The Simpsons 146-150

The Day The Violence Died

This episode premiered on March 17th 1996. The lead in show was a repeat of The Simpsons and it was followed by The Show, a short lived sitcom. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Cybill and Mad About You.

The name of this episode is a reference to the lyrics in the song American Pie, The Day The Music Died, a song about the Buddy Holly plane crash. The Simpsons have used this reference in the past.

There isn't a chalkboard gag. The couch gag is a repeat of the primer Simpsons being painted.

Bart and Lisa are watching the 75th anniversary of Itchy and Scratchy, the 48 hour Diamond Jubilee Marathon. When they find out people are already staking out places for the parade they decide to go get their spot, however it's 11:00 PM so Marge sends Homer with them. The comic book shop is still open and Bart sees an Itchy drawing worth $750. When the family wakes up the next day they find that bleachers have been constructed in front of them and they're missing the parade. Bart gets mad and joins the parade, someone shouts "Hey, Bart!" When the parade hits BumTown they take off and leave Bart behind, that is where he meets Chester J. Lampwick, the inventor of cartoon violence. In order to prove he created Itchy he needs a 90 year old projector to show his film, so they head to the school. After proving his film is real it catches on fire and the evidence is burned up. Bart invites Chester to stay in the basement until the studio reopens on Tuesday, it's closed on Monday for AA meetings. Roger Meyers Jr. tosses them out of the studio. Grandpa recognizes Chester, he was suppose to paint a chicken coop in 1947 in exchange for corn muffins. Homer agrees to play Hutz's $1000 retainer and they go to trial. Krusty is a witness but he identifies Chester as the guy he gave blintzes to in exchange for painting his fence and the job wasn't done. Chester accuse Meyers of stealing all his characters and only creating a stick figure called Manic Mailman. Just as the trial is going bad Bart remembers the drawing in the Comic Book shop and gets $750 from Homer to buy it. Bart breaks open the frame and finds Chester's signature along with the date 1919. The judge rules in favor of Chester and awards him $800 billion dollars, but he figures that amount will be reduced in the appeals. Bart finds out that he killed Itchy and Scratchy. Krusty replaces Itchy and Scratchy with a version of School House Rock, Bart and Lisa comment that we need another Vietnam to thin out the ranks of Gen Xers. Lisa punches Bart and claims some cartoons do encourage violence. After searching Bart and Lisa come up with a plan to save Itchy and Scratchy but when they arrive at the studio they find that another brother and sister, Lester and Eliza discovered that Mr. Zip, the Post Office mascot, is a copy of Manic Mailman, the Post Office had to pay Roger Meyers Jr. and he used the money to reopen the studio. Lester and Eliza also got Apu out of jail and reunites Krusty with his estranged wife. Bart has an unsettled feeling about this.

This episode is based on the story of Walt Disney and Ubbe Iwerks. After finding out that the studio had lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Disney came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse. The actual image of Mickey that we all know and love was created by Iwerks. The two has a major falling out and Iwerks set off to do his own thing, but found he lacked the imagination of Walt and came back, but their creative partnership was never the same. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show: Remembrance of Things Slashed (from the novel series Remembrance Of Things Past by Marcel Proust), Newspaper headline "Scratchy Dead! Peace after long illness." Scratchy's ghost shows up at Itchy's house to haunt him but gets sucked up in the vacuums and put in the freezer. Itchy chips out his eyes to put in his drink. Comic Book Guy is showing Itchy And Scratchy Meet Fritz The Cat. Chester's movie is Itchy the Lucky Mouse (the title is based on Oswalt The Lucky Rabbit) in Manhattan Madness: "Itchy runs afoul of an Irishman" Itchy has a lightbulb pop up over his head when he has an idea, he grabs it and smashes it over the Irishman's head and then feeds his beard into a ringer washer squishing him flat. "A Chance For More Mischief!!!" Teddy Roosevelt shows up "Ah, Manhattan Town. An agreeable sight for an Old Kinckerbocker such as myself" Itchy chops his head off. "Creator, Director, Cellu-Lamino Artist, Electrocity Engineer, Ethnographer Chester J. Lampwick C 1919 Lampwick Studios." Roger Meyers Jr's lawyer shows Steamboat Itchy dated 1928. (First seen in the episode Itchy And Scratchy: The Movie) Written, Directed and Created by Roger Meyers, Music by Roger Meyers and George Gershwin, Produced by Roger Meyers and Joseph P. Kennedy. The Itchy And Scratchy Show after the studio is saved: Itchy is chasing Scratchy with a jackhammer but he's wearing rocket shoes. Itchy says a quick prayer and a giant sandal covered foot drops down and squishes Scratchy into hell. God turns out to be a mouse. The show is dedicated to Lester and Eliza for making all this possible. 

