Leslie Epstein

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It's the golden age of American moviemaking, and two young writers, brothers Julius and Philip Epstein, are hard at work on their latest movie.

They're approaching the last day of shooting, but there's just one problem.

Well, they did not have an ending.

The climax of the drama rests on a moral dilemma faced by the heroine in the final scene.

He was tearing his hair out and there were tremendous conferences with everybody.

That's Leslie Epstein, the son of Philip and nephew of Julius.

And the title of the movie they're struggling to finish is Casablanca.

So with just a couple of days filming remaining, the question is, how did the Epstein brothers pull off the iconic ending to this World War II romantic drama?

Julius and Philip Epstein, often known as Julie and Phil, were identical twins born in 1909 to Polish Jewish immigrants.

Despite this, the pair made it to Pennsylvania State University, where they excelled academically and athletically.

And like many Americans trying to get by in the Great Depression, they found themselves working undesirable jobs.

And with a stage credit to their name, the pair set their sights on Hollywood.

Technical innovations meant increasing numbers of films now contained speech and music.

Cheap movie tickets were snapped up by a cash-strapped clientele, and cinemas swelled with audiences, captivated by men with strong jaws delivering wisecrack lines to luckless women.

Hollywood's golden age was in full swing.

As well as story outlines, or treatments, as they're known in the business.

Julius also ghostwrote scenes for his friend, Jerry Wald, a radio columnist turned Hollywood producer.