Immortal Films: "Casablanca" and the Afterlife of a Hollywood Classic

369 Pages·2022·11.305 MB·English

by  Barbara Klinger

Immortal Films
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The publisher and the University of California Press
Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the
Robert and Meryl Selig Endowment Fund in Film Studies,
established in memory of Robert W. Selig.
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Immortal Films
Casablanca and the Afterlife of a
Hollywood Classic
Barbara Klinger
university of california press
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University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2022 by Barbara Klinger
Every effort has been made to identify copyright holders and obtain their
permission for the use of copyrighted material. The publisher encourages
anyone with inquiries or information relating to these materials to contact us
at www.ucpress.edu.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Klinger, Barbara, 1951– author.
Title: Immortal films : Casablanca and the afterlife of a Hollywood classic /
Barbara Klinger.
Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2022] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2022008942 (print) | lccn 2022008943 (ebook) |
isbn 9780520296459 (cloth) | isbn 9780520296473 (paperback) |
isbn 9780520968950 (ebook)
Subjects: lcsh: Casablanca (Motion picture)—Criticism and
interpretation.
Classification: lcc pn1997.c352 k55 2022 (print) | lcc pn1997.c352
(ebook) | ddc 791.43/72—dc23/eng/20220708
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022008942
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022008943
Manufactured in the United States of America
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In loving memory of Alex Doty
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Cultures exhaust themselves; civilizations die. . . . This is noth-
ing we do not already know. There is however a more interesting
question: what is it that causes life to perdure?
michel maffesoli,
The Time of the Tribes, 1996
Hey, Bogie . . . Your “Casablanca” opened in 1942 and never
really closed. They may respect Citizen Kane, but it’s Casablanca
they love. Every day it’s playing somewhere, from the Brattle in
Cambridge . . . to a television screen at 2 in the morning in a
motel in St. Petersburg.
jack thomas,
Boston Globe, 1983
Nothing endures like endurance.
barbara herrnstein smith,
Contingencies of Value, 1988
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contents
List of Figures xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: The Cultural Biography of a Film 1
1 • Listening to Casablanca: Radio Adaptations and
Sonic Hollywood 26
2 • Back in Theaters: Postwar Repertory Houses and
Cult Cinema 71
3 • Everyday Films: Broadcast Television, Reruns, and
Canonizing Old Hollywood 108
4 • Movie Valentines: Holiday Cult and the Romantic
Canon in VHS Video Culture 153
5 • Happy Anniversaries: Classic Cinema on
DVD/Blu-ray in the Conglomerate Age 195
Epilogue: Streaming Casablanca and Afterthoughts 242
Appendix 1: Casablanca’s First Appearances on
US Platforms/Formats 253
Appendix 2: Casablanca’s Physical-Format Video Rereleases 255
Notes 257
Selected Bibliography 317
Index 329
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