News report: A stowaway bear is terrorizing Shuttle astronauts. The Shuttle program ran from 1972 to 2011. (When I went to Florida I saw the Atlantas Shuttle)

David Brinkley and Susan Somers (she does her own voice) are the tv hosts of the parade.

The parade enters BumTown, Charlie Chapin is standing on the corner. They pass the boarded up 4-H club that Skinner visits while searching for Bart in the episode The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

Chester J. Lampwick (voiced by Kirk Douglass) was named after the character of Lampwick from Pinocchio. (This is part of the theme about animation studios stealing other studio's property)

Self aware joke, "Animators have AA on Monday"

The Aztec head is still in the Simpson's basement. 

The mall view of Lionel Hutz's office is a repeat. 

Lionel Hutz's ad: Works on contingency, No Money Down, he adds punctuation Works on contingency? No, Money Down! He wants a $1000 deposit to take the case. 

Springfield Shopper headline: Bum Sues Cartoon King, Got legal fee from some family. 

Other members of the Itchy And Scratchy family: Brown Nose Bear, Disgruntled Goat (first seen in the episode Itchy and Scratchy Land), Flatulent Fox (according to Meyers Jr. the character is based on a true story), Rich Uncle Skeleton and Dinner Dog, also the stick figure of Manic Mailman who was actually created by Roger Meyers Sr.

Hutz's surprise witnesses, a ventriloquist, a Santa in a cast, John Swartzwelder (Simpsons writer), Ralph, the Guinness Fat Twins.

On the back of the Itchy drawing is the inscription: To Roger Meyers. Keep drawing-your moxie more than makes up for your lack of talent. Your Pal Chester J. Lampwick, Sept. 3 1919

Roger Meyers Jr. lists the cartoon shows that were plagiarized, The Flintstone copied The Honeymooners, Top Cat copied Sgt. Bilko, Huckleberry Hound is Andy Griffith, Chief Wiggum is Edward G. Robinson (self aware joke and he looks over when he hears his name), Yogi Bear is Art Carney. 

During his rant Meyers Jr. asks, "Where are ideas going to come from? Her?" and points at Marge. This is a reference to the episode Itchy and Scratchy and Marge. She says "How about...Ghost Mutt?"

Krusty replaces Itchy and Scratchy with version of School House Rock. It's a musical number about an Amendment trying to ban flag burning. The Flag Protection Amendment has been floating around congress since 1995. The song mentions Ted Kennedy, he was a popular joke on The Simpsons. After the Flag Burning amendment is passed it says "Doors Open" and all the crazy gun nut laws come streaming in. Jack Sheldon (who sang the original I'm Just A Bill) does the Amendment version in this episode.

Bart and Lisa go to visit Roger Meyers Jr. at the Worst Western motel "Ask about our sheet rental" (A play on Best Western, obviously)

Roger Meyer's Jr. has he dad's frozen head in a styrofoam cooler. This is a spoof on the urban myth that Disney was cryogenically frozen. 

Bart reads Animation Legal Precedents. Lisa reads Copyright Law 1918-1923. When they can't find anything they go back to trying to get Apu out of jail and read Public Nudity: Codes and Statues.

Lester and Eliza are versions of Bart and Lisa from the Tracy Ullman shorts. Bart has an uneasy feeling about the two characters. This is a take on the Twilight Zone episode Mirror Image where people find they are being replaced by their doppelgängers from an alternate reality. 

Alex Rocco retunrs to do the voice of Roger Meyers Jr. 

Fritz The Cat was a 1972 movie by Ralph Bakshi. It is best known as the first X-rated full length animated film. 

