(AP) – The piano that played the iconic “As Time Goes By” tune in “Casablanca” is
going to be up for auction on Dec. 14, giving the highest bidder a chance to own a
piece of the classic romance film.
Sotheby’s will auction off the Paris piano Sam played in the film, which is estimated
to worth somewhere between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The piano scene was the
first filmed by director Michael Curtiz for the film.
The piano was sold by Sotheby’s to a Japanese collector back in 1988 for $154,000
and now, the collector is offering it up for the film’s 70th anniversary. Humphrey
Bogart played Rick Blaine in the Oscar-winning World War II love story, opposite
Ingrid Bergman’s character, Lisa Lund In a famous flashback scene, Rick and Lisa
lean on the piano at a Paris bistro. Sam, played by Dooley Wilson, plays and sings. .
“Casablanca” premiered on Thanksgiving in 1942, and it won three Oscars in 1943, including Best Picture.
