the good luck symbol Ferrari displays outside the Blue Parrot; how to recreate Rick and Ilsa's Paris boat ride scene; what real-life plane was used for Strasser's arrival, and what became of it; whether Captain Renault's champagne recommendation to Strasser really was a good one.

Recommended reading - Casablanca: As Time Goes By

 

Casablanca: As Time Goes By:
50th Anniversary Commemorative

by Frank Miller.
 
Published by‎ Andrews McMeel Pub.
Published 1992.
First Edition.
Hardcover.
ISBN-10: 1878685147
ISBN-13: 978-1878685148
 
Description:
 

The leading lady was the producer's second choice. The leading man avoided his co-star between love scenes for fear of his wife's jealousy. Two of the stars didn't want to be in the movie in the first place. And nobody knew how the picture would end until the day they shot the final scene. Yet, out of this chaos came one of the enduring film favorites of all time – Casablanca.

 

For the First time, here is the whole story of Warner Bros. Production No. 410, from the original play that laid its foundation, through casting, writing, shooting, and post-production, to the series of lucky breaks that created one of the most everlastingly popular films of the last fifty years.

 

At every step along the road to Casablanca, the picture's creators had to make choices that later meant the difference between triumph and flop. Ronald Regan was initially announced to play one of the male leads. Producer Hal Wallis considered casting Ella Fitzgerald as Sam the piano player. Composer Max Steiner tried to cut "As Time Goes By." And sometimes the participants managed to make the right choices in spite of themselves.

 

Lavishly illustrated with a collection of photos, memos, blueprints and posters never before assembled in one book 'Casablanca: As Time Goes By...' paints the most complete picture ever of a movie that has mesmerized film-lovers and romantics for half a century.

 

Born on this day – Ford Beebe:

Ford Beebe

Writer

Director

November 26, 1888 – November 26, 1978

Credits:

The Green Hornet Movie Edition (2011); The Green Hornet (1990); King of the Wild Stallions (1959); The Adventures of Champion (1955); Lord of the Jungle (1955); Killer Leopard (1954); The Golden Idol (1954); Safari Drums (1953); Dogs 'n Ducks (1953); Bomba and the Jungle Girl (1952); African Treasure (1952); Wagons West (1952); Curley Bradley: The Singing Marshal (1951); Elephant Stampede (1951); The Lion Hunters (1951); The Lost Volcano (1950); The Girl from San Lorenzo (1950); Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950); Bomba on Panther Island (1949); Red Desert (1949); The Dalton Gang (1949); Shep Comes Home (1948); Courtin' Trouble (1948); My Dog Shep (1946); Riders of Pasco Basin (1940); The Stranger from Texas (1939); Oklahoma Frontier (1939); Riders of Black River (1939); Trouble at Midnight (1937); West Bound Limited (1937); Stampede (1936); Code of the Range (1936); The Mysterious Avenger (1936); Gallant Defender (1935); Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935); The Man from Guntown (1935); Riding Wild (1935); The Outlaw Deputy (1935); Death Flies East (1935); Fighting Shadows (1935); The Revenge Rider (1935); Law Beyond the Range (1935); The Prescott Kid (1934); Law of the Wild (1934); Laughing at Life (1933); The Pride of the Legion (1932); The Last of the Mohicans (1932); The Shadow of the Eagle (1932); The Lightning Warrior (1931); The Galloping Ghost (1931); Alias the Bad Man (1931); The Vanishing Legion (1931); King of the Wild (1931); The Phantom of the West (1930); The Lightning Express (1930); Tarzan the Tiger (1929); Overland Bound (1929); Come Across (1929); Brothers (1929); .45 Calibre War (1929); Yellow Contraband (1928); The Black Ace (1928); The Code of the Scarlet (1928); The Upland Rider (1928); The Canyon of Adventure (1928); The Bronc Stomper (1928); The Wagon Show (1928); The Apache Raider (1928); The Boss of Rustler's Roost (1928); The Devil's Twin (1927); Border Blackbirds (1927); Two-Gun of the Tumbleweed (1927); Don Desperado (1927); The Man from Hard Pan (1927); The Long Loop on the Pecos (1927); The Outlaw Express (1926); The High Hand (1926); Without Orders (1926); The Blind Trail (1926); Luck and Sand (1925); Win, Lose or Draw (1925); The Blood Bond (1925); Flash o' Lightning (1925); Across the Deadline (1925); The Shield of Silence (1925); The Trouble Buster (1925); Headin' Through (1924); Battling Bunyan (1924); The Loser's End (1924); Not Built for Runnin' (1924); The Perfect Alibi (1924); Riding Double (1924); The Law Forbids (1924); Payable on Demand (1924); Huntin' Trouble (1924); King's Creek Law (1923); Warned in Advance (1923); In Wrong Right (1923); Yellow Gold and Men (1923); Steel-Shod Evidence (1923); Tom, Dick and Harry (1923); Hyde and Zeke (1923); The Unsuspecting Stranger (1923); Wings of the Storm (1923); 100% Nerve (1923); When Fighting's Necessary (1923); The Extra Seven (1923); Partners Three (1923); Double Cinched (1923); Lost, Strayed or Stolen (1923); Smoked Out (1923); Border Law (1923); Under Suspicion (1923); Here's Your Man (1922); One Jump Ahead (1922); His Enemy's Friend (1922); The Drifter (1922); The Bar Cross War (1922); Deputized (1922); Come and Get Me (1922); His Own Law (1922); Too Much Business (1922); Nine Points of the Law (1922); Winners of the West (1921); The White Horseman (1921); No Man's Woman (1921); The Grip of the Law (1921); Kickaroo (1921); Sweet Revenge (1921); The Driftin' Kid (1921); The Saddle King (1921); The Trail of the Hound (1920); Fight It Out (1920); Superstition (1920); Tipped Off (1920); The Two-Fisted Lover (1920); Double Danger (1920); 'in Wrong' Wright (1920); One Law for All (1920); The Grinning Granger (1920); A Gamblin' Fool (1920); The Big Catch (1920); The Railroad Raiders (1917); A Lass of the Lumberlands (1916); A Youth of Fortune (1916); The Girl and the Game (1916).

