Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk
Encyclopedia
"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons
' third season
. It first aired on the Fox network
in the United States on December 5, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns
wishes to pursue other interests and therefore decides to sell his power plant to two German investors for $100 million. Safety inspector Homer
is immediately fired by the Germans because of his incompetence. Later, Burns realizes that he has lost all his respectability because he can no longer control anyone.
The episode was written by Jon Vitti
and directed by Mark Kirkland
. Originally, the writers wanted to have Burns sell the plant to the Japanese, but they decided that it would have been too clichéd; the plot, however, remained the same with the Germans. The title is a literal, but inaccurate German translation of "Burns sells the power plant", the correct version being Burns verkauft das Kraftwerk.
In its original airing on the Fox network, the episode had a 12.6 Nielsen rating
, finishing the week ranked 38th. "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" received generally positive reviews from critics and was praised for several scenes, particularly the "Land of Chocolate" sequence in which Homer dances around in an imaginary land made entirely out of chocolate.
that he is considering selling the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant so he can pursue other interests. Meanwhile, unconfirmed takeover rumors boost the plant's stock, which rises for the first time in ten years. Homer learns he owns stock in the company and sells his 100 shares for 25 cents apiece to a shady stock broker
, netting $25, which he spends on beer. Soon after the sale he learns that the value of the stock has shot up to $52 per share. While Homer misses out on the windfall—he could have made $5,200—other employees make small fortunes. Two German businessmen, Hans and Fritz, learn that the plant might be for sale. They offer Burns $100 million, which he immediately accepts. Burns leaves, seeking adventure, while Smithers remains an employee at the plant.
The new owners immediately begin a thorough evaluation of the plant and its employees, their more friendly demeanor pleasing all the workers save for Homer, who worries his lax work ethic as safety inspector will cost him his job. When they interview Homer, he is unable to intelligently answer their questions and begins slipping into a fantasy about cavorting through "The Land of Chocolate". The owners announce shortly after that Homer will be the only employee fired. A depressed Homer hangs around the Simpsons' house
, insisting he is a competent safety-minded worker while the rest of the family makes budget cuts until Homer can find a new job. Meanwhile, Burns is having a good time in retirement and decides to get together with Smithers for a drink. They decide to go to Moe's Tavern
, where Homer has been drinking. Homer lashes out at Burns, calling him greedy and saying nobody loves him. The other bar patrons join in and taunt Burns, who gets so discouraged that he walks out of Moe's. Burns realizes that his former employees no longer fear him, concludes that only his ownership of the plant gave him power over ordinary men, and decides to buy the plant back.
The German investors, meanwhile, discover that the plant is in bad need of repairs and decide to sell before they sink too much money into it. Burns, noting their desperation to sell, offers them $50 million for the plant, and they reluctantly accept half of what they paid him. Now back in charge, Burns orders that Homer be rehired. He tells Smithers "I keep my friends close, and my enemies closer" and vows revenge on Homer at some unspecified point in the future.
and directed by Mark Kirkland
. It features several German elements, including a reference to John F. Kennedy
's "ich bin ein Berliner
" speech. The title "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" is an inaccurate German translation of "Burns sells the power plant", the correct version being Burns verkauft das Kraftwerk. Originally, the writers decided to have Burns sell the plant to the Japanese, but they decided that it would have been too clichéd; the plot, however, remained the same with the Germans. The writers and animators based one of the two German buyers on the German character Sergeant Schultz from the American television show Hogan's Heroes
. By coincidence, frequent Simpsons guest star Phil Hartman
happened to know a little German so he helped out with the conversations. Hartman also guest starred in the episode as Horst and the stock broker.
was the one who suggested that they actually do a sequence in which Homer's mind wanders off into an imaginary land made of chocolate. The sequence was storyboarded by animator Kevin O'Brien, who designed it to be a parody of The Sound of Music
, but supervising director David Silverman
suggested that it be more original. Silverman storyboarded the revised sequence, and tried to make Homer "deliriously happy" as he skipped through the town. He later recalled, "I animated that scene frame by frame, I needed to draw the skip I wanted. Homer's skipping sets the tone for that show."
