A Night in Casablanca Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Round up the usual suspects."

In the opening scene, we see a man drop dead while eating; the next scene is set in police headquarters, where a message is received that the manager of the Hotel Casablanca has just been murdered, and the prefect comments (in an outraged tone) that this is the third manager to be killed in two months.

He then says, "Round up all the likely suspects." I am informed by someone who lipreads much better than me that the actor actually said, "Round up the usual suspects," but discretion in avoiding a potential lawsuit for copyright infringement led to having it overdubbed in editing.

Answer: The building collapses.

Harpo's hair looks unfamiliar in this film, as the producers decided to use his real hair, curled and dyed, rather than having him wear his usual wig. (Imagine if they had made Groucho grow a real moustache instead of using greasepaint! Oh wait, that happened in 1959's 'Love Happy'.) He still manages to produce his usual combination of the gullible simpleton and the Machiavellian maniac, switching between personas at a moment's notice.

In the next scene, we see that Rusty is the servant of Count Pffermann (Sig Ruman), a resident in the Hotel Casablanca who wants to become its new manager. We eventually discover that this is because he is really a Nazi named Heinrich Stubel, who had been involved in a scheme to fly a planeload of stolen artworks to South America. When the French pilot (Lt Pierre Delmar, the obligatory romantic male played by Charles Drake) crashed the plane in Morocco to keep the treasure on French soil, Stubel hid the art in a secret room of the hotel, and now wants to gain control so he can retrieve it. While Rusty is cleaning the room, he accidentally sucks the toupee off the Count's head, and we see his real name written inside it. Stubel is temporarily forced to stay in his room, because he has a distinctive scar that the toupee was concealing.

Answer: He runs the Yellow Camel Company.

Rusty and Corbaccio are clearly old friends, as they have an enthusiastic meeting, during the course of which Rusty lets Corbaccio know that the new hotel manager is due at the station. This is the first of several scenes in which Corbaccio interprets Rusty's mimed message, with a series of comical guesses that lead to ever more frantic efforts from Rusty.

As is so often the case with Chico's character, Corbaccio is on the lookout for an opportunity to make a bit of extra money, so he hurries to the station to meet Ronald Kornblow (Groucho) and take him to the hotel. We discover that his is not the only camel company in the city - there is also a Checkered Camel Company.

Answer: Efficiency

As Kornblow faces the staff that have been lined up to meet him, he delivers a typical Groucho monologue:
"From now on the essence of this hotel will be speed. If a customer asks you for a three-minute egg, give it to him in two minutes. If he asks you for a two-minute egg, give it to him in one minute. If he asks you for a one-minute egg, give him the chicken and let him work it out for himself!"

This leaves his new employers looking somewhat bemused, but they are determined to keep him on, as nobody else is prepared to take on the risky position. This leads to another typical Groucho bit of dialogue, in which he expresses his curiosity about the sudden management vacancy. He is first told that the last one died a natural death, then asks about the one before that.

Governor: "Monsieur! We caught him stealing money! We were forced to discharge him!"
Kornblow: "I see. You want a manager that doesn't steal money. Good day, gentlemen."

Nevertheless, he takes the job.

Answer: Beatrice

Beatrice Reiner (Lisette Verea) was earlier seen helping the Count decrypt a coded message he had received. Her presence in the hotel is now explained because she is performing in the nightclub there. She ingratiates herself with Kornblow by flirting outrageously with him, including some exchange of exhaled smoke (she from a cigarette in an incredibly long holder, he from his cigar).

She is not as successful with Rusty, however - in the next scene, he has an even longer cigarette holder, and he blows smoke bubbles (followed by getting out the soap bubbles), clearly not seduced by her charms.

Answer: Accepting bribes from people waiting in line for a table

Inspired by seeing the concierge accept a bribe to move someone to the front of the line, the two accept money from everyone in the queue. To let them all in, they start carrying in extra tables and chairs, causing chaos in the restaurant. The customers who are trying to dance are the most disconcerted, but those who are seated are also somewhat surprised to have Rusty grabbing drinks (and the odd bit of cutlery) from their tables as he carries the furniture past.

Although somewhat discomfited, Kornblow doesn't seem to mind the fact that the increasingly cramped quarters on the dance floor mean he must hold Beatrice ever more closely.

Answer: The Beer Barrel Polka

Although his introduction ("We're gonna' play a little classical number. We're gonna' play the Second Movement from 'The Beer Barrel Polka'.") is initially misleading, we quickly get the expected rapid-fire honky-tonk piano that fans expect of a Chico performance. He plays several numbers, and there are several close-up shots of his famous pistol technique, in which he seems to be shooting at the keys with his forefinger as he plays.

'The Blue Danube Waltz' does make an appearance later in the film. It is the piece of music Kornblow tries to play as he attempts to have a romantic liaison with Beatrice, which Corbaccio and Rusty keep interrupting. Little does he suspect, in his frustration, that they are saving his life, as Stubel plans to interrupt their canoodling and shoot him, on the pretext of being an outraged lover.

Answer: He is to be run down on his way to a rendez-vous.

Beatrice tells Kornblow to meet her at a deserted spot, where he expects to have an intimate encounter, but it is a trap, to leave him alone where the hired goon can run him down, far enough away from the hotel that (maybe) there will be no suspicions.

The plot fails, however, as described by Kornblow when he returns to the hotel looking much the worse for wear, and meets Annette (Lois Collier), who is in love with Pierre and trying to help him clear his name by finding the lost treasure. She asks him what happened, and he replies, "What happened! I was stood up by a woman, and knocked down by a car.

These Casablanca drivers are terrible! He missed me three times. I finally had to climb a palm tree, and he hit that instead." Needless to say, Stubel is furious, and moves on to another plan - to trap Kornblow in a compromising situation in Beatrice's room, where he will be able to kill him and claim justifiable homicide.

Answer: Rusty

As Corbaccio and Rusty are trying to keep Kornblow from his planned tryst with Beatrice, they stall the hotel elevator between the fifth and sixth floors, then push Rusty out through the trapdoor in the cage roof to go get help. He stumbles into the secret room (and pockets a Rembrandt painting, which is how the others later realise what he has found), where he finds a concert harp. Please don't ask me how it got there - it's hard to imagine that Stubel had it as part of the load flying to South America, and given the difficulty of moving it around, the secret room is not a likely place for someone to choose to store it, but Harpo has to have his chance to play the harp!

Answer: The three Marx Brothers chasing after Beatrice

Probably the funniest scene I have had to skip over is the one in which Stubel is trying to pack his belongings as he prepares to leave, and the three Marx Brothers unpack the cases and move things around in classic vaudeville style, with much opening and closing of doors. Anyway, even though Stubel did manage to get himself made manager, our heroes save the day, Pierre is rescued before he can be deported, Stubel is unveiled (or untoupeed) after his departure from a secret airfield is foiled, and all is well.

After Annette and Pierre kiss in joy, Beatrice remarks, "If only a thing like that could happen to me." The boys take this as an invitation, and set off in pursuit.