The Simpsons 156-160

The Homer They Fall

This episode premiered on November 10th 1996. The lead in program was a repeat of The Simpsons and it was followed by The X Files. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Touched By An Angel and Boston Common.

The title and plot of this episode is based on the 1956 movie The Harder They Fall.

The chalkboard gag is "I am not my long-lost twin" and the couch gag is the family is in a western setting and the couch tries to buck them off. 

The episode starts with the family going to see the Memories of Bonanza: The Mall Show. Two actors who played Native American on the series show up and say that they were always trying to kill the Cartwrights but Father Time took care of it for them, the crowd boos. Marge comments that there were three Indians last year. Comic Book Guy is at the electronic store trying to return an utility belt that he got at a convention, it's a medium and really doesn't fit him. Bart buys it from him for $4 however the school bullies steal it from him. When Homer finds out he calls the bullie's fathers who meet him at the bar, they try to beat him up but he keeps taking hits including a pool cue across the skull. Moe chases them off because they don't want to pay for the two drink minimum. Moe gets Homer involved in the underground fighting circuit. Marge insists Homer go to a doctor and then adds "competent doctor". Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Homer with Homer Simpson Syndrome in which his brain is protected by a layer of fluid. Moe's strategy is to let the other fighters punch Homer until they get tired and then he can just push them over. Lucius shows up at Moe's office and wants to set up a fight to celebrate Drederick Tatum's release, he went to prison for pushing his mother down a flight of stairs. Lucius wants Homer to survive three rounds, so the fans can get drunk before the fight is over. The night of the fight Marge insists that Moe throw in the towel the minute Homer is in danger, instead he throws it in the trash can. When Moe tells Homer to visualizing winning the fight he sees a fantasy where Tatum drops dead from a congenital heart defect. When the fight gets brutal Moe runs away. Just as Tatum goes to knock Homer out Moe swoops in with the Fan Man's flying rig and saves him. Lucius pays Moe $100,000 for the fight, Moe says "I don't need your stinkin' money" then fold up the check and puts it in his pocket. Moe flies off and we see a montage of him saving people, a flood in India, A guy in a volcano, spraying a fire extinguisher on a forest fire and dropping care packages. People Who Need People by Barbara Streisand is played during the closing credits instead of The Simpsons theme.

The movie The Harder They Fall was Humphrey Bogart's last film. It also featured professional boxer Max Baer, father of Max Baer jr. who played Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Michael Buffer does his own voice as the ringside announcer. 

This is the first episode to mention Lucius Sweet by name. They describe him as looking like Don King and is just as rich. He first appeared in the background of the episode Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment.

The chalkboard gag comes just two episodes after the Treehouse Of Horror episode where Bart had a conjoined twin named Hugo. The couch gag is only the second to take place outside of the living room, the first was the David Letterman set.

Mall Stores: Simply Shoes, And Athletic Equipment, And Activewear / Miscellaneous, Etc. / Phineas Q. Butterfat's 5600 Flavors of Ice Cream Parlor / One Size Fits All Lingerie. 

Moe's boxing names, Kid Gorgeous, Kid Presentable, Kid Gruesome and finally Kid Moe. 

Banner at Moe's: Boxing Tonight "Cruelest Of Sports"-Newsday. 

Boxers Homer fights: Boxcar Bob, Boxcar Fred, Switchyard Sullivan, Boxcar Fritz, Sunffy, Manny The Mooch, Soupcan Sam, Boxcar Ira.

In one of the fighting scenes a guy falls through the ropes while Homer stands there. This is based on the painting Dempsey Through The Ropes by George Bellows.

Association of Springfield Semi-Pro Boxers, AssBox.

Millionaire Boxing Magazine "Drederick Tatum: Why Such Rage?

Continuity Error, Homer doesn't know who Drederick is even though he's been featured regularly throughout the series.

Springfield Shopper headline, Champ To Whale On Local Man

The fight is titled Tatum vs. Simpson, The Payback.

