So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show
Encyclopedia
"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season
. It originally aired on the Fox network
in the United States on April Fools' Day
, 1993. In the episode, Homer
plays a series of practical joke
s on Bart
, and to get even, Bart shakes up a can of Homer's beer with a paint shaker. Homer opens the can, resulting in a huge explosion that lands him in the hospital with a coma
. At Homer's bedside, the Simpson family
reminisce mainly about moments relevant to Homer's life.
Jon Vitti
wrote the episode, and Carlos Baeza
directed it. This is The Simpsons' first clip show
, and it features clips from the first three seasons of the series. It was created to relieve the long hours put in by all of the show's overworked staff. The episode features cultural references to films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
, Raiders of the Lost Ark
, and Fantastic Voyage
. The episode received positive reviews from critics. It was described "as good as a clip show ever gets", and acquired a Nielsen rating
of 14.9.
is playing pranks on Bart
throughout the day. Bart, angered by the numerous tricks he has fallen for, attempts to get revenge by shaking up a beer in a paint shaker. When Homer opens the beer, it results in a massive explosion that puts Homer in the hospital. While everyone waits for Homer to get well, the family remembers surviving similar hardships, shown in the form of clips from past episodes.
At the hospital, Homer sees a candy machine and, while trying to get chocolate, accidentally tips it on himself. The machine crushes him and puts him in a coma. Mr. Burns
then tries to pull the plug on Homer's life support system
to keep from having to pay for Homer's health insurance. As Homer lies unconscious in the hospital bed, Bart confesses that he was the one who put him in the hospital with his shaken beer can prank. Having heard this, Homer slowly comes out of the coma and ends up strangling Bart. Despite this, Marge
and the others are happy that Homer is finally well. The episode ends with Homer, still under the assumption that it is April Fools' Day, trying to fool the family by saying he is taking them to Hawaii
. However, Bart, Lisa
, and Marge tell Homer that the current date is May 16, that Homer was in a coma for 7 weeks, and that he lost 5% of his brain as a result. The family laughs it off even though Homer's not sure why he is laughing.
The episode originally aired on April Fools' Day, 1993 on the Fox network. It was directed by Carlos Baeza
, and written by Jon Vitti
with contributions from Al Jean
, Mike Reiss
, Jay Kogen
, Wallace Wolodarsky
, John Swartzwelder
, Jeff Martin
, George Meyer
, and Nell Scovell
. The idea for the 32 "D'oh!
"s in a row footage was from David Silverman
's montage that he had assembled for his traveling college show.
"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" was The Simpsons' first clip show
, created to relieve the long hours put in by all of the show's overworked staff. There was intense pressure on producers of the show to create extra episodes in each season and the plan was to make four clip shows per season to meet that limit. However, writers and producers felt that this many clip shows would alienate fans of the series. The Fox network
's reasoning was that clip shows cost half of what a normal episode cost to produce, but they could sell syndication rights at full price. Despite the nature of the clip show, the episode still contained an act and a half of new animation, including the extra scene from "Bart the Daredevil
" in which Homer falls down Springfield Gorge a second time after the ambulance crashes into a tree.
The network censors initially refused to let the phrase "beer causes rectal cancer" into the show because beer was the only alcoholic beverage which could be advertised on television at the time. The censors eventually relented when they found a medical textbook which stated the link between beer and cancer, but still asked them to "go easy" on beer in the future.
As the family reminisces together about the past events, Bart raises a seeming non sequitur. Marge asks "Why did you bring that up?" to which Bart replies "It was an amusing episode," half looking at the camera, before quickly adding "of our... lives." Bart knows he is on a television show
and knows the kinds of tricks his own writers use to fill up airtime. Such self-consciousness allows The Simpsons to serve as a lesson in modern media discontinuity
.
, five from the second
, and six from the third season
.
