To Have and Have Not (film) and his girl (Bacall). Critics called the film a fast, witty romance with a plot as merely "an excuse for some good scenes." "Variety" cited the film's inferiority to "Casablanca" and other Warner Bros. melodramas, but acknowledged the film's success in its characterization. "Time" called the film a, "tinny romantic melodrama which millions of cinemaddicts have been waiting forever since "Casablanca". "New York Variety" was mixed about the film citing, "nifty productional accoutrements" with "too unsteady" of a story line. Other reviewers called it, "definitely swell entertainment", while others stated it was an delightful remake of "Casablanca". American film critic
To Have and Have Not (film) of how Morgan met Marie. Marie's character was extensively altered for the film. In May 1939, Hemingway sold book rights to Howard Hughes. Hughes sold the book rights to Hawks in October 1943, who then sold them to Warner Bros.. Because the rights to the novel bounced between sellers, Hawks made ten times more money selling the rights of the novel than Hemingway did. Hemingway reportedly refused to speak to Hawks for "three months" upon finding this out. The screenplay for "To Have and Have Not" bears little resemblance to Hemingway's novel of the same name. The only similarities include