Mr Zip, the Post Office mascot, was created in 1962 to encourage postal customers to include the new zip code that was being used nation wide to sort the mail faster. 

A Fish Called Selma

This episode premiered on March 24th 1996. The lead in program was Space: Above And Beyond and was followed by The Show.  It ran opposite the regular programs.

The title of this episode came from the 1988 movie A Fish Called Wanda

There isn't a chalkboard gag in this episode. The couch gag is a repeat of the wind up toys.

Bart and Lisa don't know what The Muppets are or who Troy McClure is. Troy McClure gets pulled over for driving without wearing his glasses, Wiggum tells him to go to the DMV to get a new license without the corrective lenses requirement, he goes to Selma's window and flirts with her and asks her out on a date. When their photo appears in the paper Troy gets a call from his agent who he hasn't spoken to in 8 years. In order to boost his career he asks Selma out for a second date. Selma light a cigarette and the whole restaurant freaks out "I said I wanted a Zima not emphysema". Selma leaves but Troy meets her in the parking lot. Troy takes Selma to the drive-in to ask her to get married, his proposal is the same as the scene from the Muppet movie playing on the screen. With his engagement Troy gets a part in the new Plant Of The Apes musical. Later Homer takes him out and they get drunk, Troy confesses that the marriage is a scam. At the marriage they ask if anyone wants to object, Homer hears Rock And Roll by Gary Glitter (who would be arrested in 1997 on pedophile charges). After the ceremony Homer tells Marge that the marriage is a scam. Parker (the agent) meets with Troy on his wedding night to tell him he has a chance to play McBain's sidekick in a new movie, however to clench the deal he has to have a kid. Marge tells Selma the truth but when she confronts Troy he convinces her to stay in the marriage. In order to secure a roll Troy needs to have a baby so he tries to get romantic with Selma, which he can't do. Troy offers to adopt a baby but Selma decides she can't be in a loveless marriage and leaves him. 

Movie for a rained-out ballgame presents. The Muppets Go Medieval staring Diane Canon, Troy McClure and The Muppets. (the title of the movie is a spoof on the line "I'm going to get medieval on your ass" from the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction)

Troy McClure's house is based on the Chemosphere, a house in Los Angeles designed by John Lautner in 1960.

Continuity error, at the first of the episode Bart and Lisa don't know who Troy McClure is but later Lisa says she remembers Troy from an educational film. 

When Homer mentions Troy McClure's fish kink Marge says he's a perfect gentleman like Bing Crosby (His kids claimed he was abusive) or JFK (who is rumored to have had numerous affairs with famous and not so famous women)

Troy McClure drives a DeLorean with a bumper sticker "Follow me to Springfield Aquarium!"

Troy McClure movies: The Greatest Story Ever Hulaed and They Came To Burgle Carnage Hall. Meet Joe Blow and Give My Remains To Broadway. The Verdict was Mail Fraud and Leper In The Backfield (there is a scene of a player catching a ball but his arm falls off). Astro Blast in Gemini 3, Incident At Noon, My Darling Beefeater. Locker room towel fight, the blinding of Larry Driscoll. Make Out King Of Montana and The Electric Gigolo (this is a reference to the 1980 Richard Gere film American Gigolo and the rumors about the gerbil). the Contrabulous Fabtraption Of Professor Horatio Hufnagel. 

McBain IV: Fatal Discharge

Fat Tony, "no, what I said was (Troy McClure) sleeps with the fishes." This is a joke about the rumors of McClure's fish kink and the line from The Godfather.

Troy takes Selma to the Pimento Grove (this is a play on The Olive Garden and Coconut Grove). Celebrity photos on the wall, Tito Puentes, Birch Barlow, Krusty, Kent Brockman, Elizabeth Taylor, Rainer Wolfcastle (although he's signed it McBain), Bette Middler, an older Frank Sinatra, Leonard Nimoy, Brad Goodman, Tom Cruise, Adam West, Dennis Franz, Barry White, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Sting, John Swartzwelder, James Woods, Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, Conan O'Brien and finally Troy McClure as the doggy door. For their second date they go to UGLI. 