Born on this day – Norah Baring:

Norah Baring

Actress

November 26, 1905 – February 8, 1985

Credits:

Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1995); Escape from Dartmoor (1930); Little Stranger (1934); Murder! (1930); Mystery at the Villa Rose (1930); Should a Doctor Tell? (1930); Strange Evidence (1933); The Celestial City (1929); The Doctors' Women (1928); The House of Trent (1933); The Lyons Mail (1931); The Runaway Princess (1929); Two Worlds (1930); Underground (1928).

Born on this day – Rhodie Cogan:

Rhodie Cogan

Actress

November 26, 1906 – April 24, 2000

Credits:

Crazy Like a Fox (1985); Days of Our Lives (1974); Gunsmoke (1974); Stand by Your Man (1981); Star Trek (1967); The Andromeda Strain (1971); The Vendors (1970); Watermelon Man (1970); Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973).

Born on this day – Frances Dee:

Frances Dee

Actress

November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004

Born on this day – Cyril Cusack:

Cyril Cusack

Actor

November 26, 1910 – October 7, 1993

Born on this day – Adele Jergens:

Adele Jergens

Actress

November 26, 1917 – November 22, 2002

Born on this day – Daniel Petrie:

Daniel Petrie

Director

Writer

November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004

Born on this day – Charles M. Schulz:

Charles M. Schulz

Cartoonist

Writer

Creator of the Peanuts comic strip

November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000

Born on this day – Betta St. John:

Betta St. John

Actress

Singer

Dancer

November 26, 1929 – June 23, 2023

Credits:

The Third Man (1965); Rendezvous (1960); The City of the Dead (1960); Tarzan the Magnificent (1960); International Detective (1960); The Four Just Men (1960); Armchair Theatre (1959); The Invisible Man (1959); BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1959); Corridors of Blood (1958); The Snorkel (1958); ITV Play of the Week (1958); High Tide at Noon (1957); Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957); The Errol Flynn Theatre (1956); Rheingold Theatre (1955–1956); The Count of Monte Cristo (1956); Alias John Preston (1955); The Naked Dawn (1955); The Vise (1955); The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954); The Student Prince (1954); The Saracen Blade (1954); Dangerous Mission (1954); All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); The Robe (1953); Dream Wife (1953); Jane Eyre (1943); Lydia (1941); Waldo's Last Stand (1940); Destry Rides Again (1939).

Born on this day – Tina Turner:

Tina Turner

Singer

Actress

Dancer

Writer

November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023

Credits:

Albums:

Tina Turns the Country On! (1974); Acid Queen (1975); Rough (1978); Love Explosion (1979); Private Dancer (1984); Break Every Rule (1986); Foreign Affair (1989); What's Love Got to Do with It (1993); Wildest Dreams (1996); Twenty Four Seven (1999).

