The Old Man and the Lisa
Encyclopedia
"The Old Man and the Lisa" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons
' eighth season
, first aired by the Fox network on April 20, 1997. In the episode, Mr. Burns
becomes bankrupt and asks Lisa to help him become rich again. On the condition that he will lose his evil manners she helps him, and the two start making money recycling cans. After a while Mr. Burns has made enough money to start his own recycling plant. However, his true colors are revealed when Mr. Burns shows that, inside the plant, he makes a multi-purpose edible compound made of squished sea life. He then sells the plant for US$
120 million and offers Lisa 10% of his profits, but she declines.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland
and written by John Swartzwelder
. The writing staff had thought about an episode in which Mr. Burns would lose his money and would have to interact with the outside world. In DVD commentary the writers explained that while Mr. Burns tried to change he "couldn't help being himself". Professional wrestler Bret Hart
made a cameo as himself, animated in his pink wrestling outfit, and he would later move on to do voice work for the animated series Jacob Two-Two
. "The Old Man and the Lisa" contains cultural references to the television series That Girl
and the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was positively received by critics and won the Environmental Media Award for "TV Episodic Comedy".
, he realizes that he does not have nearly as much money as he thought he did. He decides to invest in the stock market to earn his money back. However, in doing so, he makes more questionable investments and becomes bankrupt. The bank forecloses on the plant and puts Lenny in charge, and sells Mr. Burns' house to pro wrestler Bret Hart
.
Mr. Burns moves in with Smithers
and, wanting to be of use, decides do Smithers' grocery shopping. However, he is unfamiliar with grocery stores and becomes confused by the ketchup
and catsup, causing the grocer to send Burns to the Springfield Retirement Castle. While at the home, Mr. Burns meets Lisa again, and begs her to help re-build his empire. She eventually agrees on the condition that he drop his evil ways, and the two begin earning money through recycling
.
Mr. Burns enthusiastically begins grabbing every can he can find, causing Lisa to believe that he has changed. Eventually, Burns earns so much money that he is able to open his own recycling plant. Burns gives Lisa its opening tour, showing her that it is environmentally sound and made of recycled materials. At first, Lisa is impressed, but then Burns shows her "the best part". He has taken a cue from a demonstration Lisa had given him earlier, and attached millions of six-pack holders together into a net which he uses to catch tons of sea life, in order to make "Li'l Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry
", a multi-purpose edible compound. Lisa is horrified, proclaiming Burns not only still evil, but even more evil when he tries to be good, and begins running through the streets, helplessly trying to get the seemingly indoctrinated citizens to stop the recycling program she herself started.
Mr. Burns later visits Lisa and tells her that he sold the recycling plant for US$
120 million, and that he has decided to give her, being his advisor, a 10% share of the profits. Lisa refuses the money and rips up the check. This causes Homer to have four simultaneous heart attacks. While in the hospital, Lisa apologizes to Homer for not accepting the money. He tells her that he understands what she did, but says that the $12,000 would have been a big financial help. Lisa replies that 10% of $120 million is actually $12 million. The hospital's public address system
announces a code blue, signifying that Homer has entered cardiac arrest.
The episode was based on a story idea pitched by David X. Cohen
, although it was written by John Swartzwelder
, who had written many of the Simpsons episodes that have environmental themes. This habit led to him being called the "conscience of the staff" despite being a "self declared anti-environmentalist." It was because of this that he was given such episodes, because the staff felt that he would give them just the right amount of sarcasm. In the original script for the episode, he described the recycling center as "a couple of hippies surrounded by garbage". Two alternate original titles for the episode were Cohen's "Lisa and Burns" and Swartzwelder's "Burns Goes Broke".
The writers had wanted an episode where Burns becomes bankrupt and shows what Burns would be like as a person in the real world. The idea with the recycling plant was that Burns didn't have any sort of evil plan, he just couldn't help being himself. Burns really was trying to change and this was reflected in the end when he tried to give Lisa her share of the profits, with Lisa refusing. Burns was drawn without his trademark scowl for this episode. The staff joked about this being a suitable series finale, due to the episode ending with Homer suffering from another heart attack after Lisa tells Homer what 10% of Burns' $120,000,000 check really is.
