Homer's Night Out
Encyclopedia
"Homer's Night Out" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons
' first season
, and originally aired on March 25, 1990. It was written by Jon Vitti
and directed by Rich Moore
. In the episode, Bart
orders a mail-order spy camera
, which he uses to secretly take a photograph of Homer
dancing with an exotic belly dance
r. Marge
makes Homer apologize to the exotic dancer to teach Bart that women are not objects. Sam McMurray
guest stars in the episode as Gulliver Dark, the man that introduces Homer to the crowd at the burlesque show
.
The episode was well received by critics and it was the second highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. This episode, along with three other episodes of the show, is featured on the The Simpsons Gone Wild DVD released in 2004.
purchases a miniature spy camera from a mail-order catalog and uses it to take candid photos
around the house. Later, Homer
tells Marge
he is going to a bachelor party
for a co-worker, Eugene Fisk. While Homer is gone, Marge decides to take the children to the Rusty Barnacle, a seafood restaurant where (unknown to her) the bachelor party is well under way.
A sexy belly dancer named Princess Kashmir arrives at the party and invites Homer on stage to dance with her. On the way to the restaurant bathroom, Bart wanders into the bachelor party room and eagerly snaps a picture of Homer and Kashmir. Bart brings the picture to school and gives a copy of it to Milhouse
, who promptly gets requests from other students for a copy of the picture. It is not long before everyone in Springfield
has one. Marge sees a copy of the picture at her aerobics
class and furiously rips it from the bulletin board
. When Homer gets home that day, Marge immediately shoves the picture in his face and demands an explanation. At that point, Bart inadvertently reveals that it was his picture, and Homer gets angry at him for taking the picture. After sending Bart to his room, Marge shoves a hastily half-packed suitcase in front of Homer and kicks him out of the house. Homer spends the night at Barney
's apartment.
The next day Homer goes home to apologize to Marge. To his surprise, he learns that what upset her was not what he did, but that Bart saw it and will one day misconstrue it as a sign that it is okay to treat women like sex objects
. She insists that he take Bart to meet Princess Kashmir so that Bart can see for himself that she is more than just a stripper. Left with no alternative, Homer and Bart scour the strip club
s of Springfield to find Princess Kashmir. Eventually, they track her down at the Sapphire Lounge.
Homer introduces himself and Bart to Kashmir, who is preoccupied with getting on stage for her performance, though she understands what Homer is trying to get through for his son. Without knowing it, Homer accidentally finds himself on stage at the burlesque
show. Homer is about to be thrown offstage when the audience recognize him as the guy from the picture. The audience applauds and Homer gets caught up in the fanfare
and starts dancing with the showgirl
s, until he sees Bart and realizes what he was supposed to do. Homer stops the show and successfully manages to make a plea to the audience to treat women with respect. Marge, who is in the audience, accepts Homer's apology and the two make up.
and directed by Rich Moore
. Barney's apartment, which Homer spends the night in when he is kicked out by Marge, is partly based on an apartment Jim Reardon
, Moore, and a few other animators of The Simpsons shared in college. One of the strip clubs Homer and Bart visit when they are trying to find Princess Kashmir is based on the Seventh Veil Strip Club in Los Angeles, California
. The staff went around Hollywood taking pictures of strip clubs so that they could get inspiration for the interior design
of the strip club buildings in Springfield. The character designer designed over fifty different international showgirl costumes for the showgirls in the burlesque show sequence. Carl Carlson made his first appearance on The Simpsons in this episode.
. The problem I have with this episode is that it's not particularly funny. I chuckled a few times, but the episode doesn't have the rollicking gags and sly humor of the two episodes to follow."
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 1)
The Simpsons first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
, and originally aired on March 25, 1990. It 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 Rich Moore
Rich Moore
Rich Moore is an American animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90s redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
. In the episode, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
orders a mail-order spy camera
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
, which he uses to secretly take a photograph of 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...
dancing with an exotic belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
r. Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
makes Homer apologize to the exotic dancer to teach Bart that women are not objects. Sam McMurray
Sam McMurray
Sam McMurray is an American television, film and voice actor.-Early life:McMurray was born in New York City, the son of Jane and Richard McMurray, both actors...
guest stars in the episode as Gulliver Dark, the man that introduces Homer to the crowd at the burlesque show
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
.
The episode was well received by critics and it was the second highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. This episode, along with three other episodes of the show, is featured on the The Simpsons Gone Wild DVD released in 2004.
