This is a sample of Murder On The Back Lot one of StoneCastle Productions Murder Mystery Plays. This play has been performed at house parties, at club rendezvous, and at picnics. it can also be performed as a fundraiser program for a club or an organization. below is a sample of the play. It is listed as Play 2.

The invitation read, 

 Dear Mr. Burnett,

 you are cordially invited to attend a Final Shooting Party for the Movie Casablanca on Saturday October 25, 1942, 2PM Pacific Standard Time at Studio 10, Warner Brothers, Hollywood California. Your significant contribution to this project is well recognized and it would be our pleasure to have you in attendance”.

Signed, 

 Yours truly, 

Mike CumminS, Vice President Publicity.

Warner Brothers Studios

Murray Burnett is just a little different than most everyone else in New York these days, as War dominates all aspects of Citizens lives from Newspapers and Billboards to Radio.  With a Nation facing extreme sacrifices, Murray knows that he will feel a sense of guilt spending the $50,000.00 received from selling his BOOK “Everybody goes to Rick’s” to Warner Brother’s Studio. He wonders if he should attend the party. In Murray’s mind, some may characterize him as a “War Profiteer” for writing an anti-war BOOK and selling the Movie rights for significant pieces of silver.  War Profiteer? A dreaded term in a “Patriots” vocabulary. Murray hopes that the movie version of the play, which the Producers at Warner Brothers named “Casablanca”, will reinforce the absurdity of War and portray it for what it really is; an opportunity for powerful men to obtain more power.   He waited for an invitation to do the re-write for the movie since he was the natural choice. When the cast was announced, he was thrilled for he KNEW; they were the exact types of actors he envisioned when he wrote the BOOK, especially Humphrey Bogart as Rick.  Bogie has an unconstrained arrogance for authority and would certainly be in Character to utter “I stick my neck out for nobody”.

MURDER ON THE BACK LOT, THE FINAL SCENE 

A MURDER MYSTERY PLAY

 By 

StoneCastle Productions

Cast in order of Appearance

Joan Alison:                             Playwright  

Murray Burnett:                  Playwright  

Mike Cummins:                          Vice President Publicity, Warner Bother’s Studio 

Michael Curtiz:                      Director: Casablanca 

George James Hopkins:     Set Designer 

Ingrid Bergman:                     Actress 

Claire Kelly:                           Costume Designer  

Humphrey Bogart:               Actor