Rick is the quintessential Bogart character, more urbane than Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon." This is the Bogart who has so captivated the imaginations of viewers. Here is a performer who knows how to be tough and vulnerable simultaneously. Bogart is the quintessential actor, he liked what he was doing, he was willing to throw away everything for principles (check out his stance on the activities of the House un-American Activities Committee), and above all he was nobody's fool. All of those things came across clearly on screen in "Casablanca."

What is it that makes this character and this performer so memorable? Perhaps the best clue to this lies in some of Rick's most memorable lines. Certainly he has a keen sense of irony, when asked to explain why he came to "Casablanca", Rick says: "I came for the waters." "What waters? We're in the desert." Replies the prefect. "I was misinformed," he says. But ultimately what may be at the heart of his appeal is his vulnerability. Look closely at Rick's face when he throws away Ingrid Bergman's letter as his train pulls out of Paris. Or for that matter the look on his face when she appears in his café. It is at that point that he utters what may well be one of the movies greatest lines, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."