Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
Encyclopedia
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 75th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon
and series creator Tina Fey
. The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on April 22, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Elizabeth Banks
, Will Ferrell
, Steve Hely
, Julianne Moore
, and Ariel Shafir.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Fey) starts making an effort to date by attending singles events with her friend Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
). At the same time, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) feels forced to choose between his high school sweetheart, Nancy Donovan (Moore), and news anchor Avery Jessup (Banks). Meanwhile, a racist comment sparks an office-wide debate on affirmative action and leaves James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
) with a big decision to make regarding his future at the fictitious show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS).
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" received generally positive reviews from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, the episode was watched by 4.216 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 1.9 rating/6 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. Kay Cannon and Tina Fey were nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for their work in this episode.
's (Alec Baldwin
) advances with CNBC
host Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) are called into question when he learns that his high school sweetheart, Nancy Donovan (Julianne Moore
), has finally been divorced from her husband. Jack spends evenings having dinner and wine with both, against Liz Lemon
's (Tina Fey
) suggestion that it is a bad idea. He compares Nancy to actor Lee Marvin
, after watching a movie marathon starring Marvin, and Avery to baseball player Derek Jeter
, after he spends time with Avery at Jeter's home. Jack is torn between them and does not know who to choose.
Meanwhile, Liz attends singles activities at the YMCA
and her friend, Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
), joins her as her wingman
. Nancy accompanies Liz to one of the activities, and tells her to focus not on the negative but on what she does want from a man, after Liz had an unsuccessful conversation with a man. The following day, at a dodgeball
game, Liz takes the advice, and she tells a man, (Ariel Shafir), whom she hit in the face during a previous dodgeball game, what traits she wants from a man, but the man does not speak English, and as a result, Liz hits the man with a ball. Later, Nancy asks Liz how it went, but Liz tells her that it did not work out.
Finally, James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
) learns he may have been hired as a writer on TGS with Tracy Jordan because of affirmative action
and quits. Liz—the show's head writer—is reluctant to rehire him until TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) reveals to Liz that she was also hired by affirmative action. When Toofer returns, he demands that no one call him "Toofer" anymore, but when everyone comes up with more insulting nicknames he gives up.
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was directed by series producer Don Scardino
, and written by co-producer Kay Cannon
and series creator Tina Fey
. This was Cannon and Fey's fourth script collaboration, having written the episodes "Black Tie
", "Somebody to Love
", and "Christmas Special
", for season one
, season two
, and season three
, respectively. "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 22, 2010, as the seventeenth episode of the show's fourth season
and the 75th overall episode of the series.
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was filmed on February 8, 2010. In November 2009, it was announced that actress Julianne Moore
would guest star on 30 Rock as a love interest for Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy. She made her debut as the character Nancy Donovan in the December 10, 2009, episode "Secret Santa
", and later guest starred in the episode "Winter Madness
". In December 2009, it was confirmed that actress Elizabeth Banks
would guest star, and in the February 11, 2010, episode "Anna Howard Shaw Day
" she made her debut as Avery Jessup, a CNBC correspondent. Banks later guest starred in the episode "Future Husband
". 30 Rock writer and producer Steve Hely
appeared in this episode as a man who ignores Jenna Maroney. Keith Powell, who plays Toofer Spurlock, was asked about his reaction towards his storyline in the "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" script, in which he said "They kind of warned me about that one – I thought it was a really fun thing because Affirmative Action has permeated corporate culture. It didn't freak me out that much".
Comedian actor Will Ferrell
had a brief appearance in "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter". In a scene, Pete reveals to Liz that the only reason The Girlie Show—before being renamed to TGS with Tracy Jordan—was green-lighted by NBC was due to criticism from women's groups after the network aired the action drama Bitch Hunter. In a clip, Ferell, as the character Shane Hunter, is seen with a gun, and entering a woman's bathroom, and shouting "Happy birthday, bitches!". 30 Rock writer Jack Burditt
and former co-chairman of NBC Entertainment
and Universal Media Studios Ben Silverman
are credited as executive producers of Bitch Hunter. Ferrell has appeared in the main cast of Saturday Night Live
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy series which airs on NBC in the United States. Fey was the head writer on SNL from 1999 until 2006. Ferrell would later appear as Shane Hunter in the May 6, 2010, 30 Rock episode "The Moms
".
film series. Avery and Jack attend a gala opening at a museum, and upon seeing the decorations and well dressed patrons, Avery remarks that "You always know you're at the right party when it feels like the Riddler
is about to attack", the Riddler is a comic book villain who leaves behind riddles, puzzles, and word games so that they can be solved. While posing for pictures at the gala, a photographer mistakes Avery for stand-up comedienne Chelsea Handler
, which has been based on real life experience for Elizabeth Banks, who portrays Avery, as she has been mistaken for Handler. When Liz tells Jack that he cannot date both Avery and Nancy at the same time, she says "Mrs. Doubtfire shimself could not do this", a reference to actor Robin Williams
' role in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire
, in which he plays two roles, one as a man and the other as a woman named Mrs. Doubtfire.
