Dooley Wilson Performing In the Film Casablanca

Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick, and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa, is one of those great films many people have viewed again and again because of the intrigue, the romance, the time period in which it's set, the actors in it, etc., etc.  Perhaps some people have noticed something different about the movie or have come up with questions about certain characters in it after subsequent viewings.  Here's an example of a question that might have surfaced after a viewer had seen the film a few or more times.  What about Sam (Dooley Wilson), the piano player, and the songs he sings in the film?

Sam sings not only "As Time Goes By," but he also sings some super standards that have been recorded by a lot of pop and jazz singers since the film was made in 1942.  Those standards include songs such as "The Very Thought of You," and "It Had To Be You," which are readily recognizable as Sam plays them.  They also include songs that may not be as readily recognized as the ones mentioned above.

By the way, some people might know that another black musician (Elliot Carpenter) was really playing the piano in the film.  Carpenter was placed where Wilson could see him and imitate his hand movements.  In real life Dooley Wilson was a singer and a drummer.  All that aside, let's get back to other songs the character Sam plays inside Rick's Café Americain.

In addition  to the timeless numbers, "It Had To Be You" and "The Very Thought of You," Sam plays a few less illustrious numbers like "Knock on Wood" and "Shine."  Some fans of the movie and music of the time might consider "Baby Face," which Sam also sings, as a favorite standard. 

Of course, as a nice motif during the film, Sam sings reprisals of Rick and Ilsa's theme song, "As Time Goes By" in Rick's Café and upstairs in his private quarters, during flashbacks of Rick's, Sam's, and Ilsa's days in Paris.