409: Marshmallow Traitors

Published: June 2, 2018, 6:05 p.m.

b'Endlessly quoted, residing on every list of the best films of all time, you might think that \\u201cCasablanca\\u201d\\u2014released 75 years ago\\u2014is overrated and played out. Nope! It\\u2019s a fun film with romance, snappy ironic dialogue, and a stunning cast. And it\\u2019s also a fascinating historical document, given that it was written before Pearl Harbor and produced in the early days of America\\u2019s involvement in World War II, when the end of the war was anything but a foregone conclusion. We discuss the magical letters of transit, Captain Renault\\u2019s jocular amorality, Victor Laszlo the speechifying drip, Ilsa\\u2019s piercing stare, Major Strasser\\u2019s favorite cereal, Sam\\u2019s implausible piano handwork, the Ken Cinema in San Diego, and how the war was like a rap battle.'