The scene where Barney
attempts to smother Homer with a pillow and breaks a hospital window with a water fountain is a parody of a scene in Miloš Forman
's 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
. Professor Frink
's suggestion of shrinking a crew of men to microscopic size and sending them into Homer in a small submarine is a reference to Richard Fleischer
's 1966 film Fantastic Voyage
. There are also many cultural references in the clips from previous episodes. The clip of Homer picking up Marge and carrying her off in his arms into the distance is a reference to the theme of the 1982 film, An Officer and a Gentleman
. Bart stealing Homer's penny jar and trying to escape is an almost shot-for-shot parody of the opening sequence in the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark
, while John Williams
' "Raiders March" plays throughout. The scene in which Maggie hits Homer over the head with a mallet is an extensive parody of the shower scene from Psycho
; the music and camera angles are almost identical.
of 14.9. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. The episode has received positive reviews, being labeled "as good as a clip show ever gets", and containing some memorable gags. It has been seen as one "of the most consistently funny episodes of the series", which "strikes that perfect balance between perfectly selected classic moments and all new story segments..." The episode's reference to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was named the 43rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film
' s Nathan Ditum.
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 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
. It originally aired on the Fox network
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...
in the United States on April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
, 1993. In the episode, 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...
plays a series of practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
s on 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...
, and to get even, Bart shakes up a can of Homer's beer with a paint shaker. Homer opens the can, resulting in a huge explosion that lands him in the hospital with a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. At Homer's bedside, the Simpson family
Simpson 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...
reminisce mainly about moments relevant to Homer's life.
Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series The Simpsons. He has also written for the King of the Hill and The Critic series, and has served as a consultant for several animated movies, including Ice Age and Robots...
wrote the episode, and Carlos Baeza
Carlos Baeza
Carlos Baeza is an animation director. He has worked for The Simpsons and Futurama.- The Simpsons episodes :He is credited with directing the following episodes:*"Lisa's Pony"*"Radio Bart"*"Bart the Lover"*"Treehouse of Horror III"...
directed it. This is The Simpsons
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
, and it features clips from the first three seasons of the series. It was created to relieve the long hours put in by all of the show's overworked staff. The episode features cultural references to films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
, and Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
. The episode received positive reviews from critics. It was described "as good as a clip show ever gets", and 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 14.9.
Plot
The story begins on April Fools' Day as HomerHomer 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...
is playing pranks on 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...
throughout the day. Bart, angered by the numerous tricks he has fallen for, attempts to get revenge by shaking up a beer in a paint shaker. When Homer opens the beer, it results in a massive explosion that puts Homer in the hospital. While everyone waits for Homer to get well, the family remembers surviving similar hardships, shown in the form of clips from past episodes.
At the hospital, Homer sees a candy machine and, while trying to get chocolate, accidentally tips it on himself. The machine crushes him and puts him in a coma. Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
then tries to pull the plug on Homer's life support system
Life support system
In human spaceflight, a life support system is a group of devices that allow a human being to survive in space.US government space agency NASA,and private spaceflight companies...
to keep from having to pay for Homer's health insurance. As Homer lies unconscious in the hospital bed, Bart confesses that he was the one who put him in the hospital with his shaken beer can prank. Having heard this, Homer slowly comes out of the coma and ends up strangling Bart. Despite this, 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 the others are happy that Homer is finally well. The episode ends with Homer, still under the assumption that it is April Fools' Day, trying to fool the family by saying he is taking them to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. However, Bart, 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...
, and Marge tell Homer that the current date is May 16, that Homer was in a coma for 7 weeks, and that he lost 5% of his brain as a result. The family laughs it off even though Homer's not sure why he is laughing.
Production
Carlos Baeza
Carlos Baeza is an animation director. He has worked for The Simpsons and Futurama.- The Simpsons episodes :He is credited with directing the following episodes:*"Lisa's Pony"*"Radio Bart"*"Bart the Lover"*"Treehouse of Horror III"...
, and written by Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series The Simpsons. He has also written for the King of the Hill and The Critic series, and has served as a consultant for several animated movies, including Ice Age and Robots...
with contributions from 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...
, Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
, 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...
, 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...
, John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
, Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
, 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...
, and Nell Scovell
Nell Scovell
Nell Scovell is a television and magazine writer, producer and director. She is the creator of the television series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which aired on ABC and The WB from 1996 until 2003....
. The idea for the 32 "D'oh!
D'oh!