Troy McClure kisses Patty on the cheek while telling the paparazzi "here's something for Page One", The next day in the Springfield Shopper on Page Ten, Troy a little Tenderness. Also "Look Who's Drunk" with a photo of Rainer Wolfcastle. 

After the wedding Troy is on the front page of the Springfield Shopper: Troy Weds. McClure ankles Obscurity.

Troy is reading Bean Bag Furniture Repair while sewing up his bean bag.

Troy's agent is MacArthur Parker (voiced by Jeff Goldblum), a spoof on the song MacArthur Park. He works at Representations "A talent agency". Troy "You haven't gotten me work in 12 years" Parker "Jury duty is work"

Route 18 Flea Market and Drive-In "Muppets go Medieval. Sat: closed for Demolition. They are the only car in the lot.

When Selma runs out of cigarettes Troy lights one of his cigars for her. This is a take on when Paul Henreid lights up two cigarettes and hands one to Bette Davis in Now Voyager.

Troy and Selma's marriage is announced on an Entertainment Tonight type of program with a John Tesh and Mary Hart characters.

When Selma moves in Troy says Jub Jub is fantastic "He's everywhere you want to be", this was a pitch line from a Visa commercial, "It's everywhere you want to be".

The musical Troy is in: Stop The Planet Of the Apes, I Want To Get Off. (the title is based on the 1968 movie Planet Of The Apes and the 1961 musical Stop The World I Want To Get Off) This episode features one of the best Simpsons songs, I hate every chimp I see, from chimpan-a to chimpan-z, and also Dr. Zaius to the tune of Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.

Springfield Botanical Gardens, McClure-Bouvier Wedding. Selma's name is Selma Bouvier Terwilliger Bouvier. In case you forgot she married Sideshow Bob.

Series regular guests at the wedding Mayor Quimby, Apu, Princess Cashmier, MacArthur Parker, Mr. Teenie (Krusty's chimp), Kent Brockman, Bumblebee Man, Krusty.

Aphrodite Inn, Welcome: Mr & Mrs Troy McClure, Cher & Contest Winner. (a joke about Cher's dating history)

Park says Troy may have a shot at a film with Hugh Grant and Rob Lowe, Troy replies "Those sick freaks?" In 1995 Grant was arrested with Divine Brown, a well known LA prostitute. The story was they were having "back door" sex. In 1988 a sex tape was leaked with Rob Lowe and a 16 year old girl.

To celebrate his potential roll in the McBain movie Troy says "I'm going to Sea World. This is both a play on the rumors about his fish fetish and the classic Super Bowl commercials where the winning quarterback says "I'm going to Disney World!"

When they put Troy's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame they pry up Buster Keaton's, Troy says Selma will have her own star next to his so  "Look out Laszlo Panaflex". This is a fictional name and the actual Panaflex camera was invented by Albert Mayer. (Albert Mayer doesn't have a star on the walk of fame btw)

Bart On The Road

This episode premiered on March 31st 1996. It ran in its usual time slot but with the lead in show, Miracles And Visions: Fact Or Fiction. A special investigating religious encounters. It ran opposite the regular programs.

The title of this episode came from the series of On The Road movies staring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

There is no chalkboard gag. The couch gag is a repeat of the pin setter.

