Castoffs: Poor Yorick's Cafe Americain

Narrator: With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles... across the Mediterranean to Oran... then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon; and from Lisbon, to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca... and wait... and wait... and wait.

taylor runs into Poor Yorick's Cafe Americain and grabs cafe owner danny blake by the lapels of his white dinner jacket.

"danny, you must help me!"

"help you?" danny shook himself free. "i stick my neck out for nobody, vampire. especially vampires."

"please, danny! you must take these letters of transit and hide them for me. please, i beg you!"

taylor shoves an envelope inside blake's jacket, then turns around and runs out the door. two gunshots are heard almost immediately, and blake walks outside. he finds taylor slumped against the wall outside.

"don't worry, danny. their bullets can't kill me, but they don't know that. i'll fake my death."

with that, taylor goes totally limp. the local police come to search taylor's body and drag him away. blake walks back into the cafe.

he looks around the busy cafe, the patrons laughing and drinking and eating, unaware and unconcerned about the shooting outside. he spots tucker finishing up a song on stage and walks up to him.

"tucker, hang onto your guitar," he whispers to the entertainer as he surreptitiously slips the envelope into the hole in the guitar's body.

"you got it, boss."

he walks away and hears tucker begin an interactive sing-along with the crowd:

say, who's got trouble?
(we got trouble!)
how much trouble?
(too much trouble!)...

at that moment, the cafe door opens and captain gavin cardigan of the local police enters.

"danny, what's for dinner tonight?"

"paella."

"danny, you have the best food in casablanca. it's why i come here every night."

"i thought it was because i let you win at roulete," danny reminds him.

"that is another reason. i'll take my paella after i run everybody out and search your place for taylor's letters of transit."

"what letters of transit?"

"don't insult my intelligence, danny. i saw taylor talking to you. remember, major rhaymes of the gestapo is in casablanca. i need to demonstrate that law and order reign in unoccupied france."

"but you have no grounds on which to close my place!" danny fumes.

cardigan raises his voice. "i am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here! everyone out, now! this cafe is closed under orders of the prefect of police."

later, the two of them share a bottle of wine and a dish of paella.

"are you satisfied?" danny asks, referring to the fruitless search.

"danny, i'm sure you have those letters."

"i stick my neck out for nobody," danny insists.

"my dear danny, i suspect that under that cynical shell you are at heart a sentimentalist. and that brings us to our next order of business."

"what is that?"

"tomorrow you are to have two special guests in your cafe, arriving separately. one will be major rhaymes of the gestapo."

"that's business i can afford to lose," danny comments. "why can't he go patronize signor st. bishop over at The Blue Parrot?"

"because he will want to see me arrest your other special guest: benjamin franklin."

"benjamin franklin?" danny sits up straight at the mention of the great underground resistance leader.

"danny," cardigan notes, "that's the first time i've ever seen you so impressed."

"well, benjamin franklin has managed to impress half the world," danny points out.

"it's my job to see that he doesn't impress the other half and remain in custody here in casablanca."

"i'll be interested to see how he escapes," danny chuckles.


the next evening, major rhaymes strides stiffly into the cafe and demands the best table and brandy. he gets neither, but he can't tell the difference.

a short time later, while danny is in the kitchen checking the sauce, benjamin franklin enters the cafe accompanied by a Mysterious woman with dark red hair. they are seated near the stage.

"tucker!" the woman exclaims as they draw near.

"oh, uh, good evening, miss Lurker," tucker stammers.

"it's been a long time, tucker."

"yes, ma'am. a lot of water under the bridge."

"where is danny, tucker? is he here?"

"oh, uh, no. no ma'am, he usually goes to The Blue Parrot at night. he's got a girl over there named sierra that he goes to see."

she tut-tuts him. "you used to be a better liar, tucker." she places a hand on his arm. "play one of the old songs, tucker. play 'as time goes by.'"

"i don't remember it, miss Lurker, please."

she smiles. "yes, you do. play it, tucker. for old time's sake."

"yes, miss Lurker."

you must remember this
a kiss is just a kiss
a sigh is just a sigh
the fundamental things apply
as time goes by

and when two lovers woo--

"tucker, i thought i told you never to play that song again!"

"yes, boss." tucker quickly packs his guitar away and exits as danny stares at the Mysterious Lurker.

"Lurker, do you know this man?" benjamin franklin asks her.

"yes, ben. danny, this is benjamin franklin. ben, this is danny blake. we...knew each other in paris, before the occupation."

benjamin franklin extended a hand. "one hears a great deal about danny blake in casablanca."

"and about benjamin franklin everywhere," danny counters.

"so, how are you, danny?" the Lurker asks.

"i'm still in one piece," danny replies.

"the last time i saw you was--"

"la belle aurore."

the Lurker smiles. "how nice, you remember. but of course, that was the day that the germans marched into paris."

"not an easy day to forget."

"no."

"i remember every detail," danny says. "the germans wore grey; your hair was blue."

"i hate to interrupt this happy reunion," captain cardigan walks up unexpectedly with major rhaymes. "but i'm afraid i must ask mr. franklin to accompany me."

"is that an order?" franklin demands.

"let's call it a request."

franklin turns toward the Lurker. "don't worry, Lurker. i'll be okay."

the three man walk off, leaving the Lurker alone with danny.

"of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you walk into mine. why?"

