Dooley Wilson
Encyclopedia
Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (April 3, 1886 – May 30, 1953) was an American
actor
and singer. He was born in Tyler, Texas
, and is remembered as piano-player "Sam" who sings "As Time Goes By
" at the request of Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman
) in the 1942 film
, Casablanca
- the Sam in the famously misremembered line "Play it again, Sam" -- a phrase which was never actually spoken in the film. Wilson, an African-American, was a drummer and singer who led his own band in the 1920s, touring nightclubs in London and Paris. In the 1930s he took up acting for good, playing supporting roles onstage and in a series of modest films. His role in Casablanca was by far his most famous, but his other films included My Favorite Blonde (1942, with Bob Hope), Stormy Weather (1943, with Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers), and the 1951 western Passage West.
and New York
for most of the period from 1908 to the 1930s, although in the 1920s he toured Europe as a drummer in a band. From the 1930s to the 1950s he worked in motion pictures and Broadway
musicals, and played the role of Bill Jackson on the television
situation comedy
Beulah during its final 1952–1953 season.
He received the nickname "Dooley" while working in the Pekin Theatre in Chicago, circa 1908, because of his then-signature Irish song "Mr. Dooley," which he performed in whiteface
.
His breakthrough Broadway appearance came in the role of Little Joe, a stereotypic lazy rascal in the musical Cabin in the Sky
(1940–1941). This led to his signing for the Paramount
studio in Hollywood, which lent him to Warner Bros.
for his role as Sam in Casablanca. He played Pompey, an escaped slave, in the musical Bloomer Girl (1946–1948). His performance of the song "The Eagle and Me" in this show was selected by Dwight Blocker Bowers for inclusion in a Smithsonian recordings compilation, American Musical Theatre.
Dooley is buried at the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. The cemetery is notable for the number of former Los Angeles mayors and other politicians who are buried there.
. For his role, he was paid $350 a week for seven weeks.
Sam is a singer and pianist employed by nightclub owner Rick (Humphrey Bogart
). The Herman Hupfeld
song "As Time Goes By
" appears as a continuing musical and emotional motif throughout the film. Rick and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman
) regard it as "their song" and associate it with the days of their love affair in Paris. The day Rick and Ilsa and Sam are to leave Paris together, just as the invading Germans arrive, Ilsa abruptly disappears, leaving only a note for Rick that she loves him but can never see him again. In his heartbreak, Rick forbids the song to be played in his club. When Ilsa appears in his nightclub, she requests it, ("Play it, Sam") and Sam acquiesces. Dooley Wilson gives a genial and warm rendition of the song. The performance is remembered for itself, as well as for its cinematic associations. The song makes Rick aware of Ilsa's presence and her continuing feelings for him. According to Aljean Harmetz
, Variety
singled him out for the effectiveness of the song, and the Hollywood Reporter said he created "something joyous."
In a later scene, Rick sits in a darkened nightclub, alone except for Sam, drinking heavily and torturing himself by insisting that Sam repeatedly play the song, saying "You played it for her, you can play it for me... If she can stand it, I can! Play it!" The phrase "Play it again, Sam", commonly believed to be a quote from the film, is never actually used.
In the film, Wilson as Sam performs several other songs for the cafe audience: "It Had To Be You
", "Shine", "Knock On Wood", and "Parlez-moi d'amour". Dooley almost did not get his signature role. Ella Fitzgerald
was considered for the part of Rick's nightclub entertainer.
Wilson was a singer and drummer, but not a pianist. Sam's piano playing in the film was actually performed by Elliot Carpenter, who was placed where Wilson could see and imitate his hand movements. The only black people on the Casablanca set, Wilson and Carpenter became and remained friends.
His version of "As Times Goes By" reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart
in December 1977.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer. He was born in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
, and is remembered as piano-player "Sam" who sings "As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By (song)
"As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when it was sung by the character Sam in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted #2 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. It was used as a fanfare for Warner...
" at the request of Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
) in the 1942 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
- the Sam in the famously misremembered line "Play it again, Sam" -- a phrase which was never actually spoken in the film. Wilson, an African-American, was a drummer and singer who led his own band in the 1920s, touring nightclubs in London and Paris. In the 1930s he took up acting for good, playing supporting roles onstage and in a series of modest films. His role in Casablanca was by far his most famous, but his other films included My Favorite Blonde (1942, with Bob Hope), Stormy Weather (1943, with Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers), and the 1951 western Passage West.
