ID

FBW001264      Fiction

Country / Year

USA, 1946

Original Title

Night in Casablanca

Directed by

Archie L. Mayo

Produced by

United Artists Corp., Los Angeles, CA / New York, NY

Staff

Producer: David L. Loew; Script: Joseph Fields, Roland Kibbee, Frank Tashlin (uncredited); Camera: James Van Trees; Editing: Gregg C. Pallas; Musical arrangements: Werner Janssen

Cast

Groucho Marx (Ronald Kornblow); Harpo Marx (Rusty); Chico Marx (Corbaccio); Lisette Verea (Beatrice Reiner); Charles Drake (Pierre); Lois Collier (Annette); Dan Seymour (Capt. Brizzard); Lewis L. Russell (Galloux); Harro Meller (Emil); Fred Giermann (Kurt); Sig Rumann (Count Pfefferman)

Length

85'

Format

35mm/sw/1:1,37

Abstract

Ronald Kornblow is the new manager of the Casablanca Hotel. Little does he know, however, that the previous three managers have all been killed. Rusty is leaning against a building when a policeman spots him and asks, "What do you think you're doing? Holding the building up?" Rusty nods "Yes", the angry cop pulls him away, and the building collapses. Soon after we learn that Rusty is employed as sadistic Nazi Count Pfefferman's valet. Pfefferman, who has assumed a different identity, enjoys subjecting Rusty to all manner of abuse, abuse that Rusty cleverly circumvents. Corbaccio, the president of the Yellow Camel Company, arrives in time to pester Ronald Kornblow, who now finds himself the focus of a new set of assassination attempts. Eventually it is revealed that Pfefferman and his beautiful accomplice, Beatrice Reiner, have been killing off the managers of the hotel so that he can gain control of the establishment in order to locate a cache of valuable art that was stolen during WWII and hidden on the premises. After several attempts, Pfefferman gets frustrated and decides to leave for Tunis. The brothers, who have by now figured out the plot, manage to board the Nazi's escape plane. They they take over the plane with Harpo at the controls. It proves to be a glorious experience for Rusty, who delights in turning every knob and pushing every button in the cockpit, until he crashes the plane into a nightclub and Pfefferman is revealed as a Nazi and apprehended.

Subject Terms

Anti-Nazi films (US)

Bibliography

- Nash, Ray R. / Ross, Stanley R. / Conelly, Robert B. (Ed.): Motion Picture Guide. Chicago, IL: Cinebooks, 1987