The Simpsons 121-125

A Star Is Burns

This episode takes its name from the movie A Star Is Born (The three older versions. This episode came out 23 years before the Lady Gaga remake)

This episode premiered on March 5th, 1995. The lead in show was The Great Defender (A short lived lawyer drama) and it was followed by The Critic (A short lived animated show that was doing a crossover episode with The Simpsons in hopes of boosting their ratings) The show ran opposite Lois And Clark, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is the characters have all changed size with Maggie being the largest and Homer being the smallest. 

Springfield has been ranked as the dumbest city in America so the town decides to hold a meeting to find out what they can do to change their negative image. Patty and Selma suggest changing the town name to Seinfeld (the show ran opposite The Simpsons for several years). Bart puts up a photo of his butt. Marge suggest a movie festival. Bart makes a movie, The Eternal Struggle, about Homer trying to put on his pants. The Flanders make a movie about Moses but Todd gets washed away, however he's saved by lighting striking a tree. Jay Sherman (The Critic) is interviewing Rainier Wolfcastle who made a McBain movie where he is a comedian and ends up shooting the audience. (In The Boy Who Knew Too Much the characters kept calling the actor McBain) Marge invites Jay to be a judge in the film festival, Wolfcastle plans on killing him after being insulted so Sherman flees to Springfield. The airplane from NYC is covered in graffiti. Mr. Burns is complaining about their drop in profits so Mr. Smithers suggests they enter a glossed over biography in the film festival, they hire Senior Spilbergo to shoot it. When Patty and Selma ask Sherman which Hollywood star is Gay Homer tells him to say MacGyver, he ends up hanging off the roof by his underwear. Homer is jealous of Jay so he asks Marge to put him on the judging panel. She doesn't want to but caves to pressure. Everybody loves Barney's movie, but boos Burns' film, except for Moleman who says Boourns. When the jury has a tie Marge points out that she knew picking Homer was a mistake so he goes back and rewatches the films. Barney wins first place, he says he's going to work clean and sober but the first prize is a lifetime supply of Duff beer, which they hook straight into his veins. Six months later Burns tries to win the Oscar by bribing all of Hollywood but loses to George C. Scott in Man Getting Hit By Football. 

Matt Groening was not happy about doing a crossover program, he felt it was just a half hour commercial for the show The Critic so his name was removed from the opening credits.

Eye On Springfield. We see the complete opening for the show, they haven't done it since the Flamin' Moes episode. The show features Springfield's answer to the Benedictine Monks, the Rappin' Rabbis: "Don't eat pork, not even with a fork, don't touch this". (In 1994 the Benedictine chants became a hit album) Springfield has been rated as the dumbest city in America. 

Springfield Performing Arts Center: Krusty the Clown in "Sunrise at Campobello" (Krusty forgets that FDR was paralyzed and starts walking around on stage)

Bart's side hustle is selling maps to the movie starts homes, a family of Asian tourists goes to Moe's house thinking he's Drew Barrymore. This is based on the phony maps sold in LA.

When Marge mentions the metric system Grandpa complains about switching from the old system because his car gets 40 rods to the Hog's Head. (40 rods would be equal to 0.125 miles and Hogshead was about 60 gallons so his car is very inefficient)

Charles Bronson in Death Wish 9: Bronson is seen in bed hooked up to a number of machines, "I wish I was dead."

Self aware joke: Bart is watching The Flintstones Meet The Jetsons. Bart says "Uh oh, I smell another cheap cartoon crossover". Just then Homer walks in and introduces Sherman. Bart praises his show, the review show on tv of course, and then says "Ew, I suddenly feel dirty". When Jay invites the family to visit his show Bart says "Naa, we're not going to do that".  The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones was a 1987 tv special.

When the show cuts to Mr. Burns in his office they play The Imperial March from Star Wars.

While discussing his film Burns says he wants his movie to do for him what Spielberg did for Oskar Schindler. Schindler's List had been released to theaters 2 years earlier. Burns points out that the shells he made for the Nazis actually worked. 

