A Night in Casablanca storyline for the film was intended to be a direct parody of "Casablanca," with the characters having similar-sounding names to the characters and actors in the 1942 film. Groucho Marx has said that an early draft named his character "Humphrey Bogus", a reference to the leading actor in "Casablanca," Humphrey Bogart. Warner Bros. did not actually litigate, or even threaten to litigate, but it did issue a formal inquiry to the Marx Brothers concerning the plot and script of the film. The Marx Brothers exploited the situation for publicity, making it appear to the public that a frivolous lawsuit was
Casablanca (1955 TV series) ultimate winner turned out to be the British wartime naval saga, "In Which We Serve"), but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences insisted that since "Casablanca" was not released nationally until early 1943, it would compete at the Award ceremony taking place in 1944. Sixteen months after its New York premiere, "Casablanca" won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. There were five additional nominations: Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart), Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains), Best Cinematography, Black-and White (Arthur Edeson), Best Film Editing (Owen Marks) and Best