During their dinner, Avery tells Jack some day he will be as great as a man as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan
, to which Jack replies "I do like jelly beans", a reference to Reagan's real-life love of the candy. During one scene of "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) tells the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff "I know you're all secretly mad, because we finally have a black Disney princess", which is a reference to the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog in which the princess character, Tiana, is the first black princess in the Disney Princess franchise. In her speech, Liz says that she wants to be with a man who "will just shut their mouth" when watching the ABC show Lost
.
system. It achieved a 1.9 rating/6 share in the key 18–49 year-old demographic. This means that it was seen by 1.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 6 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "Floyd
", which was watched by 6.252 million American viewers. In the 8:30 p.m. timeslot on April 22, in which this episode aired out of its usual timeslot, 30 Rock was outperformed by CBS
' reality show Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Fox
's crime drama Bones
, and ABC
's FlashForward
. Nonetheless, "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" outperformed The CW
's supernatural-fantasy horror program The Vampire Diaries
, which drew 3.155 million viewers. Kay Cannon and Tina Fey received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for their work on "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
, but lost it to Modern Family
s Steven Levitan
and Christopher Lloyd
for their work on the pilot episode
. The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics.
IGN
contributor Robert Canning reported that "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was a "stellar episode that was hitting all the right beats", and commented that "[e]ven the tired, formulaic structure of Jack's two women scenario was given some great new lines" from Fey and Cannon, who developed the script. He opined that if the episode centered only around Jack's two women dilemma it "would have been just fine." Canning appreciated Elizabeth Banks' and Julianne Moore's appearances, writing that the two "exhibited the charms that have made them welcome additions to this season
". In conclusion, Canning gave the episode a 9.2 out of 10 rating. Jane Boursaw of AOL
's TV Squad said that the Toofer story was "funny, without being (too) offensive." The A.V. Club
' s Nathan Rabin said that he enjoyed "just about every minute" of this episode, and praised Liz's speech citing it as the "crowning moment" from "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter". Rabin also liked the Toofer quitting storyline writing that it "could easily have gone nowhere but the show made it both funny and surprisingly thoughtful by using it as a springboard to discuss Affirmative Action
and our society's defiantly uneven playing field." Time
contributor James Poniewozik
noted that this episode was stronger than "Khonani
", which aired the same day of the week as this episode. Sean Gandert of Paste
wrote that Toofer's plot was not "given more than a few minutes of screen time [but] it also doesn't wear out its welcome ... The show doesn't address race, gender, or affirmative action in a particularly enlightened manner, but who cares, it's funny." TV Guide
' s Adam Mersel wrote that he found the most enjoyment in Liz's story, writing that he found it "endearing". In regards to Jack's plot, Mersel said that Jack is able to play off Nancy and Avery so well that "I am going back and forth on whether or not to scold the NBC boss or give him a pat on the back. Avery and Nancy both have their shining moments, but I feel that he must choose quite soon, or he will be loosing both."
Will Ferrell
's ten second cameo was well-received, with Canning concluding, "...the cherry on the top was discovering that The Girlie Show was only picked up to offset the complaints raised by the series Bitch Hunter. The ten-second clip of this series, with a cameo from Will Ferrell, was phenomenal and I hope the web will soon produce more clips."
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and the 75th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and series creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
. The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) network in the United States on April 22, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
, Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, Steve Hely
Steve Hely
Steve Hely is an American writer.Hely has written for the television shows Late Show with David Letterman ; Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; American Dad; and 30 Rock...
, Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
, and Ariel Shafir.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Fey) starts making an effort to date by attending singles events with her friend Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
). At the same time, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(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...
) feels forced to choose between his high school sweetheart, Nancy Donovan (Moore), and news anchor Avery Jessup (Banks). Meanwhile, a racist comment sparks an office-wide debate on affirmative action and leaves James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
) with a big decision to make regarding his future at the fictitious show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS).
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" received generally positive reviews from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
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...
system, the episode was watched by 4.216 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 1.9 rating/6 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. Kay Cannon and Tina Fey were nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for their work in this episode.
