Ian Maxtone-Graham
Encyclopedia
Ian Maxtone-Graham is an American
television writer and producer
. He has written for Saturday Night Live
(1992–1995) and The Simpsons
(1995–present), and has also served as a co-executive producer and consulting producer for The Simpsons. He is currently an executive producer of the show.
. He attended Brown University
. An enthusiastic swimmer, his first job after college was as a diver with an underwater research team. After struggling to establish a career in journalism, he penned material for the television show Not Necessarily the News
and the magazines National Lampoon and Army Man
. His work in Army Man, an offbeat magazine published by future Simpsons colleague George Meyer
, brought him to the attention of Jack Handey
, who suggested he work for Saturday Night Live.
While working for Saturday Night Live, Maxtone-Graham co-wrote "The Chanukah Song
" with Adam Sandler
and, according to the DVD commentary for the SNL clip show "The Best of Alec Baldwin
, also wrote the infamous "Canteen Boy" sketch in which Canteen Boy is sexually molested by his scoutmaster, Mr. Armstrong (played by episode host Alec Baldwin).
, in which he admitted that he had "barely" seen The Simpsons before being hired, and ridiculed "the beetle-browed people on the internet" for their criticism of the show. Although he upset many fans with his comments, Maxtone-Graham has won six Emmys for his work on The Simpsons, and received an Annie Award
for writing "The Seemingly Neverending Story".
One of the episodes written by Maxtone-Graham is "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
", in which Homer
grows a tomato-tobacco hybrid called "tomacco". The episode inspired an Oregon man to make his own version of tomacco by grafting a tomato stem with a tobacco root. He eventually gave some to Maxtone-Graham, who ate it.
Maxtone-Graham himself has inspired a character on The Simpsons: "Very Tall Man", who first appeared in "22 Short Films About Springfield
".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television writer and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. He has written for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(1992–1995) and The Simpsons
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...
(1995–present), and has also served as a co-executive producer and consulting producer for The Simpsons. He is currently an executive producer of the show.
Early years
Ian is the son of noted maritime historian John Maxtone-GrahamJohn Maxtone-Graham
John Maxtone-Graham is a well-known cruise ship speaker. He was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey and graduated from Brown University in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War and had once worked unsuccessfully as a Broadway stage manager...
. He attended Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. An enthusiastic swimmer, his first job after college was as a diver with an underwater research team. After struggling to establish a career in journalism, he penned material for the television show Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News was a satirical sketch comedy series that ran on HBO from 1983 to 1990. It featured sketches, parody news items, commercial parodies, and humorous bits made from overdubbing or editing actual news footage. It was based on the British series, Not the Nine O'Clock News...
and the magazines National Lampoon and Army Man
Army Man (magazine)
Army Man was a short-lived comedy magazine published in the late 1980s by George Meyer, the acclaimed writer for The Simpsons....
. His work in Army Man, an offbeat magazine published by future Simpsons colleague George Meyer
George Meyer
George A. Meyer is an American producer and writer. Raised in Tucson, Arizona in a Roman Catholic family, Meyer attended Harvard University. There, after becoming president of the Harvard Lampoon, he graduated in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. Abandoning plans to attend medical school, Meyer...
, brought him to the attention of Jack Handey
Jack Handey
Jack Handey is an American humorist. He is best known for his Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey, a large body of surrealistic one-liner jokes, as well as his "Fuzzy Memories" and "My Big Thick Novel" shorts. Although many people assume otherwise, Handey is a real person, not a pen name or ...
, who suggested he work for Saturday Night Live.
While working for Saturday Night Live, Maxtone-Graham co-wrote "The Chanukah Song
The Chanukah Song
"The Chanukah Song" is a humorous song written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his...
" with Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
and, according to the DVD commentary for the SNL clip show "The Best of Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, also wrote the infamous "Canteen Boy" sketch in which Canteen Boy is sexually molested by his scoutmaster, Mr. Armstrong (played by episode host Alec Baldwin).
The Simpsons
Maxtone-Graham has become somewhat infamous among The Simpsons fans for a 1998 interview with The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, in which he admitted that he had "barely" seen The Simpsons before being hired, and ridiculed "the beetle-browed people on the internet" for their criticism of the show. Although he upset many fans with his comments, Maxtone-Graham has won six Emmys for his work on The Simpsons, and received an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for writing "The Seemingly Neverending Story".
One of the episodes written by Maxtone-Graham is "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
"E-I-E-I-" is the fifth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1999. In the episode, inspired by a Zorro movie, Homer begins slapping people with a glove and challenging them to duels...
