Little Big Girl
Encyclopedia
"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons
' eighteenth season
, which was originally broadcast on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi
. Natalie Portman
guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman
movie Little Big Man
. The last time the title was parodied was in season 11
's "Little Big Mom
."
struggles to find excitement and intrigue in her family heritage for a school presentation, she decides to take creative license (a concurrent plot for which the episode is titled). Inspired by Bart's "Indian butter trick" and the well-known kitchen curtains, with their stalks-of-corn pattern, Lisa claims to be Native American, from the "Hitachi" tribe, a name Lisa selects based on the brand
of the family's microwave oven
. The embellishment turns into a web of lies when Lisa is chosen to represent the school and her "people" at City Hall, then as a keynote speaker for the National Native American
Tribal Council. She eventually admits she lied about her heritage, but is spared from prosecution when the other speakers admit they are not true Native Americans. Homer compares his daughter to CBS News
in a reference to the 2004 Killian documents
controversy. As they leave, Homer casually mentions that his great-great-grandmother actually was a Native American, and Lisa angrily agrees with him that, why yes, it WOULD have helped to know that earlier.
At his farm, Cletus is milking his cow when he accidentally kicks over a lantern, prompting a series of Rube Goldberg-esque
events that leads to a chick starting a fire. Cletus's cow succeeds in extinguishing the fire, but Cletus drops his smoking pipe, leading to a wildfire around Springfield. Everyone tries to extinguish it, but it is not enough. At Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner asks Groundskeeper Willie
to get the fire extinguisher
, but all of them have been stolen, as Bart
has taken them to propel his wagon
. Nevertheless, while Bart rockets around town, the foam released from the extinguishers puts out the wildfire. Bart is cheered by everyone and rewarded with a driver's license by Mayor Quimby.
Bart starts using Homer
's car for his own pleasure, but is eventually tabbed for family errands (mostly chauffeuring Homer). Bart flees to North Haverbrook, where he meets a 15 year-old girl named Darcy (voiced by Natalie Portman
), who believes Bart is older. They quickly begin a romantic relationship and Darcy soon proposes marriage. At the Court house, Bart reveals his age, whereupon a shocked Darcy reveals that she is pregnant. Darcy admits that Bart is not the father - the real father is a Norwegian exchange student, who moved back to "Norwegia", and she wants to get married because her parents would be angry with her unwed pregnancy. Bart agrees to marry Darcy, and they drive to Utah
, where marriage restrictions are looser. Eventually, Homer, Marge
and Darcy's parents catch up with them to stop the wedding. Darcy's mother reveals that she is pregnant herself, and the family agrees to pass the two babies off as twins. Darcy and Bart end their relationship, while Bart (in his own way) assures her they will meet again, to which she agrees. Later, Bart admits to Homer that he looked forward to being a father, and they both end up driving happily while singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
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 18)
The Simpsons 18th season aired from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007. The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the season 17 production line. Al Jean served as the Showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season....
, which was originally broadcast on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi
Raymond S. Persi
Raymond S. Persi is a director for episodes of The Simpsons. His directing credits include season sixteen's "Mobile Homer", several episodes from season seventeen including "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", the Emmy-award winning "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", and "The Monkey Suit", the season...
. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
movie Little Big Man
Little Big Man
Little Big Man is a 1970 American Western film directed by Arthur Penn and based on the 1964 comic novel by Thomas Berger. It is a picaresque comedy about a Caucasian boy raised by the Cheyenne nation during the 19th century...
. The last time the title was parodied was in season 11
The Simpsons (season 11)
The Simpsons 11th season originally aired between September 1999 and May 2000, beginning on Sunday, September 26, 1999, with "Beyond Blunderdome". The show runner for the 11th production season was Mike Scully...
's "Little Big Mom
Little Big Mom
Little Big Mom is the tenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 9, 2000. In the episode, while the rest of the Simpson family goes skiing, Marge remains at the ski lodge due to her fear...
."