"D'oh!" is a catchphrase used by the fictional character Homer Simpson, from the long-running American animated sitcom The Simpsons . It is typically used when Homer injures himself, realizes that he has done something stupid, or when something bad has happened or is about to happen to him...
"s in a row footage was from 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...
's montage that he had assembled for his traveling college show.
"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" was The Simpsons
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
, created to relieve the long hours put in by all of the show's overworked staff. There was intense pressure on producers of the show to create extra episodes in each season and the plan was to make four clip shows per season to meet that limit. However, writers and producers felt that this many clip shows would alienate fans of the series. The Fox network
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 reasoning was that clip shows cost half of what a normal episode cost to produce, but they could sell syndication rights at full price. Despite the nature of the clip show, the episode still contained an act and a half of new animation, including the extra scene from "Bart the Daredevil
Bart the Daredevil
"Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons second season and aired on December 6, 1990. It was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Wes Archer. In the episode, the Simpsons go to a Monster truck rally that features famous daredevil Lance Murdock. Bart...
" in which Homer falls down Springfield Gorge a second time after the ambulance crashes into a tree.
The network censors initially refused to let the phrase "beer causes rectal cancer" into the show because beer was the only alcoholic beverage which could be advertised on television at the time. The censors eventually relented when they found a medical textbook which stated the link between beer and cancer, but still asked them to "go easy" on beer in the future.
As the family reminisces together about the past events, Bart raises a seeming non sequitur. Marge asks "Why did you bring that up?" to which Bart replies "It was an amusing episode," half looking at the camera, before quickly adding "of our... lives." Bart knows he is on a television show
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
and knows the kinds of tricks his own writers use to fill up airtime. Such self-consciousness allows The Simpsons to serve as a lesson in modern media discontinuity
Media discontinuity
The term media discontinuity or media disruption refers to switching between different media within the same process of information processing or acquisition....
.
Referenced clips
This flashback episode uses clips from episodes released during the first three seasons: four are from the firstThe Simpsons (season 1)
The Simpsons first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
, five from the second
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...
, and six from the third season
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
.
| Episode | Season | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Life on the Fast Lane Life on the Fast Lane "Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons first season, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling instructor, with... " |
1 | Bart throws a baseball and hits Homer in the head. Marge pays Homer a surprise visit at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. |
|
| "Homer at the Bat Homer at the Bat "Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons third season, which originally aired February 20, 1992. The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. Mr. Burns makes a large bet that the... " |
3 | Homer gets hit by a pitch in the head. | |
| "Lisa's Pony Lisa's Pony "Lisa's Pony" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1991. In this episode, Homer goes drinking at Moe's Tavern instead of buying a new reed for Lisa's saxophone, resulting in her flopping at the school... " |
3 | Homer is hit in the head with a circular saw Circular saw The circular saw is a machine using a toothed metal cutting disc or blade. The term is also loosely used for the blade itself. The blade is a tool for cutting wood or other materials and may be hand-held or table-mounted. It can also be used to make narrow slots... that falls of a shelf. Homer falls asleep in the car and dreams he is in "Slumberland". |
|
| "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge Itchy & Scratchy & Marge "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons second season and first aired on December 20, 1990. In the episode, which is a satire of censorship issues, Maggie attacks Homer with a mallet and Marge blames The Itchy & Scratchy Show for Maggie's actions. It was written by John... " |
2 | Maggie Maggie Simpson Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James... hits Homer in the head with a mallet. The Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, "Messenger of Death". |
|
| "There's No Disgrace Like Home There's No Disgrace Like Home "There's No Disgrace Like Home" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons first season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 28, 1990. In the episode, Homer becomes ashamed of his family after a catastrophic company picnic and decides to enroll them in therapy. The... " |
1 | The Simpsons family having an electroshock therapy Electroconvulsive therapy Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown... at Marvin Monroe's family center. |
|
| "Bart the Daredevil Bart the Daredevil "Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons second season and aired on December 6, 1990. It was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Wes Archer. In the episode, the Simpsons go to a Monster truck rally that features famous daredevil Lance Murdock. Bart... " |
2 | Homer falls off Springfield Gorge. | |
