Dooley Wilson

Dooley Wilson
Born	Arthur Wilson April 3, 1886(1886-04-03)? Tyler, Texas, United States
Died	May 30, 1953(1953-05-30) (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Actor/Singer
Years active	1908–1951

Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (April 3, 1886 – May 30, 1953) was an American actor and singer.^[1] 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.

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 Chicago 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?] who are buried there.

Casablanca

Wilson appeared in over twenty motion pictures, but won immortality for his role as Sam in the 1942 film Casablanca. For his role, he was paid $350 a week for seven weeks.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[3]

Filmography

On Our Selection (1920) Keep Punching (1939) My Favorite Blonde (1942) Take a Letter, Darling (1942) Night in New Orleans (1942) Cairo (1942) Casablanca (1942) Two Tickets to London (1943) Stormy Weather (1943) Higher and Higher (1943) Seven Days Ashore (1944)

Triple Threat (1948) Racing Luck (1948) Knock on Any Door (1949) Come to the Stable (1949) Tell It to the Judge (1949) Free for All (1949) No Man of Her Own (1950) Father Is a Bachelor (1950) Passage West (1951) The Beulah Show (1950) TV Series

See also

Biography portal

• Casablanca (1942 film)
• List of musicals

References

1. ^ Obituary Variety, June 10, 1953, page 83.
2. ^ Harmetz, Aljean. The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II, Hyperion, p. 144 (2002) - ISBN 0786888148
3. ^ {{cite book The following article appeared in the Tyler Morning Telegraph on September 19, 2011 'Casablanca' Piano Man Was Tyler Native By MELISSA CROWE Staff Writer Throughout the years, Tyler has produced many actors and actresses, singers and dancers. From the sets of "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Hope Floats," Tyler's talent has gone far. None have been as notable, or, if you ask Sam Kidd, of the Smith County Historical Society, as "underreported" as Arthur "Dooley" Wilson. While Wilson didn't make the movie poster or the magazine covers, the up-and-comer's honey-sweet voice helped make "Casablanca" the film that so many love today. Among movie fans young and old, "Casablanca" and its theme "As Time Goes By" has topped the charts since it premiered in 1942. But few know that the actor who played the philosophical pianist, Sam, was played by a native East Texan. Wilson was born April 3, 1886, in Tyler, and he reportedly played in black clubs around the city before moving to Chicago. Kidd said the county historical society's records mention lots of Wilsons, but none referred to the film star. According to the Texas State Historical Association, he began with vaudeville performances as a minstrel player when he was 12 years old. Wilson allegedly earned his nickname "Dooley" in 1908 from his signature performance of the Irish song, "Mr. Dooley" at the 900-seat, Pekin Theater in Chicago, according to the Texas State Historical Association. During the 1920s, he led his own band, the Red Devils, performing as a singing drummer on a nightclub tour of Paris and London. He returned to the United States in 1930 and gave up his drums for an acting career, according to the historic association. He performed with Orson Welles and John Houseman in Federal Theater productions and then landed a Broadway role in the musical "Cabin in the Sky." Wilson performed on Broadway in the early 1940s and his breakthrough appearance came in the role of Little Joe, a stereotypic lazy rascal in the musical, "Cabin in the Sky." In 1945, he played a prominent role as in the New York musical "Bloomer Girl" and his performance of the song, "The Eagle and Me," was included in a Smithsonian compilation of American theater songs. Although he had performed in more than 20 films when "Casablanca" came along, that film established his reputation on the silver screen. Wilson was paid $350 weekly during a seven-week shoot for his role in Casablanca. By comparison, Sydney Green-Street, who played Signor Ferrari, was paid $3,750 a week, according to a report by Bob Bowman, the former president of East Texas Historical Association. However, a New York Times article reported that Wilson was paid $500 a week and was the most expensive of the film's supporting cast. Because of his role in the classic film, history forever has associated Wilson with the piano. However, he was a singer and a drummer, not a pianist. Since he could not play the piano, Elliott Carpenter, the only other black person on the Casablanca set, dubbed in the shots of the keyboard work. In the film, Wilson's character performs several other songs for the audience at Rick's Cafe Americain: "It Had To Be You," "Shine," "Knock On Wood," and "Arlez-moi D'amour." Few of Wilson's later film appearances approached Casablanca's caliber, even though Wilson enjoyed himself as part of a screen romantic triangle with Lena Horne and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the all-black film musical "Stormy Weather," according to The New York Times article. His last major acting stint was in 1951 as Bill Jackson, the one-time boyfriend of maid Ethel Waters (and later Louise Beavers) on the first TV series starring black actors, "Beulah," according to the state historical society. He was on the board of directors of the Negro Actors Guild of America. Shortly after his retirement, Wilson died on May 30, 1953, in Los Angeles. He was buried in Angelus Rosedale Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Estelle. | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 606}}

Sources

• Dooley Wilson Filmography at the Internet Movie Database
• 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 Harmetz, Hyperion, New York

External links

• Dooley Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
• Dooley Wilson at the TCM Movie Database
• Dooley Wilson at the Internet Broadway Database
• "Dooley Wilson". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5895391. Retrieved August 30, 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Wilson, Dooley
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 3, 1886
Place of birth	Tyler, Texas, U.S.
Date of death	May 30, 1953
Place of death	Los Angeles, California, U.S.