Murray Burnett was born on December 28, 1910 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Casablanca (1942), Casablanca (1955) and Casablanca (1983). He was married to Adrienne Bayan. He died on September 23, 1997 in New York City.
Having co-written the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" with Joan Alison, the former English teacher and Cornell University graduate was unable to find anyone willing to produce it on Broadway. Consequently, Burnett and Alison sold the play to Warner Brothers for $20,000, where it was renamed "Casablanca". In later years, Burnett became increasingly frustrated, with what he perceived to be a lack of recognition for his contribution to the classic film.
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In 1983, Warner Brothers produced a TV series based on the characters from "Casablanca". Burnett and Alison promptly sued the studio, claiming that they still owned the rights to the characters, even though they had sold the original play. However, a 1986 New York Court of Appeals ruled against them.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Casablanca
1983
TV Series play "Everyone Comes to Rick's" - 5 episodes
Guiding Light
1982
TV Series certain characters created by - 1 episode
Casablanca
1955-1956
TV Series play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" - 9 episodes
$700,000
