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Interview with Tom Barnes, Author of Casablanca Film Trivia: Here’s Looking at You, Kid!
Interviewer: Where did you get the idea for a trivia book based on Casablanca?
Tom Barnes: It has been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember and I enjoy trivia, so the two go together.
Interviewer: We understand that the book is based on a trivia board game that you also created. Why didn’t you publish the game?
Tom Barnes: Yes, I created the game in 1993 and planned to publish it, but cost considerations as well as licensing issues have put the game on hold.
Interviewer: If the book is successful will you publish the game?
Tom Barnes: We would like to if we can work out the licensing issues.
Interviewer: You say we, who are we?
Tom Barnes: My wife Vonne and I, we are co-owners of the copyrights on the game and the book, as well as our publishing company Papyrus Publishing that has published the book.
Interviewer: Since the book is based on the game, how did you start to do the game?
Tom Barnes: I showed the film to my high school history classes for 25 years. For a number of years I had them fill out a 100 - question worksheet based on the film. They would take it home and re-watch the film in groups - a regular Casablanca party. Those worksheet questions gave me the idea for the game.
Interviewer: Why did you show the film in your classes?
Tom Barnes: Not only is it the quintessential American film, but the historic backdrop in the story—isolationism, cynicism, Nazi’s, the Vichy government, the Resistance—is terrific. My students have a much better understanding of the events of WWII after watching it and studying the film.
Interviewer: How many questions does the book have?
Tom Barnes: 1130
Interviewer: 1130! How can you write that many questions on one two -hour movie?
Tom Barnes: Actually, 1 hour and 42 minutes.
Interviewer: I suppose that is one of the questions?
Tom Barnes: You bet it is!
Interviewer: You still have not answered the question, how did you get to 1130?
Tom Barnes: It’s like that old line, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Interviewer: I know the line—“practice, practice, practice.”
Tom Barnes: For 35 years I made my living by asking question of my students in my history and social science classes. I have had a lot of "practice" doing this. When I made up the game, and ultimately the book, it was something that was natural for me.
Interviewer: Still 1130!!
Tom Barnes: Remember, many of the questions are about things that are related to the movie.
Interviewer: Could you give us an example of one of these related questions?
Tom Barnes: Sure. What figure skater won a World Championship skating to the music from Casablanca as he portrayed Rick in his skating?
Interviewer: I seem to vaguely remember that but I cannot come up with a name.
Tom Barnes: Kurt Browning of Canada.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite question?
Tom Barnes: That is like asking a parent of many children to choose their favorite.
Interviewer: Is there any one that sticks out?
Tom Barnes: Three times Victor Laszlo orders drinks and they all begin with the letter C, what are they?
Interviewer: And, the answer is?
Tom Barnes: You have to buy the book to find out. No, seriously, the drinks are cointreaux, champagne cocktail, and cognac.676
Interviewer: How can the public buy the book?
Tom Barnes: Go to the website casablancatrivia.com and order it from Papyrus Publishing. If you cannot get to the website then go to casablancatrivia@cox.net
Interviewer: What if someone has only seen the film once? Can they still enjoy the book?
Tom Barnes: Of course, most of my students have only seen the film once and they had no trouble answering questions about the film.
Interviewer: What about that Laszlo question about the drinks. You would have to see the film more than once to get that question right?
Tom Barnes: That is an example of a high level question for the true aficionado.
Interviewer: Are all of the questions like that?
Tom Barnes: Of course not, we have a number of questions for the novice or casual fan.
Interviewer: Is there anything else in the book besides questions?
Tom Barnes: Well, there are questions and answers as well as quotes and factoids.
Interviewer: What are factoids?
Tom Barnes: Factoids are interesting tidbits of information about Casablanca; this information can help you answer some of the questions.
Interviewer: How many of these factoids are in the book?
Tom Barnes: Around 100.
Interviewer: You said you had quotes as well, how do they fit in?
Tom Barnes: At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote by someone in the film, it sets the stage for the chapter. The quotes are almost a running summary of the film.
Interviewer: I bet “Play it again, Sam” is one of the quotes.
Tom Barnes: Actually, it is not.
Interviewer: How come?
Tom Barnes: Because no one ever said it in the film.
Interviewer: What! The most famous line in the film was never said?
Tom Barnes: What Rick says is, “You played it for her and you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!” Woody Allen made the line “Play it again Sam” the title of his play and subsequent film.
Interviewer: How is the book organized?
Tom Barnes: Each of the 33 chapters—with the exception of two potpourri chapters with miscellaneous questions - revolves around a specific theme.
Interviewer: What are some of these themes?
Tom Barnes: A few examples are “Clothing and Apparel,” “Actors as Refugees,” “Geography,” “Music, Lyrics, and Songs,” “Drinks of Casablanca,” “Awards, Honors, Fads,” and, of course, “Script and Lines.”
Interviewer: Speaking of lines, what is your favorite line in the film?
Tom Barnes: Probably when Rick tells Louis that he has come to Casablanca for his health, for the waters. Louis incredulously asks, "What waters? We’re in the desert." Rick’s reply is "I was misinformed." It breaks me up every time.