When Skinner is checking his travel reservations to Hong Kong he discovers they made a mistake on his plane ticket. He can't afford to pay the change fee so he plans a Go To Work With Your Parents day for Friday. Lisa is going with Homer while Bart plans on staying home with Marge. Lisa convinces Marge to send Bart to the DMV to hang out with Patty and Selma. Milhouse goes to the cracker factory with his dad, he has a great time. Lisa is bored at the power plant. Martin goes with his dad to the futures market, his dad gives him $10 to invest, he buys soy futures and makes a million dollars and then loses $999,400 in two seconds. However he makes a profit of $590. Bart is bored but Selma leaves the license maker on so he makes a fake ID. With the fake ID they go to see an R rated film, Naked Lunch. When they come out Nelson says "I can think of two things wrong with that title." They go to Moe's for three beers but seeing the depressed crowd they decide to go do something else. Nelson suggests they rent a carpet shampooer. They run into Martin and his money, they decide to rent a car. Bart creates a fake Grammar Rodeo in Canada as an excuse for them being out of town for a week, Nelson just tells someone he's going away. Bart goes to the back seat while the car is on Cruise Control, they end up in a corn field. Homer is bored at work and calls home to talk to Lisa. He invites her to come to work with him. After they get out of the corn field Martin thinks they are getting near the Grammar Rodeo, this is when they realize they don't have any real plans. Martin wants to visit the bridges of Madison County. Nelson wants to go to Macon Georgia. Milhouse reads about the Worlds Fare in Knoxville TN and they decide to head there. Homer gets Lisa to help him steal from the candy machine, they get caught by Smithers but bribe him with free candy. Homer has to work the night shift and they plan to have a sleepover. When the boys get to Branson Nelson insists they go see Andy Williams and gets excited when he does Moon River for an encore. During their power plant sleepover Homer and Lisa play Truth or Dare and she confesses that she has a crush on Langdon Alger. Marge is bored so she wakes up Maggie. When the kids arrive at the World's Fair they find it's been shut down for a decade and is now the home of the Knoxville Wig Outlet. Martin spends their last $10 on an Al Gore doll "You are hearing me talk". Nelson throws a rock at the Sun Sphere and knocks it over, it crashes into their car destroying it. Martin wants to call their parents. Nelson sells Milhouse's glasses for $600 but he knocks over a stack of antique Coke bottles and the owner takes back the money. They throw their suitcases on a train in hopes of hopping on but it speeds up and leaves them behind. Bart calls home and talks to Lisa, he confesses all and asks her to help him get home. She tells him to get a job as a courier. His first job is taking eyeballs to Hong Kong where Skinner is eating at the airport. The second job is taking 500 Big Macs to Marlin Brandow's island. In order to find something to send to Springfield Lisa tells Homer what is going on so he orders a new control panel for the power plant under the name Langdon Auger. When Bart gets home he lies about the Grammar Rodeo, Homer and Lisa are mad but Marge is happy the full family is back together. That night Marge gets a call from Skinner who wants to know if Bart has ever been to Hong Kong, then from the Tennessee state police calling about the rental car, and then from the courier service who needs a kidney delivered to Amsterdam. Homer tries to keep from laughing out loud. 

Skinner is flying SkyAmeriWestica airlines. He wanted a center seat, no Kosher meal, and his flight is booked for Friday the 12th instead of Saturday the 13th. (This happened to me once but my boss gave me the extra day off, turns out it was a good thing because a freak snowstorm shut down the airport on Saturday.) To make the changes he requests will cost him $7830

The address of Springfield Elementary is 19 Plympton Street. 

The calendar on the wall of Skinner's office has the actual dates for April of 1996. Spring Break is the 15th through the 19th.

The form Skinner send home says Homemaker is not allowed since you don't get paid for it and it's not considered real work. 

When Milhouse and his dad go to see where they make the peanut butter cracker sandwiches at the cracker factory they hop on fire poles and the Batman cutaway song plays.

At the DMV they have a Minit-License machine, it only takes a minute to make a license but 3 to 6 weeks before they send it to you. Just like in real life. 

Bart's drivers license: B47U89RE243, Birthdate 02-11-70, Male, 4'0 blue eyes, 85 pounds. This would have made him 26 although Milhouse says he's 25.

Bart listens to Radar Love by Golden Erring, Milhouse starts playing with the dials until Nelson hits him. 

When Homer is putting lights in the map of power plants around the country Diablo Canyon II keeps burning out. The second reactor was built wrong and is at risk from an earthquake but the regulatory commission let them go on line anyhow. It was the center focus for anti nuclear protestors. 

The Knoxville World's Fair ran from May to October of 1982. The Sun Sphere is still standing and is a tourist attraction, you can go to the top. 

Branson shows: Waylong Jennings and Madam (a spoof of Waylon Flowers and Madam the ventriloquist act), Up With White People, Ferl Dixon and the Second Helping Boys, Phantom of the Opry, Minnie Pearl Jam (a combination of Minnie Pearl and Pearl Jam), Lurleen Lumpkin & Pip Diddler (Both seen in the episode Colonel Homer), Alabamamania (The band Alabama), Andy Williams "Wow! He's Still Got It" -Look Magazine

In the episode $pringfield Nelson is excited to see Robert Goulet and in this one it's Andy Williams.