Career
Wilson sang and played the drums in black clubs in the Tyler area before he moved to Chicago. He worked in black theatre in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for most of the period from 1908 to the 1930s, although in the 1920s he toured Europe as a drummer in a band. From the 1930s to the 1950s he worked in motion pictures and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals, and played the role of Bill Jackson on the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Beulah during its final 1952–1953 season.
He received the nickname "Dooley" while working in the Pekin Theatre in Chicago, circa 1908, because of his then-signature Irish song "Mr. Dooley," which he performed in whiteface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
.
His breakthrough Broadway appearance came in the role of Little Joe, a stereotypic lazy rascal in the musical Cabin in the Sky
Cabin in the Sky
Cabin in the Sky is a 1943 American musical film with music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances...
(1940–1941). This led to his signing for the Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
studio in Hollywood, which lent him to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
for his role as Sam in Casablanca. He played Pompey, an escaped slave, in the musical Bloomer Girl (1946–1948). His performance of the song "The Eagle and Me" in this show was selected by Dwight Blocker Bowers for inclusion in a Smithsonian recordings compilation, American Musical Theatre.
Dooley is buried at the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. The cemetery is notable for the number of former Los Angeles mayors and other politicians who are buried there.
Casablanca
Wilson appeared in over twenty motion pictures, but won immortality for his role as Sam in the 1942 film CasablancaCasablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
. For his role, he was paid $350 a week for seven weeks.
Sam is a singer and pianist employed by nightclub owner Rick (Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
). The Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was "As Time Goes By."-Biography:Hupfeld studied violin in Germany at 9. He was in the military during World War I, and he entertained camps and hospitals during World War II...
song "As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By (song)
"As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when it was sung by the character Sam in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted #2 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. It was used as a fanfare for Warner...
" appears as a continuing musical and emotional motif throughout the film. Rick and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
) regard it as "their song" and associate it with the days of their love affair in Paris. The day Rick and Ilsa and Sam are to leave Paris together, just as the invading Germans arrive, Ilsa abruptly disappears, leaving only a note for Rick that she loves him but can never see him again. In his heartbreak, Rick forbids the song to be played in his club. When Ilsa appears in his nightclub, she requests it, ("Play it, Sam") and Sam acquiesces. Dooley Wilson gives a genial and warm rendition of the song. The performance is remembered for itself, as well as for its cinematic associations. The song makes Rick aware of Ilsa's presence and her continuing feelings for him. According to Aljean Harmetz
Aljean Harmetz
Aljean Harmetz is a Hollywood journalist and film historian. She has written as a Hollywood film correspondent for The New York Times since 1981....
, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
singled him out for the effectiveness of the song, and the Hollywood Reporter said he created "something joyous."
In a later scene, Rick sits in a darkened nightclub, alone except for Sam, drinking heavily and torturing himself by insisting that Sam repeatedly play the song, saying "You played it for her, you can play it for me... If she can stand it, I can! Play it!" The phrase "Play it again, Sam", commonly believed to be a quote from the film, is never actually used.
In the film, Wilson as Sam performs several other songs for the cafe audience: "It Had To Be You
It Had to Be You (song)
"It Had to Be You" is a popular song written by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn, and was first published in 1924.The song was performed by Priscilla Lane in the 1939 film The Roaring Twenties and by Danny Thomas in the 1951 film I'll See You in My Dreams. The latter film was based loosely upon...
", "Shine", "Knock On Wood", and "Parlez-moi d'amour". Dooley almost did not get his signature role. Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
was considered for the part of Rick's nightclub entertainer.
Wilson was a singer and drummer, but not a pianist. Sam's piano playing in the film was actually performed by Elliot Carpenter, who was placed where Wilson could see and imitate his hand movements. The only black people on the Casablanca set, Wilson and Carpenter became and remained friends.
His version of "As Times Goes By" reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in December 1977.
Filmography
- On Our Selection (19201920 in filmThe year 1920 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1920:U.S.A. unless stated*The $1,000,000 Reward...