Plot
Jack DonaghyJack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
's (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...
) advances with CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
host Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
) are called into question when he learns that his high school sweetheart, Nancy Donovan (Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
), has finally been divorced from her husband. Jack spends evenings having dinner and wine with both, against Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
's (Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) suggestion that it is a bad idea. He compares Nancy to actor Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
, after watching a movie marathon starring Marvin, and Avery to baseball player Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
, after he spends time with Avery at Jeter's home. Jack is torn between them and does not know who to choose.
Meanwhile, Liz attends singles activities at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and her friend, Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
), joins her as her wingman
Wingman (social)
Wingman is a role that a person may take when a friend needs support with approaching potential partners. A wingman is someone who is on the "inside" and is used to help someone with relationships...
. Nancy accompanies Liz to one of the activities, and tells her to focus not on the negative but on what she does want from a man, after Liz had an unsuccessful conversation with a man. The following day, at a dodgeball
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
game, Liz takes the advice, and she tells a man, (Ariel Shafir), whom she hit in the face during a previous dodgeball game, what traits she wants from a man, but the man does not speak English, and as a result, Liz hits the man with a ball. Later, Nancy asks Liz how it went, but Liz tells her that it did not work out.
Finally, James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
) learns he may have been hired as a writer on TGS with Tracy Jordan because of affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
and quits. Liz—the show's head writer—is reluctant to rehire him until TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) reveals to Liz that she was also hired by affirmative action. When Toofer returns, he demands that no one call him "Toofer" anymore, but when everyone comes up with more insulting nicknames he gives up.
Production
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, and written by co-producer Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and series creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
. This was Cannon and Fey's fourth script collaboration, having written the episodes "Black Tie
Black Tie (30 Rock)
"Black Tie" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on February 1, 2007...
", "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (30 Rock)
"Somebody to Love" is the sixth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Kay Cannon and the series' creator, Tina Fey, and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on November 15, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
", and "Christmas Special
Christmas Special (30 Rock)
"Christmas Special" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive story editor Kay Cannon, and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey. The director of this episode was series producer Don Scardino...
", for season one
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
, season two
30 Rock (season 2)
The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
, and season three
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
, respectively. "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 22, 2010, as the seventeenth episode of the show's fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
and the 75th overall episode of the series.
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was filmed on February 8, 2010. In November 2009, it was announced that actress Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
would guest star on 30 Rock as a love interest for Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy. She made her debut as the character Nancy Donovan in the December 10, 2009, episode "Secret Santa
Secret Santa (30 Rock)
"Secret Santa" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 66th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series' creator Tina Fey and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
", and later guest starred in the episode "Winter Madness
Winter Madness
"Winter Madness" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 69th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Tom Ceraulo and Vali Chandrasekaran, and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National...
". In December 2009, it was confirmed that actress Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
would guest star, and in the February 11, 2010, episode "Anna Howard Shaw Day
Anna Howard Shaw Day
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 71st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on the National...
" she made her debut as Avery Jessup, a CNBC correspondent. Banks later guest starred in the episode "Future Husband
Future Husband
"Future Husband" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by Jon Haller and Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United...
". 30 Rock writer and producer Steve Hely
Steve Hely
Steve Hely is an American writer.Hely has written for the television shows Late Show with David Letterman ; Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; American Dad; and 30 Rock...
appeared in this episode as a man who ignores Jenna Maroney. Keith Powell, who plays Toofer Spurlock, was asked about his reaction towards his storyline in the "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" script, in which he said "They kind of warned me about that one – I thought it was a really fun thing because Affirmative Action has permeated corporate culture. It didn't freak me out that much".
Comedian actor Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
had a brief appearance in "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter". In a scene, Pete reveals to Liz that the only reason The Girlie Show—before being renamed to TGS with Tracy Jordan—was green-lighted by NBC was due to criticism from women's groups after the network aired the action drama Bitch Hunter. In a clip, Ferell, as the character Shane Hunter, is seen with a gun, and entering a woman's bathroom, and shouting "Happy birthday, bitches!". 30 Rock writer Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt is an American producer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
and former co-chairman of NBC Entertainment
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Universal Media Studios Ben Silverman
Ben Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
are credited as executive producers of Bitch Hunter. Ferrell has appeared in the main cast of 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...
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy series which airs on NBC in the United States. Fey was the head writer on SNL from 1999 until 2006. Ferrell would later appear as Shane Hunter in the May 6, 2010, 30 Rock episode "The Moms
The Moms
"The Moms" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 78th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and co-show runner and executive producer Robert Carlock. The episode was directed by co-executive producer...