In the sequence there was supposed to be a road sign that read "Hershey Highway" (Hershey's
is a chocolate manufacturer, but the term "hershey highway" refers to anal sex
). However, the censors objected and the writers replaced it with "Fudgetown". The "Land of Chocolate" sequence was set to a song based on music from the film Tucker
. Composed by Alf Clausen
, the song was later included in the 1999 compilation album Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons
. "The Land of Chocolate" was also featured as a level in The Simpsons Game
, which was released in 2007.
and was viewed in approximately 11.60 million homes. It finished 38th in the ratings for the week of December 2–8, 1991, down from the season's average rank of 37th. It finished second in its timeslot behind The Cosby Show
, which came in at 11th with a 16.8 rating. The Simpsons was the highest rated show on Fox that week.
Since airing, "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" has received generally positive reviews from critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, praised the episode, most notably "Homer in the land of chocolate and Smithers counselling Mr. Burns with the aid of his sock-puppet friend, Mr. Snappy the Alligator". Writing for the Star Tribune
, Neal Justin rated the episode as one of his ten favorite episodes, commenting that the scene where "Homer dreams about prancing across a literal 'land of chocolate' [was] perhaps the most outrageous moment in Simpsons history." In a list of Homer's best gluttony
moments, Herald Sun
' s Mikey Cahill ranked "The Land of Chocolate" as number one. The sequence was also named one of the twenty best moments in the history of the show by Daily Record
' s Brian McIver. Jon Greenberg of ESPN
said the episode is one of his favorites, calling it "hardly an average episode". He commented that "the sarcastic heart of the story comes at the end, when Mr. Burns realizes that wealth and time do not buy him happiness because no one, not even the scourge of Sector 7G [Homer], is scared of a powerless despot."
The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies."
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
. It first aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on December 5, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
wishes to pursue other interests and therefore decides to sell his power plant to two German investors for $100 million. Safety inspector Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
is immediately fired by the Germans because of his incompetence. Later, Burns realizes that he has lost all his respectability because he can no longer control anyone.
The episode was written by Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series The Simpsons. He has also written for the King of the Hill and The Critic series, and has served as a consultant for several animated movies, including Ice Age and Robots...
and directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
. Originally, the writers wanted to have Burns sell the plant to the Japanese, but they decided that it would have been too clichéd; the plot, however, remained the same with the Germans. The title is a literal, but inaccurate German translation of "Burns sells the power plant", the correct version being Burns verkauft das Kraftwerk.
In its original airing on the Fox network, the episode had a 12.6 Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, finishing the week ranked 38th. "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" received generally positive reviews from critics and was praised for several scenes, particularly the "Land of Chocolate" sequence in which Homer dances around in an imaginary land made entirely out of chocolate.
Plot
One night, Mr. Burns tells his assistant Waylon SmithersWaylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
that he is considering selling the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant so he can pursue other interests. Meanwhile, unconfirmed takeover rumors boost the plant's stock, which rises for the first time in ten years. Homer learns he owns stock in the company and sells his 100 shares for 25 cents apiece to a shady stock broker
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
, netting $25, which he spends on beer. Soon after the sale he learns that the value of the stock has shot up to $52 per share. While Homer misses out on the windfall—he could have made $5,200—other employees make small fortunes. Two German businessmen, Hans and Fritz, learn that the plant might be for sale. They offer Burns $100 million, which he immediately accepts. Burns leaves, seeking adventure, while Smithers remains an employee at the plant.
The new owners immediately begin a thorough evaluation of the plant and its employees, their more friendly demeanor pleasing all the workers save for Homer, who worries his lax work ethic as safety inspector will cost him his job. When they interview Homer, he is unable to intelligently answer their questions and begins slipping into a fantasy about cavorting through "The Land of Chocolate". The owners announce shortly after that Homer will be the only employee fired. A depressed Homer hangs around the Simpsons' house
742 Evergreen Terrace
742 Evergreen Terrace is the fictional street address in Springfield of the Simpson family home in the animated television series, The Simpsons and in the feature film The Simpsons Movie. In the series the house is currently owned by Homer Simpson...
, insisting he is a competent safety-minded worker while the rest of the family makes budget cuts until Homer can find a new job. Meanwhile, Burns is having a good time in retirement and decides to get together with Smithers for a drink. They decide to go to Moe's Tavern
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, where Homer has been drinking. Homer lashes out at Burns, calling him greedy and saying nobody loves him. The other bar patrons join in and taunt Burns, who gets so discouraged that he walks out of Moe's. Burns realizes that his former employees no longer fear him, concludes that only his ownership of the plant gave him power over ordinary men, and decides to buy the plant back.