Marge's film judges, Quimby, Krusty, Jay. Martin Scorsese is on the list but Marge crosses him out and replaces him with Homer. 

The family sings the Oscar Mayer wiener song. 

The actors who try out to play Mr. Burns, Hannibal Lector (strapped to a dolly), William Shatner dressed up as Kirk. Homer, who says "exactly" instead of "excellent", Bumblebee Man. Burns plays himself. 

Film festival movies: Bright Lights: Beef Jerky by Apu (security footage from the Kwik-E-Mart) Moe Better Booze by Moe (Moe sings a version Money Makes The World Go Round from Cabaret while in full makeup) Man Getting Hit By Football by Hans Moleman Productions (pretty much as described, it's Homer's favorite),  Puke-a-hantas Barney's movie and A Burns For All Seasons by Mr. Burns.

When Homer sees Man Getting Hit By Football he says the contest is over and give that man the $10,000, a reference to America's Funniest Home Videos which still runs opposite The Simpsons. 

When Barney makes a movie for the film festival he winds up on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. 

Continuity Error: Barney says he's 40 but he graduated from High School the same year as Homer who is suppose to be 34.

In this episode Lisa is a Girl Scout but I think this was a one time thing. 

Mr. Burns' movie A Burns For All Seasons uses multiple references: The title is a reference to A Man For All Seasons the entrance card is taken from The Agony And The Ecstasy, The Mexican village is a take on The Magnificent Seven, we also see E.T. and finally Ben Hur (Burns plays the Jesus character at the well except he offers Ben Hur a bottle of water).

In Burns' film Tommy Tune plays Smithers. Bumblebee Man had tried out for the part of Burns but was cast as one of the Mexican villagers (still in the bee costume). There is a long list of writers, it's available on the internet so I'm not going to list them.

When Smithers claims the movie audience were shouting Boourns this was based on The Detroit second baseman Lou Whitaker who thought the fans were booing him when in fact they were shouting "Louuuuuu!"

Euroa Welty is mentioned several times, as a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a champion belcher. She was a well known author and photographer.

Springfield Shopper headline: Incontinent old man wins miss teen America. (Burns bribed the judges)

When asked how he could vote for the Burns movie Krusty says "Lets say it moved me.... To A Bigger House!" He then says "Oops! I said the quite part loud and the loud part quiet". This became a popular internet comment when a politician was caught telling the truth. 

Itchy And Scratchy "Four Funerals and a Wedding" (the title is based on Four Weddings and a Funeral which had come out a year before) Itchy replaces Scratchy's bride with a pile of explosives. After a lifetime together the bombs finally go off killing Scratchy, when an old Itchy shows up to laugh he also drops dead. The movie won best animated short in the Springfield film festival. 

The George C. Scott winning the Oscar is a reference to his numerous times he rejected his nominations and the win as Best Actor for Patton. 

Lisa's Wedding

This episode premiered on March 19th, 1995. it ran in its usual time slot except its lead in show was Encounters: The Hidden Truth (this episode was about New England vampires)

The chalkboard gag is "I will not strut around like I own the place" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family being bounced into the ceiling. 

