Casablanca (1983 TV series)
| Casablanca | |
|---|---|
| Genre | World War II spy/intrigue |
| Starring | Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | April 10 – September 3, 1983 |
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.The show was the second attempt at a TV series based on the movie; the first was a 1955 show starring Charles McGraw as Rick Blaine that was also short lived, lasting only 10 episodes longer than the five of this one.[1][2][3]
Cast
- David Soul as Rick Blaine
- Reuven Bar-Yotam as Ferrari
- Hector Elizondoas Capt. Louis Renault
- Kai Wulff as Lt. Heinz
- Patrick Horgan as Maj. Strasser
- Ray Liotta as Sacha
- Arthur Malet as Carl
- Scatman Crothers as Sam
Characters
As in the
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.[6]
Sam,
"Cuddles" Sakall, returned in the person of latter-day character actor Arthur Malet. Finally, the main villain, Conrad Veidt'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.[7][8] The series is described as taking place over a year before the events depicted in the 1942 film.[9][10][11]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Who Am I Killing?" | Ralph Senensky | James M. Miller | April 10, 1983 |
| 2 | "The Master Builder's Woman" | Robert Lewis | Bob Foster | April 17, 1983 |
| 3 | "Jenny" | Mel Stuart | Julius J. Epstein | April 24, 1983 |
| 4 | "The Cashier and the Belly Dancer" | Ralph Senensky | Nelson Gidding | August 27, 1983 |
| 5 | "Divorce, Casablanca Style" | Robert Lewis | Julius J. Epstein | September 3, 1983 |
US television ratings
| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Tied With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | 5 | April 10, 1983 | September 3, 1983 | 91[12] | N/A | N/A |
References
- ^ Associated Press. "'CASABLANCA' SET FOR TV" (The New York Times, April 7, 1983)
- ISBN 1476605157
- ^ Jane, Ian. "Casablanca: The Complete Series" (DVD Talk, July 1, 2012)
- ^ "'Casablanca' Released on DVD" (David Soul Fans)
- ISBN 0393243133
- ^ Emily VanDerWerff. "Casablanca: The Complete Series" (A.V. Club, July 4, 2012)
- ^ Photographs of Casablanca cast (Pellucidar Notations, August 4, 2013)
- ^ Ralph Senensky, who directed the second and the fifth episode of Casablanca, recollects working on the series (Ralph's Trek, January 24, 2010)
- ^ Shonk, Michael. Casablanca (1983) (Mystery File, January 25, 2013)
- ^ The Week Staff. "10 crazy attempts to continue the Casablanca story" (The Week, November 5, 2012)
- ^ Castro, Adam-Troy. "Remake Chronicles: It’s Time To Forgive David Soul’s CASABLANCA" (Adam-Troy Castro, October 21, 2015)
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". Archived from the original on 2018-03-18. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
External links
- Casablanca at IMDb
- Casablanca at TV Guide
