Old Money (The Simpsons)
Encyclopedia
"Old Money" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons
' second season
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 1991. In the episode, Grampa
's new girlfriend at the Retirement Castle passes away and leaves him with $106,000. He heads for a casino to spend the money, but is stopped by Homer
, so he decides to spend the inheritance money on renovating the retirement home instead.
The episode was written by Jay Kogen
and Wallace Wolodarsky
and directed by David Silverman
. Audrey Meadows
guest starred in it as Beatrice "Bea" Simmons, Grampa's new girlfriend. Professor Frink
also makes his debut in the episode. It features cultural references to films such as Tom Jones
and If I Had a Million
, and the Star Wars
and Batman
film franchises. Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating
of 12.3, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
, Grampa meets Beatrice "Bea" Simmons, a resident at the Springfield Retirement Castle. They go on a date and fall in love. When Bea's birthday arrives on a Sunday, Homer
makes Grampa come on a family outing to the Discount Lion Safari
, because he thinks Grampa is making up that he has a girlfriend. The outing causes Grampa to miss Bea's birthday. At the safari, the family's car becomes stuck in the mud and lions begin circling it, trapping the family overnight. After a worker helps run the lions off, Grampa returns home expecting to see Bea. However, Homer pulls up just in time for the ambulance to pull away. Jasper tells Grampa that Bea died of a burst ventricle
when Grampa was out with the family. He is saddened by her death and attends her funeral
. Grampa is very angry with Homer and refuses to speak to him, as he blames Homer for preventing him from attending Bea's birthday party and being with Bea in her final moments.
Grampa receives Bea's inheritance of $106,000 from Lionel Hutz
. First, he looks at buying things for himself, but doing so brings him no joy. While on a roller coaster
, Bea's ghost appears and suggests that if he is not happy spending it on himself, that he spend the money with other people. She also tells him to forgive Homer because deep down Grampa still loves him. After interviews with many people across Springfield
who only want to spend Grampa's money on things for themselves, Lisa
suggests that he should give the money to worthy causes. Feeling he doesn't have enough money to help as many in need of help as he can, Grampa attempts to double his money by gambling at a casino
but Homer stops him — and just in time, since Grampa would have lost the entire inheritance at the roulette
wheel. Grampa forgives Homer and decides to spend the rest of the inheritance on renovating the retirement home and adding a new room named after Bea.
The episode was written by Jay Kogen
and directed by David Silverman
. The discount lion safari in the episode that the Simpson family visits was based on the drive-through Lion Country Safari
, located in Loxahatchee
, Palm Beach County, Florida
, that Kogen used to visit when he was younger. "Old Money" was the first episode to feature Grampa's full name, Abraham Simpson. Matt Groening
, creator of The Simpsons, named the main characters after his own family members (except for Bart, an anagram of brat, which he substituted for his own name), but refused to name Grampa after his grandfather, Abraham Groening. He left it to the writers to choose a name and they chose "Abraham", not knowing that it was also the name of Groening's grandfather.
The now recurring character Professor Frink
makes his first appearance on the show in this episode. Frink was originally written as a mad scientist
, but when cast member Hank Azaria
ad-libbed
a voice for Frink, he did an impression
of Jerry Lewis
's The Nutty Professor
character, and the writing staff started making Frink more of a parody of Lewis. Frink was named after The Simpsons writer John Frink
; however, that was before he became a writer for the show. The episode features a guest appearance from American actress Audrey Meadows
as Bea. Al Jean
, a writer on the show, said Meadows was perfect for the role because she was very sweet, and the staff had a lot of fun during the recording sessions with her. The closing credits for the episode is the first and only time where the voice actors and the roles they play are listed in the credits simultaneously. This was done because the staff often received questions from fans regarding what characters each voice actor provided the voice for.
. Two of the people waiting in line to ask for Grampa's money are Darth Vader
and the Joker
. Darth Vader is the antagonist
in the first three Star Wars films, and the Joker is an enemy of Batman
in the Batman
comic books. When the family is suggesting places they could go, Homer suggests the Springfield Mystery Spot, a reference to the Mystery Spot
in California — although Lisa says that the Springfield Spot is simply a puddle of mud. They eventually decide to go the Discount Lion Safari, however. The Diz-Nee-Land amusement park that Grampa visits with Bea's money has a sign that reads "Diz-Nee-Land – Not affiliated with Disneyland, Disney World, or anything else from the Walt Disney Company". The shot of Grampa sitting at a diner resembles the 1942 American painting Nighthawks
. Before Grampa attempts to bet all of his money on Roulette he quotes Rudyard Kipling
. The climax scenes, where Grampa uses the money to fix up the Springfield Retirement Castle, is a reference to the ending of the 1932 film If I Had a Million
.
