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A library book overdue since 1971? That's practically a felony in Lt. Joe Bookman's world. When the hard-boiled library investigator shows up at Jerry's apartment demanding answers about a missing copy of Tropic of Cancer, he treats Jerry like a wanted criminal.

Jerry insists he returned the book, but Bookman isn't buying a word of it. With the intensity of a homicide detective, he grills Jerry about his past, takes shots at his comedy career, and delivers a blistering lecture on the sacred responsibility of returning library books. Philip Baker Hall steals the scene as the dead-serious lieutenant who clearly doesn't find Jerry funny.

Watch this classic Seinfeld clip featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Philip Baker Hall as Lt. Joe Bookman.

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Transcript
00:00took this book out in 1971 yes and i returned it in 1971 yeah 71 that was my first year
00:05on the job
00:06bad year for libraries bad year for america hippies burning library cards abby huffman
00:12telling everybody to steal books i don't judge a man by the length of his hair the kind of music
00:16he listens to rock was never my bag but you put on a pair of shoes when you walk into
00:20the new york
00:21public library fella look mr bookman i i returned that book i remember it very specifically you're
00:29a comedian you make people laugh i try you think this is all a big joke don't you
00:35no i don't i saw you on tv once i remembered your name from my list i looked it up
00:41sure enough it
00:42checked out you think because you're a celebrity that somehow the law doesn't apply to you that
00:46you're above the law certainly not well let me tell you something funny you know that little stamp the
00:53one that says new york public library well that may not mean anything to you but that means a lot
00:57to me
00:57that means a lot to me one whole hell of a lot
00:58one whole hell of a lot

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