", in which 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...
grows a tomato-tobacco hybrid called "tomacco". The episode inspired an Oregon man to make his own version of tomacco by grafting a tomato stem with a tobacco root. He eventually gave some to Maxtone-Graham, who ate it.
Maxtone-Graham himself has inspired a character on The Simpsons: "Very Tall Man", who first appeared in "22 Short Films About Springfield
22 Short Films about Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
".
The Simpsons episodes
Maxtone-Graham has been credited as writing the following episodes of The Simpsons:- "Burns, Baby BurnsBurns, Baby Burns"Burns, Baby Burns" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons eighth season, first aired by the Fox network on November 17, 1996. Mr. Burns' long lost son Larry returns and although they at first get along well, Mr. Burns begins to see that his son has turned out to be an oaf. It was directed by Jim...
" - "The City of New York vs. Homer SimpsonThe City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" is the first episode of The Simpsons ninth season, and premiered on September 21, 1997 on Fox. The episode sees the Simpson family traveling to Manhattan to recover the family car, which was taken by Barney Gumble and abandoned outside the World Trade Center...
" - "The Trouble with TrillionsThe Trouble with Trillions"The Trouble with Trillions" is the twentieth episode of the ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, which originally aired April 5, 1998. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Swinton O. Scott III...
" - "Trash of the TitansTrash of the Titans"Trash of the Titans" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 26, 1998...
" (200th episode, won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program For Programming less than One Hour) - "Lisa Gets an "A""
- "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"E-I-E-I-" is the fifth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1999. In the episode, inspired by a Zorro movie, Homer begins slapping people with a glove and challenging them to duels...
" - "Alone Again, Natura-DiddilyAlone Again, Natura-Diddily"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" is the fourteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons, and marks the final regular appearance of the character Maude Flanders. In the episode, she is killed in an accident while watching a speedway race, devastating Ned Flanders and prompting Homer to find a...
" - "Tennis the MenaceTennis the Menace"Tennis the Menace" is the twelfth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. In the episode, the Simpsons build a tennis court in their backyard, but Homer's inferior tennis ability...
" - "The Blunder YearsThe Blunder Years"The Blunder Years" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2001. The episode sees Homer, after being hypnotized by the hypnotist Mesmerino while having dinner at the restaurant Pimento Grove, reminded by a...
" - "Large MargeLarge Marge"Large Marge" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on November 24, 2002.-Plot:Lisa and Homer make a bet on who won the 1948 presidential election. Lisa wins and she gets to choose the activity for Daddy-Daughter Day. Her activity is taking part in building...
" - "Dude, Where's My Ranch?Dude, Where's My Ranch?"Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:...
" - "Catch 'Em If You CanCatch 'Em If You Can"Catch 'Em If You Can" is the 18th episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, first broadcast on April 25, 2004.-Plot:Bart lectures the other students on the bus on the topic of water balloons. After hitting Lisa with one he fights with her all the way home. Marge stops them and tells the pair that...
" - "The Heartbroke KidThe Heartbroke Kid"The Heartbroke Kid" is the seventeenth episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode first aired on May 1, 2005...
" - "The Seemingly Never-Ending StoryThe Seemingly Never-Ending Story"The Seemingly Never-Ending Story" is the 13th episode of The Simpsons 17th season. It originally aired in the United States on March 12, 2006.-Plot:...
" (won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program For Programming less than One Hour and Annie AwardAnnie AwardThe Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for "Best Writing in an Animated Television Production") - "24 Minutes24 Minutes"24 Minutes" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season and was broadcast on May 20, 2007 as part of the one hour season finale, alongside the episode "You Kent Always Say What You Want". It was originally promoted as being the 400th episode, but was broadcast as the 399th. It...
" (with Billy KimballBilly Kimball-Personal life:He was born in New York City and graduated from Harvard College where he was an editor of the Harvard Lampoon. He is currently married to the former Alexandra Manuela Vargas Hamilton and has two daughters.-Career:...
) - "Dangerous CurvesDangerous Curves (The Simpsons)"Dangerous Curves" is the fifth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 2008. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.-Plot:...
" (with Billy Kimball) - "Gone Maggie GoneGone Maggie Gone"Gone Maggie Gone" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons twentieth season. It originally aired on FOX in the United States on March 15, 2009. The episode was written by both Billy Kimball and longtime Simpsons writer Ian Maxtone-Graham, and directed by Chris Clements...
" (with Billy Kimball, nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program For Programming less than One Hour) - "The Color YellowThe Color Yellow"The Color Yellow" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 2010...
" (with Billy Kimball) - "The Scorpion's TaleThe Scorpion's Tale"The Scorpion's Tale" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 6, 2011.-Plot:...
" (with Billy Kimball)