".
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "A wonderful episode, very sad but ultimately uplifting, with great one-liners (particularly from Grampa)." Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide was not as positive. He said, "With 'Old Money', we find easily the crummiest episode of season two. Actually, I’d call this clunker the only bad show of the year." He went on to say, "I guess 'Old Money' wasn’t a truly terrible episode, as it included a few funny moments. However, it seemed like one of the sappiest Simpsons episodes ever. The program became inundated with sentiment, and it did little to leaven that tide. In a generally strong season, 'Old Money' stands out as the only real clunker."
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 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 1991. In the episode, Grampa
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
's new girlfriend at the Retirement Castle passes away and leaves him with $106,000. He heads for a casino to spend the money, but is stopped by 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...
, so he decides to spend the inheritance money on renovating the retirement home instead.
The episode was written by Jay Kogen
Jay Kogen
-Early life:Jay Steven Kogen was born on May 3rd, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Mad writer Arnie Kogen, and Sue Kogen . His paternal grandparents, Samuel Kogen and Pauline Gorin, were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire , while his maternal grandparents, Harold Hirsch and Ida...
and Wallace Wolodarsky
Wallace Wolodarsky
Wallace Wolodarsky is an American television writer and director. He wrote for The Simpsons during the first four seasons; all of his episodes were co-written with former writing partner Jay Kogen...
and directed by David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows was an American actress best known for her role as the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners.-Early life:...
guest starred in it as Beatrice "Bea" Simmons, Grampa's new girlfriend. Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
also makes his debut in the episode. It features cultural references to films such as Tom Jones
Tom Jones (film)
Tom Jones is a 1963 British adventure comedy film, an adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling , starring Albert Finney as the titular hero. It was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards...
and If I Had a Million
If I Had A Million
If I Had a Million is a Paramount Studios anthology film. There were seven directors: Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Taurog, Stephen Roberts, Norman Z. McLeod, James Cruze, William A. Seiter, and H. Bruce Humberstone...
, and the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
film franchises. Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 12.3, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
Plot
After another lackluster Sunday with the Simpson familySimpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
, Grampa meets Beatrice "Bea" Simmons, a resident at the Springfield Retirement Castle. They go on a date and fall in love. When Bea's birthday arrives on a Sunday, 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...
makes Grampa come on a family outing to the Discount Lion Safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
, because he thinks Grampa is making up that he has a girlfriend. The outing causes Grampa to miss Bea's birthday. At the safari, the family's car becomes stuck in the mud and lions begin circling it, trapping the family overnight. After a worker helps run the lions off, Grampa returns home expecting to see Bea. However, Homer pulls up just in time for the ambulance to pull away. Jasper tells Grampa that Bea died of a burst ventricle
Ventricle (heart)
In the heart, a ventricle is one of two large chambers that collect and expel blood received from an atrium towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The Atria primes the Pump...
when Grampa was out with the family. He is saddened by her death and attends her funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
. Grampa is very angry with Homer and refuses to speak to him, as he blames Homer for preventing him from attending Bea's birthday party and being with Bea in her final moments.
Grampa receives Bea's inheritance of $106,000 from Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and his first appearance was in the season two episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car". Due to the death of Hartman, his final speaking role was in the episode "Realty Bites"...
. First, he looks at buying things for himself, but doing so brings him no joy. While on a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, Bea's ghost appears and suggests that if he is not happy spending it on himself, that he spend the money with other people. She also tells him to forgive Homer because deep down Grampa still loves him. After interviews with many people across 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...
who only want to spend Grampa's money on things for themselves, Lisa
Lisa 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...
suggests that he should give the money to worthy causes. Feeling he doesn't have enough money to help as many in need of help as he can, Grampa attempts to double his money by gambling at a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
but Homer stops him — and just in time, since Grampa would have lost the entire inheritance at the roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
wheel. Grampa forgives Homer and decides to spend the rest of the inheritance on renovating the retirement home and adding a new room named after Bea.
Production
Jay Kogen
-Early life:Jay Steven Kogen was born on May 3rd, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Mad writer Arnie Kogen, and Sue Kogen . His paternal grandparents, Samuel Kogen and Pauline Gorin, were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire , while his maternal grandparents, Harold Hirsch and Ida...
and directed by David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. The discount lion safari in the episode that the Simpson family visits was based on the drive-through Lion Country Safari
Lion Country Safari
Lion Country Safari is a drive-through safari park located in Loxahatchee , in Palm Beach County, Florida. Founded in 1967, it claims to be the first 'cageless zoo' in the United States....