Professional wrestler
Bret Hart
guest starred in the episode as himself, and he was very insistent that he be shown wearing his pink wrestling outfit. He explained that "It's so cool to be part of a show that makes people laugh really, really hard." The media, aware that the animated Hart would want to purchase Mr. Burns' home, mistakenly anticipated that "Bret offers to wrestle him [Mr. Burns] for the place." Later, Hart moved on to do voice work on the animated television series Jacob Two-Two
. The press noted that at that time Hart was "no stranger to cartoon-land," having been "immortalized" by "The Old Man and the Lisa".
visited a store and was confused by the scanner and, in the original draft for the episode, Burns met Bush while there. When bidding farewell to the hippie Mr. Burns says "Shine On You Crazy Diamond
" a reference to Pink Floyd
's song of the same name. The hippie responds by saying that Burns needs to stop living in the past. The voice of the hippie is based on Dennis Hopper
's character in Apocalypse Now
. "Achy Breaky Heart
", a song by Billy Ray Cyrus
, is played at the old folks' home. The scene where Mr. Burns chases Lisa through town is a spoof of the opening to the TV series That Girl
. The scene where Lisa runs through the streets proclaiming recycling as evil spoofs the finale of Soylent Green
.
of 8.3, equivalent to approximately 8.1 million viewing households. It was tied along with King of the Hill
as the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-files
and Melrose Place.
"The Old Man and the Lisa" received the 1997 Environmental Media Award in the "TV Episodic Comedy" category. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "An odd episode with a not-too-unexpected outcome. The best bits are undoubtedly Burns learning his way around a supermarket and Lisa's realisation of what Burns has been up to."
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 8)
The Simpsons eighth season originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The show runners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
, first aired by the Fox network on April 20, 1997. In the episode, 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...
becomes bankrupt and asks Lisa to help him become rich again. On the condition that he will lose his evil manners she helps him, and the two start making money recycling cans. After a while Mr. Burns has made enough money to start his own recycling plant. However, his true colors are revealed when Mr. Burns shows that, inside the plant, he makes a multi-purpose edible compound made of squished sea life. He then sells the plant for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
120 million and offers Lisa 10% of his profits, but she declines.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
and written by 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...
. The writing staff had thought about an episode in which Mr. Burns would lose his money and would have to interact with the outside world. In DVD commentary the writers explained that while Mr. Burns tried to change he "couldn't help being himself". Professional wrestler Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
made a cameo as himself, animated in his pink wrestling outfit, and he would later move on to do voice work for the animated series Jacob Two-Two
Jacob Two-Two (TV series)
Jacob Two-Two is a Canadian animated TV series based on a trilogy of books written by Mordecai Richler that first aired on Canadian children's channel YTV and aired on the French Canadian VRAK.TV as Jacob Jacob and in Spanish on Telemundo as Jacobo Dos Dos. It was produced by Nelvana; before being...
. "The Old Man and the Lisa" contains cultural references to the television series That Girl
That Girl
That Girl is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who had moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City...
and the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was positively received by critics and won the Environmental Media Award for "TV Episodic Comedy".
Plot
Mr. Burns speaks with the Springfield Elementary School "Junior Achievers Club" and after a conversation with 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...
, he realizes that he does not have nearly as much money as he thought he did. He decides to invest in the stock market to earn his money back. However, in doing so, he makes more questionable investments and becomes bankrupt. The bank forecloses on the plant and puts Lenny in charge, and sells Mr. Burns' house to pro wrestler Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
.
Mr. Burns moves in with Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
and, wanting to be of use, decides do Smithers' grocery shopping. However, he is unfamiliar with grocery stores and becomes confused by the ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
and catsup, causing the grocer to send Burns to the Springfield Retirement Castle. While at the home, Mr. Burns meets Lisa again, and begs her to help re-build his empire. She eventually agrees on the condition that he drop his evil ways, and the two begin earning money through recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
.
Mr. Burns enthusiastically begins grabbing every can he can find, causing Lisa to believe that he has changed. Eventually, Burns earns so much money that he is able to open his own recycling plant. Burns gives Lisa its opening tour, showing her that it is environmentally sound and made of recycled materials. At first, Lisa is impressed, but then Burns shows her "the best part". He has taken a cue from a demonstration Lisa had given him earlier, and attached millions of six-pack holders together into a net which he uses to catch tons of sea life, in order to make "Li'l Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry
Meat slurry
A meat slurry, reconstituted meat, or emulsified meat is a liquefied meat product that contains fewer fats, pigments and less myoglobin than unprocessed dark meats...