Plot
When LisaLisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
struggles to find excitement and intrigue in her family heritage for a school presentation, she decides to take creative license (a concurrent plot for which the episode is titled). Inspired by Bart's "Indian butter trick" and the well-known kitchen curtains, with their stalks-of-corn pattern, Lisa claims to be Native American, from the "Hitachi" tribe, a name Lisa selects based on the brand
Hitachi
Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...
of the family's microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
. The embellishment turns into a web of lies when Lisa is chosen to represent the school and her "people" at City Hall, then as a keynote speaker for the National Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Tribal Council. She eventually admits she lied about her heritage, but is spared from prosecution when the other speakers admit they are not true Native Americans. Homer compares his daughter to CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
in a reference to the 2004 Killian documents
Killian documents
The Killian documents controversy involved six documents critical of President George W. Bush's service in the Air National Guard in 1972–73...
controversy. As they leave, Homer casually mentions that his great-great-grandmother actually was a Native American, and Lisa angrily agrees with him that, why yes, it WOULD have helped to know that earlier.
At his farm, Cletus is milking his cow when he accidentally kicks over a lantern, prompting a series of Rube Goldberg-esque
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
events that leads to a chick starting a fire. Cletus's cow succeeds in extinguishing the fire, but Cletus drops his smoking pipe, leading to a wildfire around Springfield. Everyone tries to extinguish it, but it is not enough. At Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner asks Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
to get the fire extinguisher
Fire extinguisher
A fire extinguisher or extinguisher, flame entinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations...
, but all of them have been stolen, as 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...
has taken them to propel his wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
. Nevertheless, while Bart rockets around town, the foam released from the extinguishers puts out the wildfire. Bart is cheered by everyone and rewarded with a driver's license by Mayor Quimby.
Bart starts using 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...
's car for his own pleasure, but is eventually tabbed for family errands (mostly chauffeuring Homer). Bart flees to North Haverbrook, where he meets a 15 year-old girl named Darcy (voiced by Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
), who believes Bart is older. They quickly begin a romantic relationship and Darcy soon proposes marriage. At the Court house, Bart reveals his age, whereupon a shocked Darcy reveals that she is pregnant. Darcy admits that Bart is not the father - the real father is a Norwegian exchange student, who moved back to "Norwegia", and she wants to get married because her parents would be angry with her unwed pregnancy. Bart agrees to marry Darcy, and they drive to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, where marriage restrictions are looser. Eventually, Homer, 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...
and Darcy's parents catch up with them to stop the wedding. Darcy's mother reveals that she is pregnant herself, and the family agrees to pass the two babies off as twins. Darcy and Bart end their relationship, while Bart (in his own way) assures her they will meet again, to which she agrees. Later, Bart admits to Homer that he looked forward to being a father, and they both end up driving happily while singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a reference to the film Little Big Man.
- Lisa wears a dress made from her curtains just like Scarlett O'HaraScarlett O'HaraScarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
in Gone with the WindGone with the WindThe slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
.
Soundtrack
- "PowerhousePowerhouse (song)Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
" by Raymond ScottRaymond ScottRaymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
is used during the sequence where the fire is lit. - "Low RiderLow Rider"Low Rider" is a song written by the band War and appearing on their 1975 album Why Can't We Be Friends?. It reached number one on the Billboard R&B charts and peaked at number seven on the Pop Singles chart....
" by WarWar (band)War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
is played when Bart drives to North Haverbrook. - "Rock Around the ClockRock Around the Clock"Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954...
" by Bill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
is played after Bart's visit in the comic book store. - "Polovetsian DancesPolovetsian DancesThe Polovtsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor . They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai...
" from Alexander BorodinAlexander BorodinAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
's opera Prince IgorPrince IgorPrince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
is played during Bart's fantasy life in UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. This melody is better known as the basis for the popular song Stranger in ParadiseStranger in Paradise (song)"Stranger in Paradise" is a popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet and is credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Like all the music in that show, the melody was based on music composed by Alexander Borodin, in this case, the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens," from the Polovtsian...
credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Tony Bennett had a hit with this song in 1954. - "Jessica", by the Allman Brothers Band is played as Bart drives out of the school during the parody of the opening sequence, a possible reference to the BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
motoring programme "Top Gear". - The ringtone of Bart's mobile phone is "Für EliseFür EliseBagatelle No. 25 in A minor for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" , is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It is usually classified as a bagatelle, but it is also sometimes referred to as an Albumblatt.- History :The score was not published until 1867, 40 years after...
". - "Twinkle Twinkle Little StarTwinkle Twinkle Little Star"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English nursery rhyme. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann...
" as sung by Homer and Bart is currently in the public domain.