The 1942 film "Casablanca", is about an American expatriate who owns and runs a nightclub in Casablanca, French Morocco. The film stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, the nightclub owner, Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund, his former girlfriend, and Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, her husband. Rick's liberal politics cause him problems with some of his customers. The film is set in early December 1941. There are several references to "francs" in the film, these are French Morocco francs which were worth the same as French francs, around two United States cents in 1941. In one scene Ilsa flips a French franc coin, in another a French police official wears World War I medals.

Casablanca is the home to many refugees fleeing the Nazi terror in Europe. They need official documents to leave the city, which come with a price.

Rick Blaine, an American, owns a nightclub, "Rick's Café Américain."

Sam is a pianist and singer, and is the chief entertainer for the club. Ugarte, a local thief, murders two Nazis and steals two "Letters of Transit", which can be used to leave the city.

Ugarte leaves the stolen Letters of Transit with Rick and then is arrested and shot by police. Mr. Ferrari owns a lower-class rival nightclub, the "Blue Parrot."

Mr. Ferrari wants to "buy" Sam from Rick, but Sam refuses to switch employers. Captain Renault is the local French police chief, and he cooperates with Major Strasser.

Renault is wearing the Legion of Honor, World War I Service Medal, and World War I Victory Medal. He sells exit visas, sometimes for cash, and sometimes to women for other consideration. A number of Nazis arrive, including Major Strasser who is hunting for a fugitive resistance leader, Victor Laszlo.

Strasser is a typical Nazi, he believes that Germany will succeed in invading New York. Here he wears a Luftwaffe (Air Force) uniform, but implies that he is with the Gestapo (secret police). Strasser knows about Rick's background and liberal politics, among other things Rick provided guns to the Ethiopians fighting the Fascist Italian invaders and fought for the Spanish Loyalists against the Fascist Franco forces.

Victor Laszlo is one of the chiefs of the anti-Nazi resistance in Europe and knows who the other leaders are. The Gestapo used "harsh interrogation" to get the names but failed. Major Strasser offers him a safe passage to America for the names but fails again. Victor is married to Ilsa Lund, a beautiful Norwegian woman who was once Rick's girlfriend when they lived in Paris. She was married to Victor then but believed that he had died in a concentration camp. When she found out that Victor was alive and had escaped the camp, she dumped Rick.

Ilsa visits Rick and asks him to help her and Victor get papers to travel to America. Rick is still upset about the breakup and refuses to help.

Rick reminisces about his relationship in 1940 Paris with Ilsa. In Rick's Paris apartment, Ilsa flips a coin.

A French franc was worth about three US cents at the time.

Aluminum-bronze, 23.0 mm, 4.0 gm

Back in Casablanca, Ilsa visits Rick and tries to get the Letters of Transit.

She tries with a gun, then another gentler method, but both fail. Rick heads to Renault's office.

Rick works out a deal with Renault to have Victor arrested, leaving Rick and Ilsa to get back together and leave for America. The infamous Letters of Transit appear.

Captain Renault arrests Victor, then Rick pulls a gun and informs him that the deal is off. Renault supposedly calls the airport but actually calls Major Strasser.

Rick, Ilsa, Victor, Renault head for the airport, followed by Strasser.

Rick gives the letters to Ilsa and Victor so they can go to America and tells Victor that he and Ilsa have no personal interest in each other any more.

The airplane displays an Air France logo. The plane takes off with Victor and Ilsa. Rick and Renault decide to team up and head for Brazzaville to join the Free French.

Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine
Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund
Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo
Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault
Conrad Veidt as Major Heinrich Strasser
Sydney Greenstreet as Signor Ferrari
Peter Lorre as Ugarte
Dooley Wilson as Sam
Director: Michael Curtiz
Writers: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Murray Burnett, Joan Alison