The Front

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The Front
image:9F16.jpg
Season 4 Episode 19
Production Code 9F16
Original Airdate April 15, 1993
Written By Adam Lapidus
Directed By Rich Moore
Show Runners Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Special Guests Brooke Shields as herself
Blackboard Text "I will not sell miracle cures"

Rate This Episode ( 1 votes )
8.00 / 10


"The Front" is the 19th episode of the fourth season. The title references Woody Allen's movie of the same name.

Contents

Plot

Bart and Lisa watch a terrible episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show and decide they can write a better one themselves. Inspired by the sight of Homer accidentally cutting Marge's hair with hedge shears, they write "Little Barbershop of Horrors", but the episode is rejected by Roger Meyers, head of Itchy & Scratchy Studios. Guessing that Meyers didn't take them seriously because they were kids, they resubmit the manuscript under the name of their Grandfather Abraham Simpson. As a result, Abe is given a job as staff writer.

Later, at a ceremony called the "Annual Cartoon Awards", Grampa is recognized for outstanding writing in a cartoon series. Krusty the Clown and Brooke Shields presented the award for Outstanding Writer. After watching the clip shown to introduce the award apparently the first time he has seen the show. Grampa is appalled, and directs his acceptance speech as an assault against the cartoon and against the audience attending the ceremony. He then storms off, as the crowd boos and throws vegetables at him. Grampa gives the award to Lisa and Bart, and Bart swears never to watch an award show again, unless it has "that delightful Billy Crystal."

Meanwhile, Homer and Marge are invited to their "Class of 1974" High School reunion, prompting Homer to admit that he never graduated because he failed a science class. At the reunion, Homer receives numerous awards (almost all of them of a dubious or negative nature), including Most Improved Odor, but when Principal Dondelinger reveals that Homer never graduated these awards are revoked. Homer takes an evening class in Remedial Science 1A (the class he failed) in determination to win them back.

"The Adventures of Ned Flanders"

The episode ends with an apparently unrelated segment entitled "The Adventures of Ned Flanders", with its own memorable theme tune: "Hens love roosters, geese love ganders, everyone else loves Ned Flanders!" Then Homer says "Not me!" The tune continues with "Everyone who counts loves Ned Flanders!" Entitled Love that God, this short segment highlights the Flanders' dedication to religion and perfect family niceness, yet again. Ned nearly scolds Rod and Todd, who are busy praying, after they refuse to get ready for church — only to be told that it is, in fact, a Saturday. Ned laughs at his mistake with a trademark "okelydokelydoo!"


Trivia

  • Homer's Trophies:
    • Most weight gained
    • Lowest paying job
    • Most hair lost
    • Oldest car
    • Most improved odor
    • Person who traveled the least distance to come to the reunion
  • Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein have said that the Ned Flanders short in this episode inspired them to come up with the idea for Season 7's 22 Short Films About Springfield.
  • The writers and animators for Itchy and Scratchy (particularly the Harvard graduate who got fired) are all based on real Simpsons writers and animators. The Harvard graduate who got fired is based on Jon Vitti. The other writers in the writer's room are:
    • John Swartzwelder sitting in a chair on the left side of the room.
    • George Meyer sitting at a computer
    • Al Jean sitting in a chair, rocking (this is the one who said that he wrote a thesis on life experience in college and, during the award show, said he was going to abandon doing cartoons and write a sitcom about a sassy robot).
    • Jeff Martin standing behind Al Jean holding a coffee pot.
    • Sam Simon standing next to Jeff Martin, smoking a cigar.
    • Mike Reiss sitting on the couch on the right side of the screen, reading a newspaper.
  • The "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" piece was done to fill up time when it was discovered that the episode was running short.
  • According to the DVD commentary for this episode, the "CLIP NOT DONE YET" shown for Ren and Stimpy: Season Premiere was made as a knock on John Kricfalusi's notorious habit of turning shows into Nickelodeon behind schedule. Kricfalusi had previously took shots at the animation and writing of The Simpsons. The show was also parodied in the episode Brother from the Same Planet.
  • During the "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" segment, you can hear a crew member talk in the background, straight after Todd Flanders says "We're not going to church today".
  • Impressions by class clown Bobby Mindix include Flo (Polly Holliday) saying her catchphrase "Kiss my grits!" from the sitcom Alice (which didn't premiere until 1976), Richard Nixon, Ed Sullivan, Howard Cosell, Cheech and Chong and Jimmie "JJ" Walker (shouting his catchphrase, "Dyn-O-Mite!!")
  • Artie Ziff makes his second of four appearances, but is not voiced by Jon Lovitz, as in his previous one and later two. This episode also establishes that he has become extremely wealthy but still pines for Marge.
  • The scene where a caricature of Al Jean mentions about a sassy robot was actually a pilot of Teen Angel, which was written along with Mike Reiss. The show was said to be rejected by several networks until ABC picked it up.
  • Lisa reads a book entitled "How To Get Rich Writing Cartoons" By John Swartzwelder.

