To Have and Have Not (film) including and following the revisions. Because of the contributions from both Hemingway and Faulkner, the film represents the only film story on which two winners of the Nobel Prize of Literature worked. Filming began on February 29, 1944 as Faulkner worked on the script, ending on May 10. The film released nationally on October 11, 1944. Audience reception of the film was generally good, with most film critics claiming the film was a remake of "Casablanca" (1942). These reviews were mixed, either praising or condemning the film in comparison to "Casablanca". Critics specifically mentioned Lauren Bacall's performance or the chemistry
Joan Leslie as Betsy Phillips. She was chosen for the part because the director was searching for an actress with a southern accent. She was billed as "Joan Brodel". Later that year, she co-starred with Jimmy Lydon in "Two Thoroughbreds", in which she played the daughter of a horse owner. At age 15, Leslie was selected by a group of Hollywood directors as one of 13 "baby stars of 1940." Her big break came when she signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1941. At the time, actress Joan Blondell's name was considered too similar, and so Brodel's acting name was changed