The Simpsons go to the Renaissance fair where Ned is beating Smithers in the knight tournament, Maggie gives the thumbs down, as in finish him, gesture. Bart is bored so Marge shows off her loom skills. Lisa chases a rabbit away from the fair and winds up at a strange tent where a fortune teller reads her cards, The Death Card means change and The Happy Squirrel means something horrible is going to happen. The fortune teller sees Lisa in the distant future of 2010 (15 years in the future then, 13 years in the past now) Lisa goes to an Eastern college where she meets Hugh Parkfield, in a classic romcom fashion they hate each other at first but end up falling in love. Lisa and Hugh go to London to meet his family and he proposes. Future Bart is operating a wrecking ball, it was his dream job in the episode Kamp Krusty. There is a flashback to the still future in which Lisa turns down Milhouse. All the homes on Evergreen Terrace have a futuristic look, except for the Simpson's house which looks the same except for a homemade second floor room. In order to make sure Homer doesn't ruin the wedding Marge has taken out a court order. When Hugh shows up Homer raises the British flag in his honor, however it hits a bug zapper and catches on fire. In order to put it out Homer and Bart stamp on it and then throw on compost. Homer has Lisa and Hugh stay in his guest room addition but Hugh crashes through the floor and lands in the compost heap. Homer wants Hugh to wear his special cufflinks however they are a bride and groom pig. (You can buy them on Esty these days) Lisa finds out that Hugh didn't want to wear Homer's cufflinks so she goes to talk to him. He tells her that they are heading to England but won't be coming back to America. Lisa gives Hugh back his ring. As Lisa walks away everything fades back to the present. The fortune teller throws a smoke bomb but doesn't go anywhere. In the end Lisa is happy to see Homer. 

A booth at the Renaissance fair: The Happy Leech: Bleed While You Wait.

Friar Wiggum's Fantastical Beastarium. Ordinary animals with fantasy names.

Bart works for the Down With Buildings Demolition Co.

Springfield Nuclear Plant "Still Operating Thanks To The Lengthy Appeals Process"

CNNBCBS (CNN NBC CBS) A Division Of ABC. ABC would be taken over by Disney one year later and then Fox Entertainment (owners of The Simpsons) would become Disney property in 2019.

Lisa's middle name is Marie meaning she was named after Elvis's daughter. Lisa's wedding was to be on Sunday August 1st, 2010, The Simpsons didn't do anything special on that date.

Under Springfield Elementary there are the bones of a worker, buried treasure, an old mine shaft and Martin Prince's lair. He burned off half his face in a science fair explosion and is assumed dead. He wears a Phantom Of The Opera costume and plays A Fifth Of Beethoven on his organ.

Continuity Error, Homer gives Hugh the cufflinks Abe gave him on the day of his wedding however in the episode I Married Marge they ran off to Shotgun Pete's wedding chapel. 

Self aware joke, Marge comments that Fox turned into a hard core sex channel so slowly nobody noticed. 

Lisa lost her virginity to Milhouse.

Krusty shows up at the wedding in a wheelchair wearing a beret. He looks like Grouch Marx in his final days.

Maggie is about to sing Amazing Grace but is cut off by the announcement that the wedding has been cancelled. This is a joke about her never talking. 

The future world of 2010: Holographic tree (In memory of a real tree). Soy pop, now with gag suppressant. (considering all the alternative foods in the modern world they got that one right). Card activated vending machine (another correct prediction). 40 Classic Films Starring Jim Carrey (I'd ask if it included Dumb and Dumber To but that movie came out in 2014. The movies do include Ace Ventura VI and The Mask). Lisa lives in Dr. and Mrs. Dre Hall (in 2010 Dr. Dre was married to Nichole Plotzker). Lisa has a The Rolling Stones Steel Wheelchair Tour 2010 poster on her wall. (in 1990 the Stones were on their Steel Wheel tour and people said they were too old to do live shows in those days. They are currently on their 2023 tour.) Lisa has a digital clock above her bed, cell phones have pretty much eliminated the need for other clocks. Hugh mentions their shared utterly humorless vegetarianism, in a future episode Lisa will become a vegetarian permanently and in the modern world people hate vegans and their preachy attitudes. The Great Clock of Westminster (Big Ben is just a bell in the clock) has been replaced by a digital clock that keeps blinking 12:00. (That's a pretty dated joke since most modern clocks update themselves via the internet). The cars make The Jetsons sound. Hugh has a wrist communicator that pops open to the Star Trek sound. (Kind of a prediction of Apple watches but not quite). The future is full of robots who melt down when they cry. You'd think someone would have simply took out the artificial tear ducts. Lisa calls home on a video phone, with a rotary dial. Today you can just use FaceTime. At the nuclear power plant robots are doing all the work while Lenny and Carl are executives, Homer is in the same job and Milhouse is his boss. Maggie is tying up the one house phone line. Cell phones were a thing in 1995 but I guess they needed the "Maggie talks too much" joke. Mr Burns has been frozen after being stabbed in the back 17 times, this is a reference to both Caesar's death and the rumor that Walt Disney was frozen and stored in Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. Troy McClure is teaching a math class via a computer, Pepsi Presents Addition and Subtraction, he appears to be wearing a Star Trek: TNG uniform. He asks "if you have three Pepsis and drink one how much more refreshed are you?" and one of the kids on the computer answers "Pepsi?" for partial credit (You could say that The Simpsons predicted the Covid lockdowns but it's a stretch). The school has an automatic sliding door that makes the Star Trek sound. Mayor Quimby is now a cab driver in a company run by Otto. Bart has a Pirate Krusty with a knife in his teeth tattoo. Kent Brockman is the anchor of CNNBCBS. Bart is playing virtual pool but gets hit with a virtual dart by another guy and they get into a virtual fight. (The headsets pretty much look like the modern virtual reality setup so chalk this one up as a Simpsons prediction). To break up the fight Moe hits the players with a sonic blast in their headsets. A still slightly frozen Burns snaps in half. 