, located in Loxahatchee
Loxahatchee, Florida
Loxahatchee is a community located in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located in the areas north of Wellington and west and northwest of Royal Palm Beach, Florida and approximately west of West Palm Beach. Loxahatchee is also the name of the Post Office that serves this area,...
, Palm Beach County, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, that Kogen used to visit when he was younger. "Old Money" was the first episode to feature Grampa's full name, Abraham Simpson. Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, creator of The Simpsons, named the main characters after his own family members (except for Bart, an anagram of brat, which he substituted for his own name), but refused to name Grampa after his grandfather, Abraham Groening. He left it to the writers to choose a name and they chose "Abraham", not knowing that it was also the name of Groening's grandfather.
The now recurring character Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
makes his first appearance on the show in this episode. Frink was originally written as a mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
, but when cast member Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
ad-libbed
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
a voice for Frink, he did an impression
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
of Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
's The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...
character, and the writing staff started making Frink more of a parody of Lewis. Frink was named after The Simpsons writer John Frink
John Frink
John Frink is an American television writer and producer. He has written several episodes of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, many of which he co-wrote with his former writing partner Don Payne. Frink and Payne started their career in television writing for the short-lived sitcom Hope...
; however, that was before he became a writer for the show. The episode features a guest appearance from American actress Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows was an American actress best known for her role as the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners.-Early life:...
as Bea. Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
, a writer on the show, said Meadows was perfect for the role because she was very sweet, and the staff had a lot of fun during the recording sessions with her. The closing credits for the episode is the first and only time where the voice actors and the roles they play are listed in the credits simultaneously. This was done because the staff often received questions from fans regarding what characters each voice actor provided the voice for.
Cultural references
The scene with Grampa and Bea eating their pills seductively is a reference to the 1963 film Tom JonesTom Jones (film)
Tom Jones is a 1963 British adventure comedy film, an adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling , starring Albert Finney as the titular hero. It was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards...
. Two of the people waiting in line to ask for Grampa's money are Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
and the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
. Darth Vader is the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the first three Star Wars films, and the Joker is an enemy of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in the Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
comic books. When the family is suggesting places they could go, Homer suggests the Springfield Mystery Spot, a reference to the Mystery Spot
Mystery Spot
The Mystery Spot is a tourist attraction located near Santa Cruz, California. It was discovered in 1939 and opened in 1940. The operators of the small site claim that it is a place where the laws of physics and gravity do not apply and provide a number of demonstrations in support of these...
in California — although Lisa says that the Springfield Spot is simply a puddle of mud. They eventually decide to go the Discount Lion Safari, however. The Diz-Nee-Land amusement park that Grampa visits with Bea's money has a sign that reads "Diz-Nee-Land – Not affiliated with Disneyland, Disney World, or anything else from the Walt Disney Company". The shot of Grampa sitting at a diner resembles the 1942 American painting Nighthawks
Nighthawks
Nighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper's most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art...
. Before Grampa attempts to bet all of his money on Roulette he quotes Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. The climax scenes, where Grampa uses the money to fix up the Springfield Retirement Castle, is a reference to the ending of the 1932 film If I Had a Million
If I Had A Million
If I Had a Million is a Paramount Studios anthology film. There were seven directors: Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Taurog, Stephen Roberts, Norman Z. McLeod, James Cruze, William A. Seiter, and H. Bruce Humberstone...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Old Money" finished thirty-sixth in the ratings for the week of March 25–31, 1991, with a Nielsen Rating of 12.4. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. The episode was released in video collection on May 4, 1994, called The Simpsons Collection, together with the episode "Dancin' HomerDancin' Homer
"Dancin' Homer" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 8, 1990. In the episode, Homer fires up the crowd at a Springfield Isotopes baseball game and is chosen to be the team's new mascot. He immediately becomes a...
".
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "A wonderful episode, very sad but ultimately uplifting, with great one-liners (particularly from Grampa)." Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide was not as positive. He said, "With 'Old Money', we find easily the crummiest episode of season two. Actually, I’d call this clunker the only bad show of the year." He went on to say, "I guess 'Old Money' wasn’t a truly terrible episode, as it included a few funny moments. However, it seemed like one of the sappiest Simpsons episodes ever. The program became inundated with sentiment, and it did little to leaven that tide. In a generally strong season, 'Old Money' stands out as the only real clunker."
External links
- "Old Money" at The Simpsons.com
- "Old Money" episode capsule at The Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons Archive, better known as snpp.com or simply SNPP , is a Simpsons fan site that has been online since 1994...
- "Old Money" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...