Dooley Wilson as "Sam"

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2007)

Everyone knows the line "Play it again, Sam," never really occurs in the picture. Bogart doesn't say those actual words to Dooley Wilson.
"Casablanca" is widely recognized as a nearly perfect example of a film produced during the peak of the Hollywood "Studio Years." It's a cultural treasure and justifiably beloved. But there is no getting around the fact that the role of Sam, the jazz pianist, is patronizingly written and the character is an unfortunate example of the Uncle Tom type of "good black" that so often crept into movies of that era.
The character of the pianist/singer in Rick's Cafe Americain was initially conceived of as a part for a female jazz artist like Hazel Scott, Ella Fitzgerald, or Lena Horne. Perhaps the subliminal sexuality of having a young African American woman so close to Rick (Bogart) made the Warner Bros. execs nervous. MGM, where Lena Horne was under contract, never quite knew how to deal with her beauty or sexuality. She was seldom part of a storyline but rather often featured as a performer in a nightclub sequence that could be snipped out in prints of the film being exhibited in the Deep South, thus not offending racists but not messing with the continuity of the plot. The role of the pianist was switched to a male character possibly to sidestep all the issues of miscegenation between the singer and "Mr. Rick." Racial mixing was one of the last taboos to go during the 30 year reign and enforcement of the Production Code.
Though the Bogart character is respectful of Sam and looks out for his best interests, making sure Sam is paid the same once he leaves Morocco, their relationship is not truly one of equals. Sam always refers to him as "Mr. Rick" and Bergman as "Miss Ilsa." Sam takes care of Rick and worries over his happiness and well-being. We know nothing of Sam's life or needs. All we know for sure is that Sam will do anything he can to keep these white folks happy.
When Bergman first spots Sam in the nightclub she inquires, "Who is that boy playing the piano?" BOY? Born in 1886, Dooley Wilson was 56 years old. Use of the term "boy" to refer to the musician is an unfortunate indication of the prevailing practice of denigrating black men's sexuality and maturity. One was a "boy" until one was 70.
Yet Warner Bros., more-so perhaps than the other big studios, was more liberated in terms of race and its depiction. The mere presence of Sam as a character indicated progress to many. But the role is definitely narrow and restrained, within the typical submissive image often delineated for blacks. At one point, and mercifully it's mostly cut, early in the film Sam begins to sing an old song called "Shine." (Shine was a racist term for an African American, like Coon or Jigaboo.) The number was a very racist tune of the early 20th Century---"Just because my hair is curly/ Just because my teeth are pearly..." We are not subjected to the full song which is a catalog of stereotypic images---and then the song ends with the line "That's why they call me Shine." The full number is sung by dancer John Bubbles in MGM's "Cabin in the Sky" filmed that same year.
Dooley Wilson, by the way, was paid $350 per week to appear in "Casablanca." Sidney Greenstreet was paid $3,750 per week.
Dooley Wilson was one of the best jazz drummers of the era. It's ironic that he will always be remembered "playing piano" (and not a very good faking, at that) in "Casablanca." He did also sing well, and his performance is part of the stuff dreams were made of at Warner Bros.---preserved for posterity in this wonderful though clearly not perfect film.