Lisa chasing the rabbit into the woods is a take on Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Hugh is based upon the classic romantic British character played by Hugh Grant in the 90's. Mandy Patinkin voiced Hugh. 

CNNBCBS report on the following celebrities who have been arrested:

The Baldwin Brothers Gang

Dr Brad Pitt

John John John Kennedy (This is a joke about John-John Kennedy who would die in 1999)

George Burns (he died a year after this episode aired)

Infamous Amos (Famous Amos Cookes)

Grandson Of Sam (a joke about the Son Of Sam killer, too soon?)

The Artist Formerly Known As (The Prince Symbol) (Prince changed his name to a symbol as part of a contract dispute in 1993, in 2000 he changed it back.)

Tim Allen Jr. (a joke about Tim Allen's arrest)

Senator and Mrs. Dracula

The Artist Formerly Known As Buddy Hackett (He died in 2003)

Madonnabots, Series K

Sideshow Ralph Wiggum

Martha Hitler

Johnny Neutrino (The Jimmy Neutron movie would be released in 2001, was this another Simpsons prediction?)

Heather Locklear Fortensky remains at large. (this is a reference to Larry Fortensky, the last husband of Elizabeth Taylor)

Two Dozen And One Greyhounds

This episode premiered on April 9th 1995. Its lead in show was Sliders and it was followed by The House of Buggin'. It ran opposite the movies The Ten Commandments, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and The Sound of Music.

The episode's title is taken from 101 Dalmatians.

The chalkboard gag is "The Good Humor man can only be pushed so far" and the couch gag is repeat of the couch going down a long endless hallway.

Kent Brockman is reading the news about the escaped rhino. He says the zoo officials have her back in captivity, just then the three ton rhino that escaped last week charges through the crowd outside the studio window. The family is blaming Bart for various destroyed things but just then SLH runs in and tears up Homer's shirt. He tears up the TV cable and the entire town loses their channels. When he escapes the family finds him at the dog track. During a race he chases down another female dog and they "snuggle". The greyhound has 25 puppies. Bart imagines the dogs as his army however they're too small to protect him from Jimbo. The puppies start getting out of hand so Homer announces they are giving them away. Marge says as long as the puppies don't do anything else wrong they can stay, and that she is his having a dinner party. After a dinner disaster they try to give the puppies away but they don't want to split them up. Burns shows up and offers to take them all but is turned down. When the Simpsons turn their backs he steals them all instead of some grand scheme. The cops show up but don't do anything, however they mention Burns has new dogs so Lisa and Bart go to find them. One of the pups stand up like Rory Calhoun and becomes Burns favorite, Little Monty. Burns reveals his plan to skin the pups to make a jacket out of them. The kids grab the dogs and jump in the laundry shoot to escape Burns but he turns up in the basement first. Bart mixes Little Monty into the pack but he stands up. Bart pulls some socks on the laundry line over the pups and they all stand up causing Mr. Burns to change his mind on killing them. However he enters the dogs in racing and wins $25 million. When Marge goes to the basement she sees Homer's shadow swinging but he didn't hang himself, he's hanging onto the ceiling beam and batting at a lightbulb. 

