ABSTRACT
Devoted Humphrey Bogart fans may argue about whether he actually muttered (through clenched teeth, of course) the now immortal words of the above title in Casablanca. They agree, however, that the film's protagonist wanted to hear the tune (titled coincidentally, given our topic, “As Time Goes By”) time and again-just as they, the aficionados, return to see the film at every opportunity. Many can recite whole strings of dialogue, wax on about plot and character development, even camera angles in critical scenes, and so forth. Nevertheless, that intimate familiarity does not deter them in the least from going out of the way to view the film repeatedly in revivals or on television.
