"Book Review" Question

[Vendell Vilkie]

I've watched Bob Clampett's "Book Review" (one of the greatest cartoons of all time) all my life, and I've never understood the line the wolf delivers after being sentenced to life: "You can't do this to me. I'm a citizen C." What the heck does this mean?

I'm assuming the line isn't "I'm a citizen, see", because that doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Jack]

It is "I'm a citizen, see." He's basically saying "You can't do this to me. Can't you see that I'm a citizen?"

[Treadwell]

Adding ",see" was part of the slang vernacular at the time. Replace it with
", dig?" and you'll understand, see?

[Vendell Vilkie]

I dig, but I still think the line's awkward.

[Brundledan]

It's actually Book Revue. The title got screwed up for the damned Blue Ribbon re-release.-Dan

[Mark J]

It's common slang, popularized in gangster movies of the 30's, dead end kids movies etc. I'm the boss now, see? Meaning - do you understand? It's a gag there to show the wolf speaking as a thug.

[ohmahaaha]

Well ... they were doing the "Sextet from Lucia di Lammamoor," and the line just fit .... they needed something to rhyme with "You can't do this to me ..." so they came up with "I'm a citizen, see?"

[Vendell Vilkie]

I know the line rhymed, but since it didn't have the terminal inflection of a question, it didn't occur to me that it was "...a citizen, see?" This whole exercise reminds me a little of trying to decipher rock lyrics (e.g., thinking the Beatles sang "the girl with colitis goes by" in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds").

Btw, I much prefer Sylvester's version of the Sextet in "Back Alley Oproar."

[Madison Carter]

paging Edward G. Robinson....paging Edward G. Robinson...

[doctoon]

If you get a chance to look at the old WB cartoon I WANNA BE A SAILOR, you'll get an earful of "see." The tough little bird who's the lead character ends nearly every single sentence with "See?", and it gets annoying after a while. But maybe that was the point.