The Channel 6 News has a new studio in the town square with an audience behind them like the Today Show studio window. 

When the Wiggum's TV goes off the screen shows a Technical Difficulty card even though they wouldn't receive a broadcast of anything. 

Springfield Pet Shop "All our pets are flushable"

Springfield Dog Track "Think Of Them As Little Horses"

At the pet shop the clerk says "I'm sorry about your blind dog but your gripe is with Hartz Mountain and not me" Hartz Mountain has been the subject of multiple recalls and lawsuits over their products. The clerk does a Mind Meld with SLH including the Star Trek music. He tells Marge in order to make the dog happy she has to buy several products.

Dogs at the race track: She's The Fastest, Always Comes In Second and I'm Number Three. 

The Yee Haw Texan shows up as the owner of the other greyhound. (his first appearance was in the episode $pringfield)

The dogs visit: Ye Old Butcher Shoppe where they get a plate of meat, Video Village and a woman in the park gives them steaks, photos on the boardwalk where they stick their head through the painting Dogs Playing Poker, and then to Luigi's where they do the scene from Lady And The Tramp. 

the puppies names: Rover, Fido, Rex, Spot, Rover II, Fido II, Rex II, Cleo, Dave (Letterman), Jay (Leno), Paul (Shaffer) Branford (Marsalis), Dave II, Jay II, Paul II, Branford II, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy I, Donner, Blitzen, Grumpy II, King, Queenie, Prince, The Puppy Formerly Known As Prince. (There is another Prince name joke in the previous episode Lisa's Wedding)

Dinner party guests Reverend Lovejoy, Homer's drill sergeant (who let Homer out a month early) and the regional director of the IRS. However there are puppies in the turkey and all goes badly. 

Rory Calhoun was an actor who is probably better known thanks to The Simpsons.

Burns sings See My Vest which a take on Be Our Guest from Beauty And The Beast. 

Animals mentioned by Burns, real gorilla chest, Irish setter sweater, pet cat hat, vampire bat cape, African endanger rhino slippers, grizzly bear underwear, turtle turtleneck, poodle hat, red robin suit (single and double breasted), gofer loafers, greyhound tuxedo (his plans for the Simpson's dogs)

When Burns is dancing around you can see Whistler's Mother in the background, except it looks like Burns.

In the episode Bart Gets Hit By A Car Burns talks about shooting the last endangered Indonesian Rhino.

The PTA Disbands

This episode premiered on April 16th, 1995. Its lead in was the Rock n' Roll Skating Championships (a special featuring the top ice skaters of the day) and followed by House of Buggin'. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV

The name of this episode comes from a scene where an audience member at the emergency school meeting freaks out and yells "The PTA is disbanding!" and then jumps out the window.

The chalkboard gag is "I do not have Power Of Attorney over first graders" and the couch gag is a repeat of the Escher multi-plane living room. 

