–as bellowed by the sinister hypnotist at the top of his lungs, of course. This bit of comedy recurred on **Mystery Science Theater 3000 ** whenever there was any hint of psychic domination onscreen, and I just realized that I do not know its origin, if I ever did. I believe it’s a pretty old gag though. Is there a specific comedy mentalist routine from which it originates?
I associate this with Svengali and Trilby. In at least one film, he said “SLEEEEEP!” in a plummy, melodramatic way. Or at least that’s how I remember it.