".
Cultural references
Jenna tells Liz that she wants to accompany her to her singles activities as her wingman since she is up for a role in National Lampoon's Van Wilder's Wingman, Incorporated, a reference to the National Lampoon's Van WilderNational Lampoon's Van Wilder
National Lampoon's Van Wilder is a 2002 comedy film directed by Walt Becker that stars Ryan Reynolds as the main character. The film also stars Kal Penn, Tara Reid, and Daniel Cosgrove. It features Sophia Bush's acting debut...
film series. Avery and Jack attend a gala opening at a museum, and upon seeing the decorations and well dressed patrons, Avery remarks that "You always know you're at the right party when it feels like the Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
is about to attack", the Riddler is a comic book villain who leaves behind riddles, puzzles, and word games so that they can be solved. While posing for pictures at the gala, a photographer mistakes Avery for stand-up comedienne Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Joy Handler is an American stand-up comedian, humorist, television host, actress, model and best-selling author. She currently hosts a late-night talk show titled, Chelsea Lately on the E! Cable Television Network. In 2009 she won a Bravo A-List Award...
, which has been based on real life experience for Elizabeth Banks, who portrays Avery, as she has been mistaken for Handler. When Liz tells Jack that he cannot date both Avery and Nancy at the same time, she says "Mrs. Doubtfire shimself could not do this", a reference to actor Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
' role in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...
, in which he plays two roles, one as a man and the other as a woman named Mrs. Doubtfire.
During their dinner, Avery tells Jack some day he will be as great as a man as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, to which Jack replies "I do like jelly beans", a reference to Reagan's real-life love of the candy. During one scene of "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) tells the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff "I know you're all secretly mad, because we finally have a black Disney princess", which is a reference to the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog in which the princess character, Tiana, is the first black princess in the Disney Princess franchise. In her speech, Liz says that she wants to be with a man who "will just shut their mouth" when watching the ABC show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was watched by 4.216 million households, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen 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...
system. It achieved a 1.9 rating/6 share in the key 18–49 year-old demographic. This means that it was seen by 1.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 6 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "Floyd
Floyd (30 Rock)
"Floyd" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 74th overall episode of the series. It was written by series producer Paula Pell, and directed by Millicent Shelton. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
", which was watched by 6.252 million American viewers. In the 8:30 p.m. timeslot on April 22, in which this episode aired out of its usual timeslot, 30 Rock was outperformed by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' reality show Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Fox
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...
's crime drama Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's FlashForward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
. Nonetheless, "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" outperformed The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
's supernatural-fantasy horror program The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
, which drew 3.155 million viewers. Kay Cannon and Tina Fey received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for their work on "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...
, but lost it to Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
s Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan
Steven E. Levitan is an American director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies. He has created such TV series as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, and Modern Family....
and Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter)
Christopher Lloyd is an American TV screenwriter and producer of Wings, Frasier, Out of Practice, Back to You, and Modern Family...
for their work on the pilot episode
Pilot (Modern Family)
The pilot episode of the television series Modern Family, written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, premiered on ABC in the United States on September 23, 2009. The pilot introduces viewers to three sets of people who make up a single family...
. The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning reported that "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" was a "stellar episode that was hitting all the right beats", and commented that "[e]ven the tired, formulaic structure of Jack's two women scenario was given some great new lines" from Fey and Cannon, who developed the script. He opined that if the episode centered only around Jack's two women dilemma it "would have been just fine." Canning appreciated Elizabeth Banks' and Julianne Moore's appearances, writing that the two "exhibited the charms that have made them welcome additions to this season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
". In conclusion, Canning gave the episode a 9.2 out of 10 rating. Jane Boursaw of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad said that the Toofer story was "funny, without being (too) offensive." The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
and our society's defiantly uneven playing field." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
contributor James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
noted that this episode was stronger than "Khonani
Khonani
"Khonani" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 76th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Vali Chandrasekaran and directed by Beth McCarthy Miller...
", which aired the same day of the week as this episode. Sean Gandert of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
wrote that Toofer's plot was not "given more than a few minutes of screen time [but] it also doesn't wear out its welcome ... The show doesn't address race, gender, or affirmative action in a particularly enlightened manner, but who cares, it's funny." TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
's ten second cameo was well-received, with Canning concluding, "...the cherry on the top was discovering that The Girlie Show was only picked up to offset the complaints raised by the series Bitch Hunter. The ten-second clip of this series, with a cameo from Will Ferrell, was phenomenal and I hope the web will soon produce more clips."