The Springfield Elementary bus is falling apart, Bart and Milhouse have to jump to another seat to avoid falling out of the ever growing hole, they are on a field trip to Fort Springfield. To stop the bus the kids have to use their jackets as parachutes and Otto has to steal gas from the other buses for their return trip. Skinner discovers the fort now charges $5 a kid after being taken over by Diz-Nee. When Skinner has the children peaking over the fence "to learn for free" they are attacked by the Civil War reenactors and have to flee to the broken down bus, Otto swallows some of the gas he's trying to syphon.  Uter gets left behind but Skinner doesn't worry thanks to the permission slips. In the cafeteria Bart hears Skinner and Mrs. Krabappal fighting over money and decides to stir the pot in order to cause a teacher's strike. After fighting over the school office mic Krabappal announces a strike, one kid is stuck on the rings. "Hello, Mrs. Pommelhorst, I'd like to get down now". Once Mr. Largo, the music teacher, is gone the kids play the forbidden music, Pop Goes The Weasel. Lisa has a strike Preparedness Kit at home, picture of the school, math book, cafeteria style fish sticks and a tape recorder playing standard teacher lines like "is that gum?" Milhouse gets home to find that his parents have hired a tutor. Bart goes to a construction site and starts causing chaos with a bullhorn. There's a line at the arcade and a doorman who shakes the kids to see if they jingle before letting them in. Bart goes to the park and plays multiple games of chess, and loses them all. The Piano Tuners Local 402 joins in the strike. Outside the school Bart starts a whisper chain that Skinner said "The teachers will crack any minute" however when it gets to Krabappel they say "the teachers will crack any minute purple monkey dishwasher".  Jimbo is getting hooked on soap operas, Kearney and Dolf are playing two video games at the same time, Bart causes a run on the bank and Lisa freaks out and demands to be graded, and builds a perpetual motion machine, Homer says "In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" The PTA has a back up plan for a long strike, replace the teachers with super intelligent cyborgs, or members of the community. Jasper teaches the Second Grade, Professor Frink teaches the Kindergarten but spends his time giving a scientific lecture on how the toys work. Moe teaches Krabappel's class but Bart has switched out the roll call to prank names. Moe thinks the kids are laughing at his ears and runs out crying. Leopold shows up, threatens all the kids and then introduces Marge as their new teacher. (he was first seen in the episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song). Milhouse reminds Bart of his pranks, a tack on the chair and a log that come crashing into the chalkboard.  Lisa says the substitutes are ruining her changes of getting into an Ivy League School, or even Vassar, Homer gets mad at her for mocking Vassar. Kearney distracts Marge while the bullies beat up Bart, he decides it's time to end the strike. Bart locks Skinner and Krabappel into the principal's office until they start negotiating. They come up with a plan to use the cloakrooms as prison cells. Snake offers to pay Bart if he helps him escape. 

The Fort Springfield lookout tower is a take on the opening scene of F Troop, complete with Trooper Vanderbilt, the nearly blind lookout. Otto runs into the cannon but they don't keep it loaded. 

Diz-Nee Historical Park: "Sorry but there's a profit to be had". This was a spoof on Disney's attempt to build a theme park in Virginia, Disney's America, 5 miles from Gettysburg. The only reason the park wasn't built was because the locals complained about the increase in traffic and the parking problems.

Shelbyville's school bus destination sign: Veritas et Scientia (Truth and Science) Shelbyville's principal is Principal Valiant, a play on the name of the comic strip character Prince Valiant. He's wearing a World's Greatest Principal hat. 

Fort Springfields claim to fame is that on May 21st, 1864 the men of the Ninth Bearded Infantry attacked a group of wounded and starving Confederate soldiers trying to surrender. 

Marge's notes to the children: For Lisa "I am very proud of you, Love Mom", for Bart "Be good, for the love of God, Please be good."

Bart drinks Malk, now with Vitamin R. 

The books in Mrs. Krabappal's class (all banned by other schools): Tek War by William Shatner, Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin, Sexus by Henry Miller, 40 years of Playboy, Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman, Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss and The Satanic Verses Junior Illustrated Edition by Salman Rushdie.

When trying to start a strike Bart tells Skinner that Krabappel said he would "fold faster than Superman on laundry day". An old joke that Superman's powers come from his cape, and that he's a fast folder. 

Homer tells Lisa if you don't like your job you go in every day and do it really half assed, not start a strike. However he went on strike in the episode Last Exit To Springfield. 

