Not long I started downloading Big Band music and making CDs to play while driving. My nephew who is 39 heard Jo Stafford singing You Belong To Me and commented that it was a cool song so I burned a disc for him that had Patti Page, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee and a lot of the old Big Band instrumentals on it. He loves it.
I think if the old music was more available a lot of younger people would play it. It was good music.
Chuck

Hmmmm...I suppose if he had been just a tad bit older, he might have answered "Sam Malone."

I weep along with you, Jay. Another classic, among my top 4 favorite movies of all time, is On The Waterfront. Try out "I coulda been a contenda" in your best Brando for the guy.

And, no, I wasn't alive when it or Casablanca were released.

That reminds me, I really have to work on stocking our classic DVD side of the collection. Boyo can't watch them if we don't have them.

He didn't recognize the quote?
I'm shocked. Shocked!

arb: "Your winnings, sir."

What is interesting is that the original script of Casablanca made Brokeback Mountain seem tame. Rick was an architect, married with children living in Paris. He was having an affair with an American woman expatriate, also in Paris. The affair was discovered when Rick and his lover brought their families to the same entertainment spont in Paris. (Yup, it turns out the mistress was married, too.) Humiliated by the exposure, but also by learning that his squeeze was married, but did not see fit to tell him, Rick abandons his family and flees to Africa, where he sets up a nightclub. Years later (the prologue takes place in the 1930s) his ex-mistress shows up in Casablanca with her new man in tow. He *is* a resistance leader, but not married to her. Rick has the letters of transit, which he exchanges for the ex-mistress spending the night with him -- and they did not spend it talking. She leaves, and everyone lives miserably ever after.

Sounds pretty modern -- which shows that modern isn't terribly original. But back in 1942, when Casablanca was made, the theater moguls knew that mainstream America could not identify with the skunks of the original plot. So they humanized them, put them in a dilemma and had them opt for sacrifice and duty instead of selfish immediate gratification of one's lusts -- and made an unforgettable movie in the process.

Casablanca will be playing it again when Brokeback Mountain has been consigned to the scrapheap of forgotten edgy movies. (Anyone remember "I am Curious, Yellow" or "I am Curious, Blue"?)

It is a sign of extreme youth when everything older than 3 years is dumped on, and the Backstreet Boys are selected by MTV as the "Band of the Century" in 2000.

Oddly enough, the musicians to whom these youth worship are often well versed in various genre', go figure. The force behind the '60s rock was '20s and '30s blues. In the '90s, covers from way back were common, although consumers often didn't know it.

Things go in circles and there will be a time when Cassablanca and "As Time Goes By" will enjoy a revival. As it should be.

Ah, Cassablanca, when men were men and NOT metrosexuals. (I was tempted to add, 'and sheep were scared to death' but we're talking about Bogey here not islamofacists.)

As a 20-something, may I suggest that it's more likely the "stupid gap." Not the "generation gap." Also, I'll bet this guy would have caught the reference if you had said, "Play it again, Sam." Despite that not being, you know, an actual line.

Oh, and Quantum Leap rocks. That is all.

I have to side with Shannon here, as I am (for at least 1 more year) a "20 something", and I prefer movies like Cassablanca, GWTW, and that era. You know, back when movies were not about "the evil republicans" and didn't have to resort to sex, violence, and vulgarity to sell tickets (although there was a certain "level of sexuality" to them, it was NOTHING compared to today (with Anna Nicole Smith STRIPPING AT A VIDEO GAME awards show). Sadly, though, I didn't catch the line, but would have said that Bogey said it, just wouldn't have known the movie, so I'm on the edge of escaping the pull of the "stupid gap", I guess.

Yeah, good ol' Casablanca. Where the air was always filled with cancerous toxins, Bogart looked so cool by always puffing away, and every conversation was punctuated by pouring another glass of booze.

People were so smart back then.

I'm 19, and even having never watched Casablanca I knew what the line was from.

Personally, I listen to oldies about as much as I listen to more modern music. I'm not much for older movies (i.e. before color), though.

I'm not much for older movies either (i.e. before Chuck Norris).

I guess that didn't really need saying.

It's also the theme song for the British sitcom "As Time Goes By" that is currently running on PBS here in NY. I suspect that most people don't know much 'popular' music from before their own time or from after their twenties.

Interesting story. As our melting pot grows I think we will see more of these types of issues.
Raymond B
www.voteswagon.com

I was at my brother's house the other night and we wre flipping throught the channels trying to find something decent to watch. There was a movie starring Charleton Heston and he said, "That'll be boring. There will be too much acting and not enought action!"

I rather like the old movies where there was actual acting and plot development and suspension of disbelief... all the good things about movies that today's filmmakers can't lay a glove on.

I am not quite 20 myself. I grew up watching with my grandmother's massive collection of movies that date back to maybe before video production was invented, if you know what I mean. I know I've seen Casablanca, but it was a long time ago, and I remember, not to much about it, seeing as I was probably only 8 years old or something close to it. So don't blame me for not being able to remember everything I've seen, just because it was before I could start to remember things accurately.
As for music, I enjoy everything from classical, to blues and jazz, from rock and roll(50's and 60's, you know, oldies), to classic rock (70's and 80's), from music from the 90's(what do you call that?), to lots of music from now, and from country to Christian music. And I am all for the appreciation for the past and it's contributions to entertainment. I concentrate on the new music from now and classic rock, and I try to work in some rock and roll from the 50's and 60's, country, and christian music. But like I said I won't object to other music. Anyway, I would be one would would notice something like the fact that Goo Goo Dolls remade a song by Supertramp called "Give a Little Bit" and I am sure that noone really knows it, or at least not most people. I also noticed that a song by Akon called "Belly Dancer" sounds just like the song called "For what it's worth" By Buffolo Springs.
Please excuse of improper punctuation, spelling and other stuff like that.

Couldn't place that line?!?...

Ziggy, Al, get me outta here!

Of course, as released Casablanca still has a rather "Brokebackish" moment in it. After the Cafe' is closed for the night Rick & Sam are talking. "First they take Ugarte and then she walks in. Well, I guess that's the way it goes... one out and one in." Given the context of Ilsa being an ex-lover, you have to wonder why he's talking about Ugarte instead of Yvonne. (The drunken blonde that Sascha was flirting with)

Jay, if it's any consolation, I mentioned the Beatles to my 8 year old daughter. She had no clue who they were.

Pass the Geritol please.

Yup. A couple of decades ago we could laugh when kids said, "Hey Dad, did you know that Paul McCartney was in another group before he was in 'Wings?'" Nowadays, kids haven't even heard of Wings.

Sigh.

Hey... I am that callow youth of 21, and to my own defense I did say it was Casablanca after saying Quantum Leap. I remember a line like that in Casablanca, but I was about 6 or 7 years old when I watched it... and only remember certain parts. Quantum leap just seemed to be the more humorous response. And when I hear quotes with the word Sam in it, for whatever reason I picture quantum leap before anything else. God I did love that show growing up. And I also did watch a lot of turner classic movies, while listening to a lot of oldies music. I know a lot of songs, just not the musicians that played the songs. I spent my childhood around restored classic cars and 50's style diners and ice cream parlors. But like I said, I was young, so it's hard for me to recall names of songs, and artists. Oh, and by the way... I think I only know of maybe two people who actually watch or give a damn what's going on with NMTV. I know I haven't watched it since the early 90's.

This is my long winded defense.
Rebuttal?