Plot
BartBart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
purchases a miniature spy camera from a mail-order catalog and uses it to take candid photos
Candid photography
Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique, on the immersion of a camera within events rather than focusing on setting up a staged situation or on preparing a lengthy camera setup.-Description:...
around the house. Later, 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...
tells Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
he is going to a bachelor party
Bachelor party
A bachelor party , also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do , a bull's party , or a buck's party or buck's night , is a party held for a man shortly before he enters marriage, to celebrate his "last night of freedom" or merely to spend...
for a co-worker, Eugene Fisk. While Homer is gone, Marge decides to take the children to the Rusty Barnacle, a seafood restaurant where (unknown to her) the bachelor party is well under way.
A sexy belly dancer named Princess Kashmir arrives at the party and invites Homer on stage to dance with her. On the way to the restaurant bathroom, Bart wanders into the bachelor party room and eagerly snaps a picture of Homer and Kashmir. Bart brings the picture to school and gives a copy of it to Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
, who promptly gets requests from other students for a copy of the picture. It is not long before everyone in Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
has one. Marge sees a copy of the picture at her aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
class and furiously rips it from the bulletin board
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
. When Homer gets home that day, Marge immediately shoves the picture in his face and demands an explanation. At that point, Bart inadvertently reveals that it was his picture, and Homer gets angry at him for taking the picture. After sending Bart to his room, Marge shoves a hastily half-packed suitcase in front of Homer and kicks him out of the house. Homer spends the night at Barney
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
's apartment.
The next day Homer goes home to apologize to Marge. To his surprise, he learns that what upset her was not what he did, but that Bart saw it and will one day misconstrue it as a sign that it is okay to treat women like sex objects
Sexual objectification
Sexual objectification refers to the practice of regarding or treating another person merely as an instrument towards one's sexual pleasure, and a sex object is a person who is regarded simply as an object of sexual gratification or who is sexually attractive...
. She insists that he take Bart to meet Princess Kashmir so that Bart can see for himself that she is more than just a stripper. Left with no alternative, Homer and Bart scour the strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
s of Springfield to find Princess Kashmir. Eventually, they track her down at the Sapphire Lounge.
Homer introduces himself and Bart to Kashmir, who is preoccupied with getting on stage for her performance, though she understands what Homer is trying to get through for his son. Without knowing it, Homer accidentally finds himself on stage at the burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
show. Homer is about to be thrown offstage when the audience recognize him as the guy from the picture. The audience applauds and Homer gets caught up in the fanfare
Fanfare
A Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...
and starts dancing with the showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
s, until he sees Bart and realizes what he was supposed to do. Homer stops the show and successfully manages to make a plea to the audience to treat women with respect. Marge, who is in the audience, accepts Homer's apology and the two make up.
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 Rich Moore
Rich Moore
Rich Moore is an American animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90s redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
. Barney's apartment, which Homer spends the night in when he is kicked out by Marge, is partly based on an apartment Jim Reardon
Jim Reardon
Jim Reardon is an animation director and storyboard consultant, best known for his work on the animated TV series The Simpsons. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series, and was credited as a supervising director for seasons 9 through 15...
, Moore, and a few other animators of The Simpsons shared in college. One of the strip clubs Homer and Bart visit when they are trying to find Princess Kashmir is based on the Seventh Veil Strip Club in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The staff went around Hollywood taking pictures of strip clubs so that they could get inspiration for the interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
of the strip club buildings in Springfield. The character designer designed over fifty different international showgirl costumes for the showgirls in the burlesque show sequence. Carl Carlson made his first appearance on The Simpsons in this episode.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Homer's Night Out" finished fourteenth place in the weekly ratings for the week of March 19–25, 1990, with a Nielsen rating of 16.9. It was the second highest rated show on the Fox network that week. "Homer's Night Out" received generally positive reviews from critics. In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 4/5 and named it one of his two favorite episodes of the season. He added that it "allows us to see that Homer really does love Marge a lot without having to blatantly stamp sentimentality all over it. The episode is strange, goofy and fun." Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said that "the concept of Marge’s anger at Homer got old, but this episode managed to offer a reasonably entertaining affair. It was fun to see Homer treated like a party god, and this offered a few nice moments. The overall level of quality remained good throughout the show, but it didn’t rise to any great heights." David Packard at DVD Verdict said in a review of the The Simpsons Gone Wild DVD that "this episode sports some of the awkward animation and voice work that is prevalent in episodes from the first season. That aspect isn't an issue to me; in fact, I quite enjoy season one as it shows the early efforts of the series getting its legs in making the transition from its origin on The Tracey Ullman ShowThe Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
. The problem I have with this episode is that it's not particularly funny. I chuckled a few times, but the episode doesn't have the rollicking gags and sly humor of the two episodes to follow."
External links
- "Homer's Night Out" at The Simpsons.com