Strike signs: 2+2 A Raise Is Due, A is for Apple B is for a Raise, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Honk if you love cookies

Milhouse's tutor is teaching him about Colonial America from 1776 to 1836 but his recess homework is on the Teapot Dome Scandal that happened from 1921 to 1923. 

Video games at the arcade (dated reference btw): Escape From Death Row (First seen in New Kid On The Block), Razor Fight II The Slashening, Larry The Looter (first seen in Radio Bart), Time Waster (first seen in Monanin' Lisa). 

The run on the bank scene is a take on It's A Wonderful Life but instead of listening to the Jimmy Stewart character it starts a riot when the people are told the money is invested in their homes. 

Ruth Powers is in the audience of the PTA but she hasn't has a speaking roll in a long time.

This episode features the classic Jasper "That's a paddlin" speech.

Bart's prank roll call names: Anita Bath, Maya Buttreeks.

Bart's list of substitutes he ran off, Wiggums, Barney, Lionel Hutz, Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back Kotter joke) Moe.

Bart's log that crashes into the blackboard prank is a take on the Battle of Endor scene in The Return Of The Jedi.

Jasper gets his beard stuck in the pencil sharpener. In the episode Homer's Triple Bypass he gets his beard stuck in the spokes of a bike. 

Bart hates having Marge as a teacher even though she homeschooled him in the episode Whacking Day.

When they convert the building to the Springfield Elementary School and Prison Groundskeeper Willie is a tower guard. 

Snake's prison number is 7F20

'Round Springfield

This episode premiered on April 30th, 1995. Its lead in program was The Fox All Star Challenge (a competition show featuring celebrities and athletes) it was followed by The Critic. The show ran opposite Before They Were Stars!, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV.

The chalkboard gag is "Nerve gas is not a toy" (at the end of the episode Chief Wiggums gets gassed) and the couch gag is a repeat of the reverse size family.

The title of this episode is based on the 1986 movie 'Round Midnight.

Krusty gets sued for sexual harassment and has a new character Ms. No-Means-No, he immediately tries to hit on her and blames his addiction to percodan, who just happens to be his new sponsor. Bart eats a jagged metal Krusty-O! and gets sick but Marge thinks he faking to get out of his history test. (My mother thought the same thing with my brother until the doctor told her to rush him to the hospital to get his appendix removed.) Bart tells Krabappel that he can't take the test due to his stomach ache but she thinks he faking too, after his test he asks to go to the nurse, she delays and then lets him go. Due to budget cuts Lunch Lady Doris is the new school nurse and Willie is teaching French "Bonjour ya cheese eating surrender monkeys". All Doris has for Bart is chewable Prozac for kids. The choice is Manic Depressive Mouse or The Bluebird Of Unhappiness. When Bart goes to the hospital they remove his appendix, and find the metal Krusty-O! Homer is watching from the viewing area and says he can use a hot dog, just then a guy shows up selling them. Dr. Nick is administering the gas but forgets to turn the tank on and gasses himself. When Bart shows off his scar all the kids ask for an appendectomy so Dr. Hibbert operates on them all. Lisa hears a saxophone being played and finds that Bleedng Gums Murphy is in the hospital. When Lisa visits Murphy he gives her his saxophone. At the school recital the band members all got their appendixes out so all that are left are Martin on the triangle, Ralph with a flute up his nose and Lisa, they start playing Stars and Stripes Forever (Ralph is actually pretty good considering) but when the audience boos Lisa takes over and plays a jazzy version of the song. When she returns to the hospital she finds that Murphy has died. Lisa seeks answers about death, Homer says she just needs to get a new jazzman, Bart wants to be reincarnated as a butterfly and Grandpa thinks everything is Death out to get him. Homer suggest Lisa get a tattoo to remember Murphy. Lisa is the only one who shows up to the funeral, Reverend Lovejoy calls him Blood And Guts Murphy, Bloody Gums Murphy and says he was a sousaphone player. Lisa gets mad and vows that all of Springfield will know his name. At the cemetery Homer says he could use a hot dog and the guy shows up. Marge asks the guy if he's following Homer and he replies "He's putting my kids through college" Lionel Hutz comes to the Simpson's house and tells Barts the Krusty company settled the lawsuit for $100,000 and after his fees Bart gets $500. Lisa can't figure out how to honor Murphy, Marge suggest getting the local jazz station to do a tribute to him but they don't have his record. The jazz station's broadcast range is 23 feet. (this reminds me of the my college's radio station that broadcast in the Student Union building only. The pool room would play the local rock station and the dining hall didn't play music at all. Basically the station could be heard in the hallway in front of their broadcast booth, today they are on I Heart Radio.) Comic Book Guy has a copy of the album for $250 dollars, when he finds out Murphy is dead he raises the price to $500. (he was originally selling it for a $1.00 at the swap meet in the episode Homer's Barbershop Quartet). Lisa sees $500 in the street but Burns has it tied to a string to trick her. Bart goes to the comic book shop to buy the Ultimate Pog (Steve Allen Inventor Of The Pog) for $500, instead he buys Murphy's album. Lisa says Bart will never see that much money again so he holds up a box of Krusty-O! with Flesh Eating Bacteria In Every Box. As the jazz station plays the album their tower is struck by lightning boosting the signal all over Springfield. Murphy appears to Lisa in a cloud, along with Mufasa, Darth Vader and James Earl Jones (who says "This is CNN"). The episode ends with Lisa singing Jazz Man instead of the Simpsons theme song. 