"i'm sorry, danny. if i had known, we would not have come here."

"why did you leave me in paris? you were there one moment, then gone the next!"

"danny, i...i'm married to benjamin franklin, and i was when i knew you in paris."

"i see." danny lights a cigarette. "so you're that kind."

"you don't understand, danny. i thought he was dead! it was only that day, the day that the germans marched into paris, that i got word that he was alive. he needed me, danny. i had to go to him!"

"i needed you, too, Lurker. you kicked my insides out."

"oh, danny! this war...i hate it so much...and now, ben is in so much trouble here, danny. the germans will not allow him to leave casablanca, but neither can they allow him to build influence here, either. you must help him!"

"how am i supposed to help him?"

"i've heard that letters of transit can be bought on the black market here in casablanca. you must know how to get one, danny. with that, ben can leave casablanca and be safe."

"ben? what about you?"

"danny," she steps up and wraps her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. "i left you once in paris; i can't leave you again."

"i see. and you think ben will agree to leaving you behind?"

"i think...oh, danny. i don't know what to think anymore. you'll have to do the thinking for both of us."

"i will, Lurker. i will." he strokes her blond hair and tilts her face upward. "here's looking at you, kid."


the next day, danny goes to see benjamin franklin at the prefect's office.

"why are you here?" franklin asks.

danny lights up a cigarette. "i have two letters of transit. with them, you and the Lurker can leave casablanca for america."

"is that right? hey, don't bogart that cig. i haven't had one all day!"

he takes a drag on danny's cigarette, exhales. "there is something here i don't understand. when i saw you and the Lurker last night, i knew there was something special between you."

"there was," ben admits. "after they took you away last night, she pretended to still be in love with me, in order to convince me to help you escape. i let her pretend."

"then perhaps i do understand. the problem with your plan is that i seem to be in custody."

"easily remedied."

danny turns around and points a gun at captain cardigan. "gavin, call the airport and tell them to get a plane ready for lisbon."

"danny, you have you taken leave of your senses?"

"i have, now make that call."

"you have the letters of transit. where were they hidden?"

"in tucker's guitar. now make that call, gavin."

"hmph. serves me right for not being musical. okay, okay, i'm calling."

cardigan dials a phone ((note to readers: "dial" is an archaic verb, used to rotate a disc with numbered holes to a designated spot in order to make one telephone make a connection with another telephone. unbeknownst to danny and benjamin franklin, cardigan was actually dialing the number of major rhaymes, who asnwered.)) and begins to speak. "airport? yes, this is captain cardigan. please have a plane ready for take-off to lisbon for two passengers with letters of transit. there is to be no trouble about them. good."

they climb into cardigan's car and make for the airport. they pull up next to the raven-haired Lurker who is, um, lurking on the runway. "danny, ben. is everything all right?"

"everything is fine, Lurker," danny assures her. "now, cardigan. i want you to fill out the names on the letters of transit, to make it more official."

"you think of everything, don't you, danny?"

"and the names you will write are 'Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin."

"danny, no!" the Lurker grabs his arm. "last night you said--"

"last night we said a lot of things," danny tells her. "you told me i had to do the thinking for both of us. well, i've done a lot of it since then and it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on the plane with ben where you belong."

"no, danny! i..."

"no, you listen to me! if you stay here, nine chances out of ten are that we'd both end up in a concentration camp. isn't that right, gavin?"

"i'm afraid that major rhaymes would insist upon it, danny."

"you're only saying this to make me go," the Lurker accuses him.

"i'm saying it because it's true. inside of us, we both know you belong with ben; you're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. if that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

"but what about us?"

"we'll always have paris. we didn't have, we'd lost it, until you came to casablanca. we got it back last night."

"when i said i'd never leave you," she recalls.

"and you never will," he tells her. "but i've got a job to do, too. where i'm going, you can't follow. what i've got to do, you can't be any part of. i'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. someday you'll understand that. now, now..."

the Lurker's eyes fill with tears as he lifts her chin up. "here's looking at you, kid."

benjamin franklin walks up to shake danny's hand. "welcome back to the fight."

ben and the Lurker take the letters of transit and board the plane. as the plane begins to pull out, major rhaymes pulls up. "what is going on here?"

cardigan points. "benjamin franklin is on that plane."

"stop it!" the major demands.

"i can't," cardigan then points toward danny.

"then i will!" major rhaymes stalks off toward the telephone.

"don't do it, major. i was willing to shoot cardigan; i'm definitely willing to shoot you."

"i don't think so!" major rhaymes suddenly pulls out a dart gun from under his cape and blows a dart at danny. danny, however, was standing 15 feet away at that moment, well out of the range of the major's weapon. unfortunately for the major, danny's gun was deadly accurate from that range and he fell to his death. guards came rushing up at the sound of the gunshot.

"mon capitaine!"

"major rhaymes has been shot!" cardigan glances at cardigan, then back to the guards. "round up the usual suspects."

"oui, mon capitaine!"

as the plane roars off into the horizon and the guards drive off with rhaymes' body, cardigan and danny walk down the runway, each smoking a cigarette.

"danny, you're not only a sentamentalist, you're now a patriot."

"i figured it was time."

"i think you're right. you know, i think you should leave casablanca for a time. i can arrange passage for us to san francisco in america."

"us?"

cardigan nods.

"gavin," danny tells him, "i think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."