Bookman Close your mouth, Swinburne!
Mrs. Hobday
Another package from Professor Emelius Browne in London. He sent you a cat last time, did he not?
Knock his block off!
Played by Sam Jaffe 
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) · 45 quotes
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) · 45 quotes
6th most-quoted character in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971): in 4 of its 45 quotes
Most scenes with: Mr. Browne (3)
Scenes with Bookman
4 scenes Bookman I will cause the bed and all its occupants to disappear.
Bookman Disappear? I'd like to see a cheap jack entertainer do a trick like that.
Cheap jack entertainer. Now that was naughty.
Bookman I assume you're looking for the same thing I am. May I? [He and Miss Price exchange their halves of the book] This is quite a moment for both of us. [Starts reading from Miss Price's half] "Substitutiary locomtion, the lost miracle of the ancients..." And so on, and so forth. Ah, here we are! "The spell which creates this force is five mystic words. These words are..."
[reads from the Bookman's half]
"...engraved on the star that was always worn by the sorcerer Astoroth."
Bookman But where are the words of the spell? I assumed they'd be in your half of the manuscript.
But I thought they'd be in yours.
Bookman [devastated]
Once again, a dead end. I shall never know the secret.
Isn't that old Astoroth? And there's his star. It's a pity it's so small you can't read the writing.
But why the animals?
Bookman Towards the end of his life, Astoroth kept animals in cages and searched for the spells that would make them more like humans. The legend is that finally the animals rebelled at the experiment, killed Astoroth, and stole many of his powers.
Including the star with the spell on it?
Bookman Possibly. They found a ship, sailed away, and were never heard of again. However, there's a final notation in my half of the book saying that, in the 17th century, a shipwrecked lascar was taken from the sea, half-mad with thirst and exposure to the sun. Before he died, he swore he had seen an island ruled by animals.
Where?
Bookman There is, I regret to say, no such island. I looked for it in every chart. The Isle of Naboombu does not exist.
Bookman, before your very eyes, I shall cause this bed and all the occupants on it to disappear!
Bookman Disappear? I should like to see a cheap-jack, tenth-rate entertainer do a trick like that.
Cheap-jack entertainer! Now, that was naughty.
