In Which We Serve Which We Sink"". On Christmas Eve 1942 in New York, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures honoured the film as the Best English Language Film of the Year citing Bernard Miles and John Mills for their performances. The film was nominated in the 1943 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (losing out to "Casablanca" and "Princess O'Rourke" respectively). However, Coward was presented with an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding production achievement." "In Which We Serve" also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film (beating "Casablanca") and the Argentine Film Critics
Casablanca (film) had turned down the lead role. Studio records make clear that Wallis was committed to Bogart from the start. Another well-known story is that the actors did not know until the last day of shooting how the film was to end. The original play (set entirely in the cafe) ended with Rick sending Ilsa and Laszlo to the airport. During scriptwriting, the possibility was discussed of Laszlo being killed in Casablanca, allowing Rick and Ilsa to leave together, but as Casey Robinson wrote to Hal Wallis before filming began, the ending of the film "set up for a swell twist