The quote may be from Woody Allen’s “Play It Again, Sam” which started in February 1969 sucessfully as a Broadway stage production before it came out as a movie in 1972. The seventh Peanuts TV special from 1971 was also named “Play It Again, Charlie Brown”. It is centered around Schroeder and Lucy.
Side note: One could argue that Woody Allen’s anxious and neurotic character has some similarities with Charlie Brown.From Lucy’s point of view, of course, the only reason to bring this up is the vague “romantic” association, though it doesn’t make much sense to call Schroeder “Sam” — Elsa is in love with Bogie, not with Sam.
@Stephen Treadwell—There was a scene in one of the Rathbone/Bruce films where they’ve chased and caught a perp. Watson sez,, “Holmes, in what school did you learn to run so fast?” Sherlock replies….
Later in the same movie, Holmes says, “Can’t you help this man, Dr. Watson? He’s dying by inches!” Watson says, “Let’s move him to Scotland, so he’ll die by the Yard!”
Schroeder’s probably not playing “As Time Goes By,” given his penchant for Beethoven. But I bet Schulz intentionally didn’t draw any notes in the first three panels to set up the gag in the last panel.
Searching for Woody Allen and Charlie Brown I found this article from the “New York Magazine” from February 1969. The headline asked: “Is Woody Allen REALLY Charlie Brown?”
So here is my refined theory:
1. Woody Allen wrote this play in which a neurotic character compares his life with the life of his movie idol Bogie and tries to imitate him. The title is NOT meant as a literal quote from Casablanca, it’s more a tribute. The added word “again” is about the play revisiting the Bogart myth and about Woody’s neurotic, repetitive character.
2. Because of the huge success of the play Charles Schulz learned about this Broadway play, “Play It Again, Sam”, and that people started comparing Woody with Charlie Brown. He missunderstood the title as a literal quote from Casablanca.
3. A few months later he decided to use it in his strip. He put the words into the mouth of Lucy. Now it definitly looked like a direct quote from Casablanca. Millions of people who read Peanuts thought: “Oh, look, it’s a quote from Casablanca!”. Later on they would swear they had heard those words in the movie. In fact, they had only read the words in the comic strip.
4. Conclusion: It was Charles Schulz who burned the false quote into the heads of millions of people.
Templo S.U.D. about 8 years ago
I think I heard that line was ne’er actually said in “Casa Blanca.”
knight1192a about 8 years ago
One of the best known misquotes of all time.
noribori about 8 years ago
The quote may be from Woody Allen’s “Play It Again, Sam” which started in February 1969 sucessfully as a Broadway stage production before it came out as a movie in 1972. The seventh Peanuts TV special from 1971 was also named “Play It Again, Charlie Brown”. It is centered around Schroeder and Lucy.
Side note: One could argue that Woody Allen’s anxious and neurotic character has some similarities with Charlie Brown.From Lucy’s point of view, of course, the only reason to bring this up is the vague “romantic” association, though it doesn’t make much sense to call Schroeder “Sam” — Elsa is in love with Bogie, not with Sam.
Carl Rennhack Premium Member about 8 years ago
@Stephen Treadwell—There was a scene in one of the Rathbone/Bruce films where they’ve chased and caught a perp. Watson sez,, “Holmes, in what school did you learn to run so fast?” Sherlock replies….
Later in the same movie, Holmes says, “Can’t you help this man, Dr. Watson? He’s dying by inches!” Watson says, “Let’s move him to Scotland, so he’ll die by the Yard!”
Well, it COULD have been a great film!
gantech about 8 years ago
Classic misquote…just like “beam me up, Scotty.”
I think Schroeder wishes someone would beam her up.
coreym5 about 8 years ago
Schroeder’s probably not playing “As Time Goes By,” given his penchant for Beethoven. But I bet Schulz intentionally didn’t draw any notes in the first three panels to set up the gag in the last panel.
sloaches about 8 years ago
“Of all the toy pianos in all the newspaper comic strips, she walks up to mine…”!
neverenoughgold about 8 years ago
Who cares…
Number Three about 8 years ago
His name is Schroeder you dumb…
Oh, I get it!
xxx
noribori about 8 years ago
Searching for Woody Allen and Charlie Brown I found this article from the “New York Magazine” from February 1969. The headline asked: “Is Woody Allen REALLY Charlie Brown?”
So here is my refined theory:
1. Woody Allen wrote this play in which a neurotic character compares his life with the life of his movie idol Bogie and tries to imitate him. The title is NOT meant as a literal quote from Casablanca, it’s more a tribute. The added word “again” is about the play revisiting the Bogart myth and about Woody’s neurotic, repetitive character.
2. Because of the huge success of the play Charles Schulz learned about this Broadway play, “Play It Again, Sam”, and that people started comparing Woody with Charlie Brown. He missunderstood the title as a literal quote from Casablanca.
3. A few months later he decided to use it in his strip. He put the words into the mouth of Lucy. Now it definitly looked like a direct quote from Casablanca. Millions of people who read Peanuts thought: “Oh, look, it’s a quote from Casablanca!”. Later on they would swear they had heard those words in the movie. In fact, they had only read the words in the comic strip.
4. Conclusion: It was Charles Schulz who burned the false quote into the heads of millions of people.