) - Keep Punching (19391939 in filmThe year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
) - My Favorite BlondeMy Favorite BlondeMy Favorite Blonde is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll.The movie depicts a vaudeville performer who gets mixed up with British and German secret agents in the days just before America enters World War II.-Cast:...
(19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - Take a Letter, DarlingTake a Letter, DarlingTake a Letter, Darling is a 1942 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Art Direction .-Cast:* Rosalind Russell - A.M...
(19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - Night in New Orleans (19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - CairoCairo (film)Cairo is a 1942 musical comedy film made by MGM and Loew's, and directed by W. S. Van Dyke. The screenplay was written by John McClain, based on idea by Ladislas Fodor about a news reporter shipwrecked in a torpedo attack, who teams up with a Hollywood singer and her maid to foil Nazi spies. The...
(19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - CasablancaCasablanca (film)Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - Two Tickets to LondonTwo Tickets to LondonTwo Tickets to London is a 1943 drama film made by Universal Pictures, and directed by Edwin L. Marin. The screenplay was written by Tom Reed, based on story by Roy William Neill. The film stars Michèle Morgan and Alan Curtis.A U.S...
(19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - Stormy WeatherStormy Weather (1943 film)Stormy Weather is a 1943 American musical film produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film is one of two major Hollywood musicals produced in 1943 with primarily African-American casts, the other being MGM's Cabin in the Sky, and is considered a time capsule showcasing some of the top...
(19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - Higher and HigherHigher and HigherHigher and Higher may refer to:* Higher and Higher , a 1940 Broadway musical* Higher and Higher , a 1943 film adaptation of the musical* "Higher and Higher" , a 1969 song by The Moody Blues...
(19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - Seven Days Ashore (19441944 in filmThe year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
)
- Triple Threat (19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) - Racing LuckRacing LuckRacing Luck is a 1941 Australian comedy film directed by Rupert Kathner and starring Joe Valli, George Lloyd and Marshall Crosby. The jockey Darby Munro, who had a cameo as himself, described it as the best Australian film he had ever seen.-Cast:...
(19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) - Knock on Any DoorKnock on Any DoorKnock on Any Door is an American court-room trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture introduced John Derek to film and was based on the novel of the same name by Willard Motley.-Plot:...
(19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) - Come to the StableCome to the StableCome to the Stable is a 1949 American film which tells the story of two French nuns who come to a small New England town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital...
(19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) - Tell It to the JudgeTell It to the JudgeTell It to the Judge is a 1949 romantic comedy film starring Rosalind Russell as a divorcee who tries to get her ex-husband, played by Robert Cummings, back.-Cast:*Rosalind Russell as Marsha Meredith*Robert Cummings as Peter B...
(19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) - Free for All (19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) - No Man of Her OwnNo Man of Her OwnNo Man of Her Own is a 1950 drama starring Barbara Stanwyck.It was the second she made with director Mitchell Leisen. It was based on a Cornell Woolrich novel, I Married a Dead Man. Woolrich is credited as William Irish in the film's opening credits.The film was later remade in 1996 as Mrs....
(19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) - Father Is a BachelorFather Is a BachelorFather Is a Bachelor is a 1950 romantic comedy film starring William Holden and Coleen Gray.-Plot:Carefree vagabond Johnny Rutledge is stuck in a small town when his medicine show employer and friend Professor Mordecai Ford is put in jail. He befriends a young girl named May Chalotte...
(19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) - Passage West (19511951 in filmThe year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
) - The Beulah ShowBeulah (series)The Beulah Show is an American situation-comedy series that ran on CBS radio from 1945 to 1954, and on ABC television from 1950 to 1952. The show is notable for being the first sitcom to star an African American actress.-Radio:...
(1950) TV Series
See also
- CasablancaCasablanca (film)Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(1942 film) - List of musicals
Sources
- American Musical Theatre: Shows, Songs, and Stars; (1989) Dwight Blocker Bowers. Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, Washington, D. C.
- Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca —Bogart, Bergman, and World War II; (1992) Aljean HarmetzAljean HarmetzAljean Harmetz is a Hollywood journalist and film historian. She has written as a Hollywood film correspondent for The New York Times since 1981....
, Hyperion, New York