During their sleepover Homer makes a prank call to Moe's asking for Mr. Ura Snotball but he gets confused and thinks Moe is prank calling him. 

Entering Tennessee "Tennesseein' is Tennebelievin'"

The kids go to the pawn shop Hocksville Tennessee. 

Knoxville Bonded Courier Service (Wait, there's nothing funny about that name, never mind)

Homer operates T-437 Safety Command Console. When Oak Ridge tells him their computer shows his operating normally he dumps cola all over it shorting it out. They panic and send him an emergency one. 

In the episode Cape Feare Homer smokes an oversized cigar from the Knoxville World's Fair.

22 Short Films About Springfield

This episode premiered on April 14th, 1996. The lead in show was The Clio Awards (advertising awards)and followed by The Show. It ran opposite Lois And Clark, 60 Minutes and Mad About You.

The title of this episode came from the movie 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould and the plot is based on the anthology movies like New York Stores and Pulp Fiction.

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the Sea Monkeys.

Story One, Bart and Milhouse are spitting on cars from an overpass and they start taking about the various stories going in in Springfield. 

Story Two, Apu in "The Jolly Bengali." Apu goes to his brother's party. He eats a raw tofu dog, chugs a beer, dances, has sex, falls in the pool and then rushes back to the store, all within 5 minutes. He locked Moleman in the store. 

Delicious Gum Chew Some Today

Apron at Hindu party. "In my next life you're cooking me. He's making tofu dogs.

Story Three, Bart throws gum, that he bought from Apu, in Lisa's hair, Marge tries peanut butter and mayo and has Lisa sit in the sun where she attracts bees. Part Two: Ned comes by and suggests trying to freeze the gum and knocking it out with a hammer, then Willie shows up and says it has to be chewed out. The Sea Captain suggests a Baltic squid. Otto takes a photo for Fangoria Magazine, Dr. Hibbert offers the name of a good Gum And Hair man. Sideshow Mel says don't use a bone (he always has a bone in his hair), Lionel Hutz shows up and suggests suing Bazooka Joe. Uter says his father is the foreman of the Dusseldorf gum works. The Central City Goofball honks his horn. Other characters that show up, Kent Brockman, Leopold, Dr. Colossus. Dancing Pete, Mayor Quimby, Airline Pilot, Lenny. Part Three: Lisa goes to Snippy Longstockings, after getting the gum cut out and her hair styled she leaves, but Nelson laughs at her. 

There is a radio commercial for Gorman Ear Guards, "GUARD YOUR EARS!"

Story Five, One of the bees from Lisa's hair goes flying around Springfield and ends up in Mr. Smithers's glasses.

Story Six, Mr. Burns and Smithers are out for a bike ride, Smithers is doing all the peddling. He gets stung by a bee and has an allergic reaction. Burns forces Smithers to pedal himself to the hospital by insulting and yelling at him. When the get tot he hospital they rush Burns inside and leave Smithers on the pavement. Dr. Nick comes by and diagnoses him as needing booze and throws money at him.

Burns is ready Auto-Gyro Enthusiast magazine.

Story Seven, Dr. Nick is up in front of the medical review board. There are 160 charges against him. Grandpa goes nuts in the emergency room and has a scalpel. Dr. Nick diagnoses him as having Boneus Eruptus where your skeleton tries to jump out of your body. He orders a trans-dental electromicide, he needs a golf cart engine with 1000 volt capacity but instead just breaks off two wires from a lamp and electrocutes Grandpa. The medical board drops the charges so he offers free nose jobs for everyone. Jasper wants a Van Heflin (a 1940's movie actor).

Story Eight, Moe has NASA tabulate Barney's bar tab. It comes to $14 billion, all Barney has is $2000 cash so Moe takes it, just then Snake busts in and robs the place. Snake tells Moe if he moves a muscle he'll blow Barney's head off, so Moe crawls into his panic room. However Snake just opens the register and takes the cash, Moe starts to run out of air. 

