What happens to Sam in Casablanca?

[IronParrot]

I've wondered about this since I first saw the movie. After the "all the gin joints in all the world" scene, Sam just disappears. In the next scene in the café, the Nazis commandeer the piano and play "Die Wacht Am Rhein"... and Sam is nowhere in sight. I mean, wouldn't he at least tell Rick about it if the Nazis just take his beloved piano and play their song? Besides, Sam wouldn't just disappear without Rick, whom he's been with for so long... he wouldn't just ditch his boss at the one time he's needed most.

[bmilder]

I have no idea. I never really thought about it, actually...

[dmaul96]

Do any of you ever watch Saturday Night Live? Well, about every week, they have a made up cartoon, One week, it was the ending seen of Casablanca. And, when the guy's takling to the lady about regretting it, he just farts. And, they keep doing the scene but he keeps on farting, It was funny if you actually saw it.

[IronParrot]

That's pretty funny. "Here's looking at you, k - " ...ssssss...

[Elanor]

Oh yeah? And what about the fool in King Lear? Everybody else is dead, but he's never mentioned. Authors seem to leave out the minor characters I guess.

[IronParrot]

Or Benvolio, in Romeo and Juliet. After Romeo kills Tybalt (hope that wasn't a spoiler for any of you), Benvolio gives his testimony, and he's gone for the rest of the play.

[TheRobRoy]

At the end of Casablanca Sam and the Louie are walkign away into the fog, the implication is that they now have to flee the city to saftey, but I can't imagine that they are walkign straight from the airfield. Louie would never do that, he is too much of a comfortable corrupt politician, he would hire or order escorts for himself and Rick, thus giving Rick plenty of time to gather up Sam and make a get away. The final scene is more for effect then as an actual epilogue, which would have taken away from those thrilling last minutes.

By the way, Sam plays at least two different pianos, one in Paris, and one in Casablanca, there is nothing to indicate that the one in Casablanca is his "beloved" piano. Especially since he obviously left on behind in Paris.

As for the other characters that have been mentioned, Benvolio and The Fool, the same thing applies. It is not necessary for Shakespeare in these instances to round out the entire play with what happens next with them. The focus, as with Casablanca, is on the final scene, and anything in addition would take away from that, and bore the audience.

[Snowdog]

Toward the end of the movie when Rick sells Rick's, a promise is made to pay the staff. I believe Sam stays at Ricks? This makes me want to watch the movie again...

As for Louie, his corrupt politico days in Vichy France are over when he doesn't arrest Rick for killing the German officer. The Nazis ran Vichy as they held all the strings, so his days as police chief of Casablanca were numbered. It is however a long way to French Congo from Morocco.

[Spock]

Yep Sam stays with Rick's when it's sold. The deal is in the scene with Sidney Greenstreet who owns the Blue Parrot Cafe.

In the Blue Parrot, Rick arranges to sell his cafe to Ferrari to prepare for his departure to Lisbon (and America) with Ilsa. Rick is assured that all his employment agreements with his workers (Abdul, Carl, and Sascha) will remain the same and Sam will receive "twenty-five percent of the profits").

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As Time Goes By.
And when two lovers woo
They still say, 'I love you'
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As Time Goes By

http://www.gettingunstuck.com/film/classic_cinema/Classic_Images/casablanca.jpg

[IronParrot]

Yes, I finally noticed that the many times I saw the movie again afterwards. Thanks for pointing it out, though. :)