The German investors, meanwhile, discover that the plant is in bad need of repairs and decide to sell before they sink too much money into it. Burns, noting their desperation to sell, offers them $50 million for the plant, and they reluctantly accept half of what they paid him. Now back in charge, Burns orders that Homer be rehired. He tells Smithers "I keep my friends close, and my enemies closer" and vows revenge on Homer at some unspecified point in the future.
Production
The episode was written by Jon VittiJon Vitti
Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series The Simpsons. He has also written for the King of the Hill and The Critic series, and has served as a consultant for several animated movies, including Ice Age and Robots...
and directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
. It features several German elements, including a reference to John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's "ich bin ein Berliner
Ich bin ein Berliner
"Ich bin ein Berliner" is a quotation from a June 26, 1963, speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. He was underlining the support of the United States for West Germany 22 months after the Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall as a barrier to prevent movement...
" speech. The title "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" is an inaccurate German translation of "Burns sells the power plant", the correct version being Burns verkauft das Kraftwerk. Originally, the writers decided to have Burns sell the plant to the Japanese, but they decided that it would have been too clichéd; the plot, however, remained the same with the Germans. The writers and animators based one of the two German buyers on the German character Sergeant Schultz from the American television show Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
. By coincidence, frequent Simpsons guest star Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
happened to know a little German so he helped out with the conversations. Hartman also guest starred in the episode as Horst and the stock broker.
"The Land of Chocolate"
In the original script, the "Land of Chocolate" sequence was absent, though the dialog that set it up was present (Homer complains to his new German bosses about the candy machines not working, to which one of them replies: "We understand, Homer. After all, we are from the land of chocolate!"). Executive producer Sam SimonSam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
was the one who suggested that they actually do a sequence in which Homer's mind wanders off into an imaginary land made of chocolate. The sequence was storyboarded by animator Kevin O'Brien, who designed it to be a parody of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, but supervising director David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
suggested that it be more original. Silverman storyboarded the revised sequence, and tried to make Homer "deliriously happy" as he skipped through the town. He later recalled, "I animated that scene frame by frame, I needed to draw the skip I wanted. Homer's skipping sets the tone for that show."
In the sequence there was supposed to be a road sign that read "Hershey Highway" (Hershey's
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
is a chocolate manufacturer, but the term "hershey highway" refers to anal sex
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
). However, the censors objected and the writers replaced it with "Fudgetown". The "Land of Chocolate" sequence was set to a song based on music from the film Tucker
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film recounts the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the "Big Three automobile...
. Composed by Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen is an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of The Simpsons, of which he has been the sole composer since 1990...
, the song was later included in the 1999 compilation album Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons
Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons
Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons is the 1999 soundtrack album from The Simpsons. It takes many of the musical numbers from the series which were either not included in the previous album, Songs in the Key of Springfield, or were created since the previous album's release. The album has 53 tracks,...
. "The Land of Chocolate" was also featured as a level in The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game is an action/platformer video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons, made for the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed, published, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was released in North...
, which was released in 2007.
Reception
In its original airing on the Fox network, the episode acquired a 12.6 Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and was viewed in approximately 11.60 million homes. It finished 38th in the ratings for the week of December 2–8, 1991, down from the season's average rank of 37th. It finished second in its timeslot behind The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, which came in at 11th with a 16.8 rating. The Simpsons was the highest rated show on Fox that week.
Since airing, "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" has received generally positive reviews from critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, praised the episode, most notably "Homer in the land of chocolate and Smithers counselling Mr. Burns with the aid of his sock-puppet friend, Mr. Snappy the Alligator". Writing for the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
, Neal Justin rated the episode as one of his ten favorite episodes, commenting that the scene where "Homer dreams about prancing across a literal 'land of chocolate' [was] perhaps the most outrageous moment in Simpsons history." In a list of Homer's best gluttony
Gluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...
moments, Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
said the episode is one of his favorites, calling it "hardly an average episode". He commented that "the sarcastic heart of the story comes at the end, when Mr. Burns realizes that wealth and time do not buy him happiness because no one, not even the scourge of Sector 7G [Homer], is scared of a powerless despot."
The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies."
External links
- "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" at The Simpsons.com
- "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...