Deleted Scenes

The following scenes were cut and can be viewed on the DVD as a bonus feature:

  • Roger Myers personally types a rejection letter for Bart and Lisa, saying they are too young to be writers. Lisa is then seen reading the letter, saying, "I know what that word is, but what's Shinola?" (a reference to the insulting putdown, "you don't know shit from Shinola.")
  • An alternate scene of Homer vowing to retake his science course. He relates his problem to a movie about a skier that falls off the mountain. Marge tells him to get to the point. Homer vows to ski, and then changes it.
  • After telling Grampa about the source of the checks, Grampa says, "So that's why they were so nice at Richy and Cathy's." Bart corrects him.
  • There was originally a longer version of the tour Roger Meyers gives to Bart and Lisa. It contained a stop at the art department, where they see a dozen sketchers observing a cat and trying to design it. One of them puts a stick of dynamite into his mouth and lights it. As Meyers, Lisa, and Bart walk out of the room, a large explosion can be heard. According to the audio commentary, it was cut out because the censors objected to the implied animal abuse.
  • A brief scene of Bart and Lisa at work at the next Itchy and Scratchy episode, while Grandpa tries to direct them into what he wants for the episode. They eventually tell him to shut up and he does.
  • After confessing that he didn't like the episode, Grampa goes back stage to find Roger Meyers waiting for him there to fire him. Grampa exclaims, "I DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY!" After a beat, he comes back to him asking for a nickel for a trolley ride.


Cultural references

  • When Artie Ziff confronts Homer and Marge about his wealth, Homer asks if Ziff would trade it all for one night with Marge, a reference to Indecent Proposal, which was released a week after this episode aired. This concept would later come to pass with the episode Half-Decent Proposal.
  • Strong-Dar: Master of Akom (one of the nominees) is a spoof of the 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Strong-Dar is clearly based upon Filmation's model of He-Man, the lack of the cross on his chest armour being the only notable difference. Also, "Master of Akom" is a reference to the Korean animation studio AKOM (who did the animation for this episode).
  • The writer deciding to write a sitcom about a "sassy robot" is a reference to British sitcom Metal Mickey, which was created by former Monkee Micky Dolenz. Simpsons creator Matt Groening would go on to create Futurama, featuring Bender, who is also a sassy robot.
  • One of the 'Itchy & Scratchy' episodes finishes with Scratchy, with Itchy sitting on his shoulder, typing at a typewriter. Scratchy pulls the paper out and throws it into the air, forming an Itchy & Scratchy Productions logo. This is a spoof of the close of many series created / produced by Stephen J. Cannell, which had an almost identical sequence.
  • The Episode "Little Barbershop of Horrors" features Elvis on the apartment above the barbershop, who shoots the TV when Scratchy bursts through it. This is a reference to when he shot his De Tomaso Pantera because it wouldn't start.
  • The credits for the Itchy & Scratchy episode "Little Barbershop of Horrors":
    • Assistant to Mr. Itchy: DEE CAPPELLI
    • Assistant to Mr. Scratchy: JACQUELINE ATKINS
    • Scratchy's Wardrobe Provided by: BOTANY 500
    • for a transcript of this episode, send $25 to this station.
    • The tune played during the credits is the same as the "nice" Itchy & Scratchy theme from Itchy & Scratchy & Marge, but with the lyrics changed to match the original theme in past tense.
    • The closing logo for Itchy & Scratchy Productions parodied the Stephen J. Cannell Productions logo.

References

Template:Reflist

External links

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