''Casablanca'' is an American drama series, based on the 1942 film of the same name set in the genre of spying and intrigue during World War II. Five episodes were filmed but, following its NBC premiere on April 10, 1983, and two additional installments on April 17 and 24, it was taken off the air. The two remaining unaired episodes were ultimately scheduled four months later, during summer programming, and shown on August 27 and September 3.Hyatt, Wesley. ''Short-Lived Television Series, 1948–1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops'' (McFarland, January 6, 2003)

Cast

* David Soul as Rick Blaine *Reuven Bar-Yotam as Ferrari * Hector Elizondo as Capt. Louis Renault * Kai Wulff as Lt. Heinz *Patrick Horgan as Maj. Strasser * Ray Liotta as Sacha *

Arthur Malet Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

as Carl *

Scatman Crothers Benjamin Sherman Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), known professionally as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show '' Chico and the Man'', and Dick Hal ...

as Sam

Characters

As in the 1942 feature, which was widely released in 1943 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture in March 1944, the main character is named Rick Blaine and is portrayed in 1983 by David Soul who was born in 1943. The role of French police captain Louis Renault, originated by

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Griffin (The Invisible Man), Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man (1933 film), The Invisible Ma ...

, was assigned to Hector Elizondo, Sydney Greenstreet's black marketeer Ferrari was played by Reuven Bar-Yotam and Sacha the bartender, played in 1942 by Leonid Kinskey, a character actor usually seen in comical portrayals, was taken as a serious role by Ray Liotta. Sam,

Dooley Wilson Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (April 3, 1886 – May 30, 1953) was an American actor, singer and musician who is best remembered for his portrayal of Sam in the 1942 film ''Casablanca''. In that romantic drama, he performs its theme song " As Time Goes ...

's iconic piano player, was being interpreted by another veteran character player,

, while Carl the maître d', created by still another familiar comical personality, "Cuddles" Sakall, returned in the person of latter-day character actor

. Finally, the main villain,

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laughs ...

's Major Strasser, who is fatally shot by Rick at the end of the film, is likewise back, in the portrayal by English actor Patrick Horgan. Strasser is also given an aide, Lieutenant Heinz, played by Kai Wulff. The series is described as taking place over a year before the events depicted in the 1942 film.Castro, Adam-Troy. "Remake Chronicles: It’s Time To Forgive David Soul’s CASABLANCA" (Adam-Troy Castro, October 21, 2015)
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Episodes

US television ratings

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casablanca 1983 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios NBC original programming Television series set in the 1940s English-language television shows Live action television shows based on films Television series based on adaptations