| "Dog of Death Dog of Death "Dog of Death" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 12, 1992. In the episode, Santa's Little Helper falls ill and the Simpson family must make budget cuts in order to pay for his operation... " |
3 | The doctor overseeing Homer is shown to be a veterinarian. Homer asks Mr. Burns Montgomery Burns Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer... for money. |
|
| "The Call of the Simpsons The Call of the Simpsons "The Call of the Simpsons" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired February 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Wesley Archer... " |
1 | Homer sets up a trap for a rabbit in the forest. | |
| "Treehouse of Horror Treehouse of Horror "Treehouse of Horror" is the third episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 1990. The episode was inspired by 1950s horror comics, and begins with a disclaimer that it may be too scary for children. It is the first of a... " |
2 | Kang and Kodos abduct the Simpson family. | |
| "Brush With Greatness Brush with Greatness "Brush with Greatness" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 11, 1991. In the episode, Marge revives her high school-era interest in painting by enrolling in an art class after getting encouraged by Lisa... " |
2 | Bart and Lisa repeatedly ask Homer to take them to Mt. Splashmore. | |
| "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons third season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns wishes to pursue other interests and therefore decides to sell his power plant to two German investors for $100... " |
3 | Homer dreams of being in the "Land of Chocolate". | |
| "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 24, 1991. In the episode, Homer consumes a poisonous fugu fish at a sushi restaurant, and is told that he has only twenty-two hours... " |
2 | Homer listens to Lisa play the saxophone Saxophone The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... . Homer teaches Bart how to shave. |
|
| "Bart's Friend Falls in Love Bart's Friend Falls in Love "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" is the twenty-third episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, 1992. In the episode, Bart's best friend Milhouse falls in love with the new girl in school, Samantha Stankey. Milhouse and Samantha spend... " |
3 | Bart steals Homer's jar of pennies Penny A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:... . |
|
| "Bart the General Bart the General "Bart the General" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons first season, which premiered on the Fox network on February 4, 1990. The episode deals with Bart's troubles with the bully, Nelson Muntz. Bart chooses to go to war with Nelson uniting the neighborhood children against him... " |
1 | Nelson Nelson Muntz Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role... sends Bart home in a trash can by rolling him down a hill. |
|
| "Three Men and a Comic Book Three Men and a Comic Book "Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1991... " |
2 | Homer "checks" on Bart, Milhouse Milhouse Van Houten Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School.... , and Martin Martin Prince Martin Prince, Jr. is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Russi Taylor. Martin is Bart Simpson's classmate, and is Lisa Simpson's rival in intelligence, as well as Nelson Muntz's favorite target for bullying... in the treehouse. |
|
| Montage sequence | 2 - 3 | Homer uttering "D'oh!" in each clip. |
Cultural references
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
attempts to smother Homer with a pillow and breaks a hospital window with a water fountain is a parody of a scene in Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
's 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
. 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...
's suggestion of shrinking a crew of men to microscopic size and sending them into Homer in a small submarine is a reference to Richard Fleischer
Richard Fleischer
-Early life:Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie and animator/producer Max Fleischer. He started in motion pictures as director of animated shorts produced by his father including entries in the Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman series.His live-action film career began in 1942 at the RKO...
's 1966 film Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
. There are also many cultural references in the clips from previous episodes. The clip of Homer picking up Marge and carrying her off in his arms into the distance is a reference to the theme of the 1982 film, An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
. Bart stealing Homer's penny jar and trying to escape is an almost shot-for-shot parody of the opening sequence in the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
, while John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
' "Raiders March" plays throughout. The scene in which Maggie hits Homer over the head with a mallet is an extensive parody of the shower scene from Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
; the music and camera angles are almost identical.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" finished fourteenth in the ratings for the week of March 28 to April 4, 1993, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen 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 14.9. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. The episode has received positive reviews, being labeled "as good as a clip show ever gets", and containing some memorable gags. It has been seen as one "of the most consistently funny episodes of the series", which "strikes that perfect balance between perfectly selected classic moments and all new story segments..." The episode's reference to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was named the 43rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
External links
- "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" at The Simpsons.com
- "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" 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...