Commentary
“Come with me to the Casbah.” If you’re familiar with this line, you might associate it with Pepé le Pew, the romantic French skunk from Warner Bros. Looney Tunes. Pepé frequently said the line to the object of his affections, a black and white cat whom he mistook for a female skunk. This amorous stinker was based on Charles Boyer, particularly in MGM’s exotic drama “Algiers” from 1938.
An English adaption of a 1937 film called “Pépé le Moko,” this film introduced many things into modern culture. It inspired the character of Pepé le Pew, whose name even resembles that of Boyer’s character in the film. It also introduced the aforementioned line about the Casbah, which became permanently associated with Boyer. The line is not actually said in the film, but IMDb states it was in the original trailer, which I haven’t been able to find to verify. The line grew to annoy the actor, who felt it made him seem like a parody….