CASABLANCA IN TOOBWORLD

"Chuck vs. The Undercover Lover" was one of two new episodes of 'Chuck' which aired on Thursday night. In it, Agent John Casey found himself in a scenario straight out of "Casablanca", complete with a woman out of his past whom he once loved and the new man in her life, named Viktor.

In fact, in one scene that should have ended with the line "We'll always have Grozny", the movie was actually playing in the background.

"Casablanca" is a movie in Toobworld, just as it is in the Trueniverse. However, their version was based on real life.

The character of Rick Blaine was based on an American club owner in Morocco named Rick Jason - but it could be that Rick had changed his name from Blaine since the 1955 TV series picked up where the movie left off. Or it could be that the movie changed his name to protect his identity, since the war was still going on when it came out. (Rick was played by movie tough guy Charles McGraw.)

Since Captain Renault had also thrown in with Rick against the Nazis, he also had a slight name change to Renaud. He appeared to be still antagonistic to Rick, but I think it was all part of the ruse the two of them had established in their new guises. (Again, his name change could be due to the movie rather than in his "real life" in Toobworld.)

But all of the old familiar faces still were around in 'Casablanca' - Ferrari, Sam, Sacha, Carl..... Even Ilsa returned in at least one episode (played by Anita Ekberg), although she was never named in the episode.

Two years earlier, an adaptation of the movie aired, but Warner Brothers forbid any kinescope recordings to be preserved of it. So for now, we at Toobworld Central are looking at that lost production as the prequel to the series.

In 1983, a new version of the series was produced, with David Soul, Hector Elizondo, and Scatman Crothers in the cast. This series will represent the story of Rick's Cafe Americain in the TV dimension of remakes.

And as everyone knows, it was still the same old story.....

BCnU!
Toby OB