Krusty O's Free Inside! One Jagged Metal Krusty-O!

Bart draws eyes on his butt and uses a stethoscope pretending to be Dr. Cheeks, who is a "little behind on his rounds"

Dr. Hibbert and Murphy might be estranged brothers. 

Bleeding Gums learned from Blind Willie Witherspoon, who was playing an umbrella but nobody told him. His big break came on Steve Allen's Tonight Show (Steve Allen does his own voice)

Steve Allen books: How to make love to Steve Allen, Happiness is a naked Steve Allen, Journey to the center of Steve Allen and The Joy Of Cooking Steve Allen. Steve Allen wrote 36 books and several featured his name as part of the title. 

Bleeding Gums Murphy's album is titled Sax On the Beach. Hi-Fi. He blew his money buying Faberge Eggs and breaking them. 

Murphy's last job was doing a guest shot on The Cosby Show as one of the grandparents. The Cosby Show once ran opposite The Simpsons when they moved to Thursday night. Cosby compares jazz music to Jello Pudding Pops, Kodak Film and New Coke, all which he was a spokesman for. 

Krusty holds a press conference to defend himself against his shoddy products, death trap theme park and Tonya Harding sex tape. "Those people were beheaded before they entered the Krustyland House of Knives." 

Murphy plays Jazz Man while Lisa sings.  Everyone at the hospital starts dancing.

Barney gets out of detox and goes straight into Retox, a bar at the hospital run by Moe, he trades a 5 minute sober chip for a Pabst beer.

Springfield Elementary Banner: Tonight: School Recital (sold out) Tomorrow: Barbra Streisand Tickets Still Available.

After he dies Bart plans to come back as a butterfly and frame Skinner for burning down the school.

Homer's tattoo is of the Starland Vocal Band, a one hit wonder who sang Afternoon Delight in 1976. 

Springfield Cemetery: Come for the funerals stay for the pie

Lionel Hutz's legaal team: Ronald Shaporo, Albert Dershman (who can hold three pool balls in his mouth) This was a take on OJ's legal team that included Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz.

Bart imagines blowing his settlement money at the Roulette table when he bets it all on red. 

KJAZZ: 152 Americans Can't Be Wrong (This reminds me of a local station that features the Blues Hour, two hours of blues music once a week. You can almost hear the stations being changed all over town) The station has a broadcast range of 23 feet and Moleman is their morning DJ.

We've finally reached episode 125. However there are dark times ahead, but the quest shall go on.