Casablanca, released in 1942, is considered one of the greatest movies in the history of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although the film’s two stars, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, received most of the acclaim, there was one character, Sam, that won the hearts of moviegoers. The role of Sam, the piano player and singer at the Moroccan nightclub, Rick’s Café Americana, was played by Dooly Wilson.
Dooly Wilson, whose given first name was Arthur, was born in 1886 in Texas. A talented singer and musician, Wilson had a successful career as a nightclub singer. In the 1930s and early 1940s, Wilson appeared in a series of plays, including the Broadway musical, Cabin in the Sky. This role led to Wilson signing a contract with Paramount Pictures so he could reprise his role in Cabin in the Sky on film.
When Warner Bros. began casting Casablanca in the spring of 1942, they needed a talented African American singer and actor for the role of Sam. Warner Bros. reached out to Paramount to borrow Dooly Wilson for this part for a seven-week filming contract at a salary of $500 per week, however Paramount would get a cut of $150 of that weekly salary. Wilson was ideal for the role; the only issue was that he couldn’t play the piano. The directors got around this by having a pianist play an off-screen piano.
In Casablanca, Dooly Wilson delivered a memorable performance, including his rendition of the iconic song, “As Time Goes By.” While this is easily the most well-known tune from the film, it wasn’t the only song that Wilson sang on Casablanca. He performed “It Had to Be You,” “Knock on Wood,” “Shine,” “Avalon,” and “Parlez-moi d’amour.” Wilson was praised for his ability to convey emotions through his singing.
Humphrey Bogart uttered two of the most famous movie lines in cinematic history in Casablanca. One – “Here’s looking at you, kid” – was directed toward his co-star, Ingrid Bergman. The other, however, was spoken to Dooly Wilson’s character, Sam, when Bogart’s character, Rick, says, “Play it again, Sam.”
Although Casablanca took home the Oscar for Best Outstanding Motion Picture at the 1942 Academy Awards presentation, Dooly Wilson was not nominated for an award. The film was, however, nominated in the Best Musical Score category.
Dooly Wilson appeared in another film the year after shooting Casablanca. The 1943 movie, Stormy Weather, which also starred Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, was notable because it was only the second film by a major motion picture studio to feature an all-African American cast.
Wilson, however, soon left Hollywood behind to return to the Broadway stage and to live musical performances, which is where he began his career. In 1951 and 1952, Wilson appeared in the TV sitcom, Beulah, in the role of Bill Jackson. During this time, Wilson also served on the executive board of the Negro Actors Guild of America.
Dooly Wilson died in May 1953 at his LA home following a two-year illness. Although the soulful singer enjoyed a long career in show business, he will forever be remembered for his role as the talented nightclub singer and pianist, Sam, in the classic film, Casablanca.