It would certainly have altered Reagan’s career – would he have gone into politics at all? – but there's little credence to this story. It’s based on an early press release by the studio, Warner Bros, announcing that Reagan and actress Ann Sheridan were set to star in the film.

This was just marketing to build hype for the duo’s other movie, King’s Row. Casablanca had not yet been written, and no one but Bogart was seriously considered. Besides, Reagan had joined the army and was no longer acting during World War II. The whole thing was studio smoke-and-mirrors, and no one was to know that it involved someone who would go on to be president.

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