Not long ago, my wife and I went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant to celebrate her birthday. We decided to order champagne. As our server was leaving with our order, I remembered something from Casablanca, one of our favorite films.

We had just seen it again the previous Sunday and we always see something we missed before or had forgotten.

When the server returned, I ordered another drink. I’ve never had one and it was a great time to experiment. That drink is our trivia question.

What did Victor Laszlo order to drink [several times in fact] at Rick’s Café Américain? [answer at the end]

Monday, November 26, 2013 is the seventy first anniversary of the release of what many consider to be the best movie ever. Those who don’t vote it that high usually include it in their top ten and many, the top five. Just as many couples have a song they consider to be “our song,” my wife and I have several favorite lines from Casablanca that are significant for us.

Once in our past, we shared a moment in time and space that we will always remember as our very own “Paris.” I often tease her that she wore blue that day and the Germans wore gray.

To mark the anniversary, I downloaded the script and selected some lines that may or may not be familiar to readers. Most of these fall into the category for us of “lines we like but had lost track of or forgotten.”

Renault: Realizing the importance of the case, my men are rounding up twice the usual number of suspects.

Ugarte to Rick: You despise me, don’t you?
Rick: If I gave you any thought, I probably would.
Later, Ugarte: “…just because you despise me you’re the only one I trust.”

Renault to Rick: I like to think you killed a man. It’s the romantic in me.

German Strasser to Rick: What is your nationality?
Rick: I’m a drunkard.

Renault to Ilsa: I was informed you were the most beautiful woman ever to visit Casablanca. That was a gross understatement.

Ilsa to Rick: Is that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding?

Ilsa to Rick: Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.

Rick to Ilsa: Tell me, who was it you left me for? Was it Laszlo, or were there others in between? Or aren’t you the kind that tells?

Laszlo to Renault: I slept very well.
Renault: That’s strange. Nobody is supposed to sleep well in Casablanca.

Renault [re: Ugarte]: We haven’t quite decided whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape.

Ferrari to Laszlo: As leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man.
and later: It will take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca. And the Germans have outlawed miracles.

Renault to Rick: Why do you interfere with my little romances?
Rick: Put it down as a gesture to love.

Rick asks Renault: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Renault: I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Rick to Ilsa: I’m the only cause I’m interested in.
later: I wouldn’t bring up Paris if I were you. It’s poor salesmanship.

Renault to Rick: Miss Lund, she’s very beautiful, yes, but you were never interested in any woman.
Rick: Well, she isn’t just any woman.

Renault to Rick: Ricky, I’m going to miss you. Apparently you’re the only one in Casablanca who has even less scruples than I.

Renault to Laszlo: The explanation is quite simple. Love, it seems, has triumphed over virtue.

Rick to Renault: Louis, I wouldn’t like to shoot you, but I will, if you take one more step.
Renault: Under the circumstances, I will sit down.

Rick to Renault: And remember, this gun’s pointed right at your heart.
Renault: That is my least vulnerable spot.

Ilsa: But what about us?
Rick: We’ll always have Paris.

Listen for those lines next time you enjoy Casablanca.

Readers are invited to leave their favorite line in the comment section.

Trivia ANSWER: champagne cocktail

Please click the book cover image to read more about FCEtier’s thriller, The Tourist Killer.