Movies, television and music videos:

Kygo & Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do with It (2020); Tina Turner & Elisa: Teach Me Again (2006); Tina Turner: Whatever You Need (2000); Ally McBeal (2000); Tina Turner: When the Heartache is Over (1999); Eros Ramazzotti & Tina Turner: Cose della vita (Can't Stop Thinking of You) (1997); Tina Turner & Barry White: In Your Wildest Dreams (Animation Version) (1996); Tina Turner & Barry White: In Your Wildest Dreams (1996); Tina Turner: Something Beautiful Remains (1996); Tina Turner: Missing You (1996); Tina Turner: On Silent Wings (1996); Tina Turner: Whatever You Want (1996); Tina Turner: GoldenEye (1995); Tina Turner: Proud Mary (1993); Tina Turner: Disco Inferno (1993); Tina Turner: Why Must We Wait Until Tonight (1993); Last Action Hero (1993); Tina Turner: I Don't Wanna Fight - Studio Version (1993); Tina Turner: I Don't Wanna Fight (1993); Jimmy Barnes & Tina Turner: (Simply) The Best (1992); Tina Turner: I Want You Near Me (1992); Tina Turner: Love Thing (1992); Tina Turner: Simply the Best - The Video Collection (1991); Tina Turner: Way of the World (1991); Tina Turner: Way of the World - US Version (1991); Tina Turner: Nutbush City Limits (1991); Tina Turner: Foreign Affair (1990); Rod Stewart & Tina Turner: It Takes Two (1990); Tina Turner: Be Tender with Me Baby - Live (1990); Tina Turner: Look Me in the Heart (1990); Tina Turner: I Don't Wanna Lose You (1989); Tina Turner: Steamy Windows (1989); Tina Turner: The Best (1989); Tina Turner: A Change Is Gonna Come (1988); Tina Turner: We Don't Need Another Hero - Live Version (1988); Sigue Sigue Sputnik: Success (1988); Tina Turner & David Bowie: Tonight (1988); Tina Turner: Addicted to Love (1988); Tina Turner: Paradise is Here (1987); Tina Turner: Break Every Rule (1987); Tina Turner: What You Get Is What You See (1987); Tina Turner: Overnight Sensation (1986); Tina Turner in Tina Turner: Two People (1986); Tina Turner: Typical Male (1986); Bryan Adams & Tina Turner: It's Only Love (1985); Mel Gibson and Tina Turner in Tina Turner: We Don't Need Another Hero (1985); Tina Turner: One of the Living (1985); Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985); Tina Turner: Private Dancer Live from Private Dancer (1985); Tina Turner: Show Some Respect (1985); Tina Turner: I Can't Stand the Rain (1985); Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do with It (1984); Tina Turner: Better Be Good to Me (1984); Tina Turner: Private Dancer (1984); Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do with It (B&W Version) (1984); Tina Turner: Help! (1984); Tina Turner: Let's Stay Together (1983); B.E.F. Feat. Tina Turner: Ball of Confusion (1982); Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978); Tommy (1975).

Born on this day – Mark Margolis:

Mark Margolis

Actor

November 26, 1939 – August 3, 2023

On this day in movie history - Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca

directed by Michael Curtiz,

written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch,

based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick's by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison,

was released in the United States on November 26, 1942.

Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, S.Z. Sakall, Madeleine Lebeau, Dooley Wilson, Joy Page, John Qualen, Leonid Kinskey, Curt Bois.

On this day in television history - Steve Garvey Celebrity Sports Classic for Multiple Sclerosis (1981)

 

Steve Garvey Celebrity Sports Classic for Multiple Sclerosis

hosted by Steve Garvey,

produced by Bill Fitts and Ralph Mole,

was released in the United States on November 26, 1981.

 
IMDB description: 

Steve Garvey hosts the 7th Annual Steve Garvey Multiple Sclerosis Sports Classic featuring sports and entertainment celebrities competing in athletic competitions for charity.
 
Cast:

Lloyd Bridges, James Franciscus, Steve Garvey, Ann Jillian, Deacon Jones, Harvey Korman, Janet Leigh, Connie Stevens, Dwight Stones, Dick Van Patten.

On this day in movie history - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

directed by Leonard Nimoy,

written by Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett,

based on a story by Harve Bennett and Leonard Nimoy,

was released in the United States on November 26, 1986.

Music by Leonard Rosenman.

Cast:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Catherine Hicks, Majel Barrett, Mark Lenard, Jane Wyatt, Robin Curtis, Alex Henteloff, Madge Sinclair, Jane Wiedlin, Vijay Amritraj, John Schuck, Robert Ellenstein, Michael Berryman, Brock Peters, Grace Lee Whitney.