Moe says Barney owes him $70 billion but then says "that's for the Voyage space craft", a pair of deep space probes that flew by Jupiter and eventually Pluto. 

When Snake gets the money he says "goodbye student loan payments". This joke is still relevant.

Story Nine. Chalmers has lunch at Skinner's house. Skinner burns the roast and when Chalmers asks about the smoke Skinner claims he's making steamed clams, but instead runs across the street to Krusty Burgers. Chalmers asks about the steamed clams and Skinner claims he said "steamed hams" which is regional upstate New York expression for hamburgers. Chalmers says he's from Utica and never heard it, Skinner claims it's more of an Albany thing. Meanwhile the kitchen is in flames and Skinner claims it's the Aurora Borealis. (the plot of this story comes from the 1981 film My Dinner With Andre)

"steam a good ham" has become slang for a job well done.

Story Ten. Homer goes to buy a paper but accidentally leaves Maggie in the newspaper rack. He can't get her out because he put all his change on the railroad track to flatten it. He tries to pull her out but rips off her onesie. Homer writes a note and pins it to SLH's collar but it's written in squeeze cheese so the dog eats it instead. "Follow me to trapped baby". Homer gives up and brings the paper machine home with him.

Springfield Shopper headline "Helms Calls For Donut Tax". Jesse Helms was a conservative senator from North Carolina.  "Deadbeat Dad Beat Dead" (Seen after Homer leaves Maggie in the paper machine)

The spray cheese is called Cheesey Does It.

Story Eleven. Wiggum and the other cops are eating at Krusty Burger. They have a Pulp Fiction type of discussion about McDonalds in Shelbyville, none of them had heard of the place before. Part Two, Wiggum goes out for donuts but sees Snake who runs him over, they crash into Herman's basement, he pulls a gun on them. Part Three, Herman thinks that Zed is buzzing in but it's Kirk and Milhouse, who is now desperate to use the restroom. Kirk sees Snake and Wiggums tied up and tries to make small talk about when the place was a pet store. Herman points his gun at Kirk but just then Milhouse comes out swinging a mace and accidentally knocks out Herman. Wiggum, still tied up, flees the store. (The plot of this story is taken from the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction)

Story Fourteen, Bumblebee Man goes home but it's just like an episode of his show. On his show he disguises himself as a tree to spy on the nude beach but is attacked by a woodpecker, then a guy plugs his spaghetti into a wall socket and electrocutes him. Then he gets hit by a giant baseball. At home he opens a cabinet and oranges rain down on him, causing him to fall backwards, land on the ironing board which springs him into the hanging lights. The whole house collapses and his wife demands a divorce. 

Story Fifteen, Reverend Lovejoy is letting his dog poop on Ned's lawn and gets caught, he condemns the dog loudly, while quietly encouraging it. Ned heads next door, which leads to part two of Lisa's story.

Story Sixteen, Cletus The Slack-Jawed Yokel. He has a theme song. He finds some boots for Brandien off the power lines but she doesn't want them because they'll scuff up the strip club dance floor. 

Story Seventeen, Milhouse needs to use the restroom but Comic Book Guy won't let him unless he buys something. He buys a Hamburgerler Adventure Comic for 75¢ but then his father comes in and drags him out before he uses the bathroom. This leads to part three of Wiggum's story.

Story Eighteen. Nelson laughs at Lisa, part three of her story, and then goes around laughing at people so a big man makes him pull down his pants and walk down the street while everyone else laughs at him. In the crows are Disco Stu, Barney, Jasper, Martin, Mrs. Glick, Chief Wiggum, Eddie and Lou, Lunch Lady Doris, Chalmers, Ms. Hoover and then Bart and Milhouse throw condiments on him. 

Story Nineteen, It's suppose to be about Professor Frink but he shows up late due to the monkeys. "The Tomfoolery Of Professor John Frink. He also makes up his own theme song.  This is the first time we see his first name.

At then end of the episode Bart makes the comment "I guess there isn't enough time to hear them all". I revised my count, splitting up the various parts of the stories and can only come up with 19, if you count Bart and Milhouse talking at the end it's still only 20.

Continuity error, the Milhouse story is occurring at the same time Bart and Milhouse are spitting off the overpass.

