Five Episodes From 1983: Interesting As a Curiosity, But Not Particularly A Must-Own Proposition
Perhaps the oddest release to be timed with the seventieth anniversary of the film masterpiece "Casablanca" is this short-lived NBC program from 1983. The entire series consists of only 5 episodes and the show was canceled before they all even had a chance to air. At best, one would have to consider the greatest appeal of the TV series "Casablanca" to be a curiosity factor. What a tremendously bad idea! Why, why, why? A weekly adventure series that is a prequel to one of the greatest films ever made? Who thought this notion was a winner? Obviously not the viewing public. In truth, the program might have made for passable entertainment had it not tainted the "Casablanca" brand. It features some appealing actors, some impeccable set design, and some engaging banter.
In many ways, I think NBC was just as interested in capitalizing on the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" phenomenon (another network was airing its variation Tales of the Gold Monkey) as it was on adding to the...
Magnificent Production. Ill-fated in the shadow of Bogey.
In deference to the original movie, I can't give this 5 stars.
I'm glad to see this has been released on DVD.
Having appeared in the Premiere episode, "Who Am I Killing" (note the young soldier machine-gunning poor Trisha Noble in the final scene), I will add my support for K. Harris's compliment on the production. The set was magnificent. As for "why, why, why", remember this was not the only time Casablanca was turned into a TV series. The Premiere Episode of the 1955 series is included in the Casablanca 3-DVD box set Ultimate Collector's Edition from Warner Home Video Casablanca (Ultimate Collector's Edition). And certainly the network's motivation for this series was to catch the wave of popularity from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I also appeared in Bring 'em Back Alive, which was produced for the same reason.
Producer, David Wolper, is a master. He spared nothing in production...
Award Winning 1980s Show
Newly Remastered: Casablanca - A 1980s television series based on the 1942 classic film. David Soul plays Rick Blaine, the role Humphrey Bogart made famous. The great supporting cast includes Hector Elizondo, Ray Liotta and Scatman Crothers as Sam. The classic song "As Time Goes By", sung by Scatman Crothers is the opening theme song for the show. Winner of an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a series and a nominee for Outstanding Art Direction for a series. The five episodes included: 1) Who Am I Killing? 2) The Master Builder's Woman 3) Jenny 4) The Cashier And The Belly Dancer 5) Divorce, Casablanca Style - Beautifully produced show finally on DVD.
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