Julius Epstein, screenwriter, 91

["Deathwatch Central" <cdw@slick.org>]

Sunday December 31 3:45 PM ET

Epstein, Oscar-Winning Writer of 'Casablanca,' Dies 

By Sue Zeidler

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Screenwriter Julius Epstein, who co-wrote the
screenplay for one of cinema's classics, ''Casablanca,'' died on Saturday
at age 91, hospital officials said on Sunday.

A highly visible and well-respected figured in the Hollywood writing
community, Epstein died on Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
and is survived by his son, James, his wife, Ann, and daughter Elizabeth
Schwartz.

The Oscar-winning writer was born the son of a livery stable owner on
Manhattan's Lower East Side on Aug. 22, 1909. Epstein turned out 50
produced screenplays, both with his twin brother, Philip, who died in
1952, and by himself during a career that spanned 60 years.

``Casablanca'' brought the brothers and Howard Koch a shared Oscar for the
screenplay. The 1942 Humphrey Bogart-Ingrid Bergman romantic drama also
won the Oscar for best picture.

Epstein, revered for his wit, later commented that the screenplay
contained ``a great deal of corn, more corn than in the states of Kansas
and Iowa combined. But when corn works, there's nothing better.''

Casablanca has achieved cult status due largely to the Epsteins'
unforgettable dialogue, which includes such gems as ''Here's looking at
you, kid,'' ``We'll always have Paris,'' and ''Round up the usual
suspects.''

Epstein was a boxer in college and originally planned to be a
sportswriter, but had trouble finding work after his graduation in 1931 in
the midst of the Depression. He came to Los Angeles in 1933 to ghostwrite
a script and by 1935 was placed under contract with Warner Bros.

The Epstein brothers were very much in demand in the years preceding World
War II, and ``Casablanca'' came out of one of their typical writing
assignments for the studio. They were asked to write a script based on an
unproduced play called ''Everybody Comes to Rick's.''

The making of the movie, considered by movie buffs to be one of the finest
films ever made, was subject to the same chaotic conditions of other
movies made under the studio system, according to Aljean Harmetz, who
wrote about the film in her book ``Round Up The Usual Suspects.''

``Movies made under the studio system were accumulations of accidents, and
Casablanca was no exception,'' she wrote in her book. ``A classic movie is
the biggest accident of all,'' she added.

Despite their success, the brothers' tenure was tumultuous at Warner
Bros. and Epstein frequently disparaged ``Casablanca'' and most of the
films he wrote during his 17-year stint there.

During the 1940s and 1950s when government investigators were trying to
root out alleged communists in Hollywood, Epstein, a critic of communism,
was asked if ever belonged to a subversive organization.

``Yes,'' he replied. ``Warner Bros.''

His other film credits include ``The Strawberry Blonde'' The Man Who Came
to Dinner,'' ``Four Daughters,'' and ``Pete 'n' Tillie.'' 



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