by Robert E. Wallace, Ph.D.

On a day in late May of 1942, Michael Curtiz began filming Casablanca on the Warner Brothers lot.  That day, two pianists were on set to record the flashback scene set in Montmartre¹, and one of many recordings of Herman Hupfield’s “As Time Goes By.”   Later in production, three pianists were present to record the song in the scene in Rick’s Café with Sam singing for Ilsa¹.  It remains an open question of just whose piano is heard playing in the film.  A popularly held notion is that Dooley Wilson’s friend, Elliot Carpenter, was responsible for these pieces in the released film.  The following detailed review shows that a studio musician, Jean Plummer, should get the credit. Continue reading →