", a multi-purpose edible compound. Lisa is horrified, proclaiming Burns not only still evil, but even more evil when he tries to be good, and begins running through the streets, helplessly trying to get the seemingly indoctrinated citizens to stop the recycling program she herself started.
Mr. Burns later visits Lisa and tells her that he sold the recycling plant for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
120 million, and that he has decided to give her, being his advisor, a 10% share of the profits. Lisa refuses the money and rips up the check. This causes Homer to have four simultaneous heart attacks. While in the hospital, Lisa apologizes to Homer for not accepting the money. He tells her that he understands what she did, but says that the $12,000 would have been a big financial help. Lisa replies that 10% of $120 million is actually $12 million. The hospital's public address system
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
announces a code blue, signifying that Homer has entered cardiac arrest.
Production
David X. Cohen
David Samuel Cohen , primarily known as David X. Cohen, is an American television writer. He has written for The Simpsons and he is the head writer and executive producer of Futurama.-Early life:...
, although it was written by 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...
, who had written many of the Simpsons episodes that have environmental themes. This habit led to him being called the "conscience of the staff" despite being a "self declared anti-environmentalist." It was because of this that he was given such episodes, because the staff felt that he would give them just the right amount of sarcasm. In the original script for the episode, he described the recycling center as "a couple of hippies surrounded by garbage". Two alternate original titles for the episode were Cohen's "Lisa and Burns" and Swartzwelder's "Burns Goes Broke".
The writers had wanted an episode where Burns becomes bankrupt and shows what Burns would be like as a person in the real world. The idea with the recycling plant was that Burns didn't have any sort of evil plan, he just couldn't help being himself. Burns really was trying to change and this was reflected in the end when he tried to give Lisa her share of the profits, with Lisa refusing. Burns was drawn without his trademark scowl for this episode. The staff joked about this being a suitable series finale, due to the episode ending with Homer suffering from another heart attack after Lisa tells Homer what 10% of Burns' $120,000,000 check really is.
Professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
guest starred in the episode as himself, and he was very insistent that he be shown wearing his pink wrestling outfit. He explained that "It's so cool to be part of a show that makes people laugh really, really hard." The media, aware that the animated Hart would want to purchase Mr. Burns' home, mistakenly anticipated that "Bret offers to wrestle him [Mr. Burns] for the place." Later, Hart moved on to do voice work on the animated television series Jacob Two-Two
Jacob Two-Two (TV series)
Jacob Two-Two is a Canadian animated TV series based on a trilogy of books written by Mordecai Richler that first aired on Canadian children's channel YTV and aired on the French Canadian VRAK.TV as Jacob Jacob and in Spanish on Telemundo as Jacobo Dos Dos. It was produced by Nelvana; before being...
. The press noted that at that time Hart was "no stranger to cartoon-land," having been "immortalized" by "The Old Man and the Lisa".
Cultural references
Burns's walk through the supermarket was based on a false rumor that George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
visited a store and was confused by the scanner and, in the original draft for the episode, Burns met Bush while there. When bidding farewell to the hippie Mr. Burns says "Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. The song is a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, although it was not originally explicitly written with him in mind. It was first performed on their 1974 French...
" a reference to Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's song of the same name. The hippie responds by saying that Burns needs to stop living in the past. The voice of the hippie is based on Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
's character in Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
. "Achy Breaky Heart
Achy Breaky Heart
"Achy Breaky Heart" is a hit country music song written by Don Von Tress. Originally titled "Don't Tell My Heart", its name was later changed to "Achy Breaky Heart" and was recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus on his 1992 album Some Gave All. As Cyrus' debut single and signature song, it made him famous and...
", a song by Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
, is played at the old folks' home. The scene where Mr. Burns chases Lisa through town is a spoof of the opening to the TV series That Girl
That Girl
That Girl is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who had moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City...
. The scene where Lisa runs through the streets proclaiming recycling as evil spoofs the finale of Soylent Green
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "The Old Man and the Lisa" finished 38th in ratings for the week of April 14-20, 1997, 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 8.3, equivalent to approximately 8.1 million viewing households. It was tied along with King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
as the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and Melrose Place.
"The Old Man and the Lisa" received the 1997 Environmental Media Award in the "TV Episodic Comedy" category. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "An odd episode with a not-too-unexpected outcome. The best bits are undoubtedly Burns learning his way around a supermarket and Lisa's realisation of what Burns has been up to."
External links
- "The Old Man and the Lisa" at The Simpsons.com