Raging Abe Simpsons and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse Of The Flying Hellfish'

This episode premiered on April 28th 1996. The lead in show was When Animals Attack and it was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and Mad About You. 

The title of this episode comes from Saturday Morning Serial movies and the Marvel comics Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. (This gives The Simpsons a link to the Marvel universe)

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the floor drain.

It's Grandparents' day at school, Milhouse's grandfather travels around in his RV. Nelson's grandfather is a judge who just sentenced his 47th man to death. Abe starts telling one of his wild stories. "In nineteen dickity two". Grandpa embarrass Bart with his wild stories. At the home Abe gets a letter from the Fighting Hellfish telling him Asa Phillips has died, the fortune is almost his. Abe Simpson and Montgomery Burns are the last two surviving members. Burns tells Smithers to have Abe killed. The hired assassin puts poison in Abe's denture glass and sets his clock ahead but Abe knocks them over and shoves the clock in his mouth. The assassin dressed up as Homer and Burns as Marge, when the assassin misses with the knife he says "d'oh, not again" Smithers walks by dressed as Bart and says "I'll be in the car dudes". The assassin finally busts into the nursing home and starts shooting the place up, the desk nurse returns fire with a shotgun. Abe heads to Homer's house, nobody believes his story. Grandpa shows Bart his tattoo and the story of his service in WWII, the Hellfish find a catch of art and Burns wants to steal them.  Burns proposes a Tontine, an agreement that the last man standing gets the paintings. Bart doesn't believe Abe until Burns cuts his way into the house and demands the key, grandpa turns it over. Bart tries to go along but Burns shoves him off and then crashes through Lisa's wall. Bart stole the keys from Burns and they set off to find the treasure. At the Hellfish memorial Abe turns all the keys and a light shines out into the harbor, Abe steals Ned's boat. Bart dives down and finds the treasure crate but just then the Hellfish light goes out and Burns shows up with a gun. When he gets the paintings he shoves Bart in the crate and pushes him overboard, Able has to dive down and save him. When Abe starts to gain on Burns he makes Smithers jump overboard to lighten the load. Abe shoots a harpoon into Burns' boat and waterskis up on to it, they crash onto the beach. Abe kicks him out of the Tontine but just then the State Department shows up and seizes the paintings. The show ends with a military style version of the closing theme.

This show has the longest title of a Simpsons episode, to date. 

Springfield Elementary Banner "Grandparents' Day A Low-Cost Outing For Seniors"

Burns hires Fernando Vidal, the world's most devious assassin. When Burns calls the assassin he says "It's MB", the assassin thinks it's Marion Barry, the disgraced mayor of Washington D.C. He asks if it's time for another shipment, Barry was caught snorting coke off hookers.

In the ever changing Simpsons back yard fence this time there is an alley, stairs leading an incline and a dumpster. Bart has suggested letting Abe stay in the dumpster.

The Fighting Hellfish, Abe Simpson, Iggy Wiggum, Sheldon Skinner, Arnie Gumble, Griff, Asa, Ox and Etch, and Montgomery Burns. Ox died from a hernia moving the crate of paintings out of the castle, 5 more died in the Veteran's float disaster of '79, Asa died of old age.

Dirty joke, Burns got busted to private when he "obstructed a probe from J. Edgar Hoover". It was revealed that Hoover was a crossdresser so the "probe" was probably....well you get it.

Grandpa is working as a sniper about to shoot Hitler and says "now they'll never save your brain". This is a reference to the 1968 movie They Saved Hitler's Brain (Madmen of Mandoras).

The things Bart passes when he dives for the treasure, a number of sunken life preservers, a school of three eyed fish, a skeleton in an upside-down kayak, an old Fotomat with "Class of '78 Rules" graffiti. For the century kids in the crowd, Fotomats were drive up kiosk booths where you would drop off your photography film and then come back the next day for your developed prints.

The paintings are returned to Baron von Wortzenburger. The paintings seen in the episode, according to the internet, are Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael, Madonna and Child by Botticelli. And Burns also mentions Monet and Botticelli.

Woo Hoo! We've reached episode 150. Yeah, there are 600+ to go but I like hitting even numbers.