Interviewer: So you see the film as a comedy?
Tom Barnes: It is much more than that. It is a comedy, tragedy, melodrama, morality play, romance, and costume drama all rolled into one. It is as Umberto Eco has said, "the movies."
Interviewer: I suppose that is also a question in the book.
Tom Barnes: The Eco quote is a question, a factoid, or both.
Interviewer: Is there anything that you tend to emphasize in your book that others may have ignored?
Tom Barnes: A great strength of the film is the role the minor characters play. These performances are terrific. I have many questions about the minor characters.
Interviewer: Who is your favorite minor character?
Tom Barnes: My favorite major, minor character is Ferrari.
Interviewer: Who?
Tom Barnes: The owner of the Blue Parrot and “the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca; which makes him an influential and respected man.”
Interviewer: What is it about him that makes him so special?
Tom Barnes: When you see the film watch what he does as people leave his cafe.
Interviewer: OK, you’ve got me. I’ve seen the film a few times and I can’t remember anything special.
Tom Barnes: He picks up a flys-swatter and swats at a bug in a nonchalant way. That is great acting and the action is symbolic of the malevolence of his character.
Interviewer: You are getting too deep for me. You said he was your favorite major, minor character. What is the difference between a major, minor character and a minor, minor character?
Tom Barnes: Screen time and number of lines. Ferrari has only 5 minutes of screen time, but his role is memorable.
Interviewer: Who is your favorite minor, minor character?
Tom Barnes: The pickpocket, called the “dark-visaged European” in the film credits.
Interviewer: I remember him. What do you like about his performance?
Tom Barnes: The irony of the line he uses as he picks people’s pockets.
Interviewer: I remember him picking pockets but I don’t remember the line.
Tom Barnes: "...watch yourself. Be on guard. This place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere, everywhere."
Interviewer: Is there anything in the film that you were not able to get into the book?
Tom Barnes: Nothing specific; however, much of the fine acting done by Ingrid Bergman is non-verbal, and it is much harder to ask questions about non -verbal actions. I have some but not as many as I would like.
Interviewer: How many times have you seen the film?
Tom Barnes: I have never counted, but I did show the film to my high school classes for 25 years. Let’s say somewhere between 150 and 200 times.
Interviewer: Ever get bored of it?
Tom Barnes: Not yet.
Interviewer: If this book is a success, what is the next book you will do based on a film?
Tom Barnes: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, one book at a time.
Interviewer: Any further comments?
Tom Barnes: I hope people enjoy the book and come to love the movie as much as I do.
Interviewer: Any final thoughts?
Tom Barnes: Here’s looking at you, kid!
Interviewer: Where did you get the idea for a trivia book based on Casablanca?
Tom Barnes: It has been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember and I enjoy trivia, so the two go together.
Interviewer: We understand that the book is based on a trivia board game that you also created. Why didn’t you publish the game?
Tom Barnes: Yes, I created the game in 1993 and planned to publish it, but cost considerations as well as licensing issues have put the game on hold.
Interviewer: If the book is successful will you publish the game?
Tom Barnes: We would like to if we can work out the licensing issues.
Interviewer: You say we, who are we?
Tom Barnes: My wife Vonne and I, we are co-owners of the copyrights on the game and the book, as well as our publishing company Papyrus Publishing that has published the book.
Interviewer: Since the book is based on the game, how did you start to do the game?
Tom Barnes: I showed the film to my high school history classes for 25 years. For a number of years I had them fill out a 100 - question worksheet based on the film. They would take it home and re-watch the film in groups - a regular Casablanca party. Those worksheet questions gave me the idea for the game.
Interviewer: Why did you show the film in your classes?
Tom Barnes: Not only is it the quintessential American film, but the historic backdrop in the story—isolationism, cynicism, Nazi’s, the Vichy government, the Resistance—is terrific. My students have a much better understanding of the events of WWII after watching it and studying the film.
Interviewer: How many questions does the book have?
Tom Barnes: 1130
Interviewer: 1130! How can you write that many questions on one two -hour movie?
Tom Barnes: Actually, 1 hour and 42 minutes.
Interviewer: I suppose that is one of the questions?
Tom Barnes: You bet it is!
Interviewer: You still have not answered the question, how did you get to 1130?
Tom Barnes: It’s like that old line, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Interviewer: I know the line—“practice, practice, practice.”
Tom Barnes: For 35 years I made my living by asking question of my students in my history and social science classes. I have had a lot of "practice" doing this. When I made up the game, and ultimately the book, it was something that was natural for me.
Interviewer: Still 1130!!
Tom Barnes: Remember, many of the questions are about things that are related to the movie.
Interviewer: Could you give us an example of one of these related questions?
Tom Barnes: Sure. What figure skater won a World Championship skating to the music from Casablanca as he portrayed Rick in his skating?
Interviewer: I seem to vaguely remember that but I cannot come up with a name.
Tom Barnes: Kurt Browning of Canada.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite question?
Tom Barnes: That is like asking a parent of many children to choose their favorite.
Interviewer: Is there any one that sticks out?
