The “quiet Beatle”

George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001)

(click to enlarge photo)

Record executive Berry Gordy, Jr. is the founder of the Motown record 
label and produced records for such artists as The Supremes and Stevie
Wonder. Before fame, Gordy dropped out of high school and trained to be 
a professional boxer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  
in 1988.

Berry Gordy and The Supremes during a recording session

(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.