Tom Barnes: Three times Victor Laszlo orders drinks and they all begin with the letter C, what are they?
Interviewer: And, the answer is?
Tom Barnes: You have to buy the book to find out. No, seriously, the drinks are cointreaux, champagne cocktail, and cognac.676
Interviewer: How can the public buy the book?
Tom Barnes: Go to the website casablancatrivia.com and order it from Papyrus Publishing. If you cannot get to the website then go to casablancatrivia@cox.net
Interviewer: What if someone has only seen the film once? Can they still enjoy the book?
Tom Barnes: Of course, most of my students have only seen the film once and they had no trouble answering questions about the film.
Interviewer: What about that Laszlo question about the drinks. You would have to see the film more than once to get that question right?
Tom Barnes: That is an example of a high level question for the true aficionado.
Interviewer: Are all of the questions like that?
Tom Barnes: Of course not, we have a number of questions for the novice or casual fan.
Interviewer: Is there anything else in the book besides questions?
Tom Barnes: Well, there are questions and answers as well as quotes and factoids.
Interviewer: What are factoids?
Tom Barnes: Factoids are interesting tidbits of information about Casablanca; this information can help you answer some of the questions.
Interviewer: How many of these factoids are in the book?
Tom Barnes: Around 100.
Interviewer: You said you had quotes as well, how do they fit in?
Tom Barnes: At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote by someone in the film, it sets the stage for the chapter. The quotes are almost a running summary of the film.
Interviewer: I bet “Play it again, Sam” is one of the quotes.
Tom Barnes: Actually, it is not.
Interviewer: How come?
Tom Barnes: Because no one ever said it in the film.
Interviewer: What! The most famous line in the film was never said?
Tom Barnes: What Rick says is, “You played it for her and you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!” Woody Allen made the line “Play it again Sam” the title of his play and subsequent film.
Interviewer: How is the book organized?
Tom Barnes: Each of the 33 chapters—with the exception of two potpourri chapters with miscellaneous questions - revolves around a specific theme.
Interviewer: What are some of these themes?
Tom Barnes: A few examples are “Clothing and Apparel,” “Actors as Refugees,” “Geography,” “Music, Lyrics, and Songs,” “Drinks of Casablanca,” “Awards, Honors, Fads,” and, of course, “Script and Lines.”
Interviewer: Speaking of lines, what is your favorite line in the film?
Tom Barnes: Probably when Rick tells Louis that he has come to Casablanca for his health, for the waters. Louis incredulously asks, "What waters? We’re in the desert." Rick’s reply is "I was misinformed." It breaks me up every time.
Interviewer: So you see the film as a comedy?
Tom Barnes: It is much more than that. It is a comedy, tragedy, melodrama, morality play, romance, and costume drama all rolled into one. It is as Umberto Eco has said, "the movies."
Interviewer: I suppose that is also a question in the book.
Tom Barnes: The Eco quote is a question, a factoid, or both.
Interviewer: Is there anything that you tend to emphasize in your book that others may have ignored?
Tom Barnes: A great strength of the film is the role the minor characters play. These performances are terrific. I have many questions about the minor characters.
Interviewer: Who is your favorite minor character?
Tom Barnes: My favorite major, minor character is Ferrari.
Interviewer: Who?
Tom Barnes: The owner of the Blue Parrot and “the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca; which makes him an influential and respected man.”
Interviewer: What is it about him that makes him so special?
Tom Barnes: When you see the film watch what he does as people leave his cafe.
Interviewer: OK, you’ve got me. I’ve seen the film a few times and I can’t remember anything special.
Tom Barnes: He picks up a flys-swatter and swats at a bug in a nonchalant way. That is great acting and the action is symbolic of the malevolence of his character.
Interviewer: You are getting too deep for me. You said he was your favorite major, minor character. What is the difference between a major, minor character and a minor, minor character?
Tom Barnes: Screen time and number of lines. Ferrari has only 5 minutes of screen time, but his role is memorable.
Interviewer: Who is your favorite minor, minor character?
Tom Barnes: The pickpocket, called the “dark-visaged European” in the film credits.
Interviewer: I remember him. What do you like about his performance?
Tom Barnes: The irony of the line he uses as he picks people’s pockets.
Interviewer: I remember him picking pockets but I don’t remember the line.
Tom Barnes: "...watch yourself. Be on guard. This place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere, everywhere."
Interviewer: Is there anything in the film that you were not able to get into the book?
Tom Barnes: Nothing specific; however, much of the fine acting done by Ingrid Bergman is non-verbal, and it is much harder to ask questions about non -verbal actions. I have some but not as many as I would like.
Interviewer: How many times have you seen the film?
Tom Barnes: I have never counted, but I did show the film to my high school classes for 25 years. Let’s say somewhere between 150 and 200 times.
Interviewer: Ever get bored of it?
Tom Barnes: Not yet.
Interviewer: If this book is a success, what is the next book you will do based on a film?
Tom Barnes: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, one book at a time.
Interviewer: Any further comments?
Tom Barnes: I hope people enjoy the book and come to love the movie as much as I do.
Interviewer: Any final thoughts?
Tom Barnes: Here’s looking at you, kid!