Signs at the boxing venue: Championship Boxing Tasteful Attire Prohibited / Lost Entourage Members Report To Room 31

Stars at the fight: Rainer Wolfcastle, Kent Brockman, Fat Tony, The Fan Man (a notorious individual who use to fly into various events but mostly boxing matches), Krusty, Charlie Sheen. The fight doctor is Dr. Nick.

Tatum's entrance music is Time 4 Sum Aksion by Redman, Homer's is Why Can't We Be Friends by War. 

Homer's boxing nickname is The Brick Hithouse, referencing a vulgar slang term. 

Advertiser banners at the fight, Krustyburger, Kwik-E-Mart, Assassin Shoes, Buzz Cola, Laramie Cigarettes, Duff beer. 

Tatum's robe says Mr. Armageddon, Homer's says Opponent. 

"Due to popular demand we'll forgo our National Anthem"

Moe mentions that he's wearing Farah slacks. You can still buy them.

Burns, Baby Burns

This episode premiered on November 17th, 1996. The lead in show was Married With Children and the follow up was Ned And Stacey. It ran opposite Lois And Clark, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun. 

The title of the episode originated when disk jockey Magnificent Montague used it to describe popular records. During 1965, known as The Long Hot Summer,  people at the Watts Riot chanted Burn Baby Burn as buildings were torched.

There isn't a chalkboard gag and the couch gag is the Simpsons float in as soap bubbles and then pop one by one. 

The Simpsons go to the old Cider Mill, during the seventh game of the World Series. Homer tries to sneak off but gets caught by the Flanders. Ned starts taking about cider and Homer's brain sneaks out, he collapses on the floor. Meanwhile in New Haven Burns is coming back from the Yale/Harvard game (Harvard barely even won). Burns is riding in his private antique car attached to the back of a Amtrak train. They get delayed because there is a couch on the track at Waynesport. Larry is running a roadside souvenir stand and tries to sell stuff to the people on the train, there he spots Burns and recognizes him from an old photo, he asks the conductor where the train is going and starts hitching. The Simpsons pass him, Marge and Homer get into an argument about picking him up and get all the way home before Homer decides to do it and turns around to go back and get him. Larry asks if they know Burns and they all tell him about their various encounters, and then drop him off at Burns' house. Burns takes in Larry and puts him to work with Homer at the nuclear plant. Burns tries to get Larry into Yale but the admission officer tells him that he'd have to donate an airport. Larry invites Homer to dinner so Burns asks him about Bart, Homer tells Burns how Bart always drags Milhouse over (self aware joke). Larry is upset that Burns doesn't like him so Homer convinces him to do a phony kidnapping. Marge finds the family in the basement and sees the news report about the kidnapping, she insists that Homer take him back. Meanwhile the Channel 6 helicopter just happens to be over the Simpson's house and spots them. Homer and Larry run into a costume shop, a guy dressed as an ape and an organ grinder come out, then the shop owner goes to the restroom where Homer and Larry are hiding and kicks them out. They go to the movie theater to hide out. They harass Moleman, the only other guy in the theater, he calls the cops. The news shows Homer being shot in front of the theater, but it's a computer simulation, then they show Homer dying in a baseball barrage. Larry and Homer run to the roof but get caught on the marquee. Larry confesses that the kidnapping was fake. Homer gives a speech about his annoying kids. Burns admits he can't be the father Larry wants, however Larry realizes that he should go home to his own family and then a party breaks out. 

Rodney Dangerfield does a guest voice as Larry Burns. During the show he says he gets no regard or esteem. This is a spoof on his famous catchphrase "I get no respect"

Mt. Swartzwelder Historic Cider Mill "Now 40% Quainter!" John Swartzwelder is a writer for The Simpsons. The old cider mill was first mentioned in the episode Bart's Inner Child.

Marge mentions the seventh game of the World Series however in 1996 the series was wrapped up in 6 with the Yankees beating the Braves 4 to 2.

When Larry tries to find out where the train is going the conductor shouts "Springfield", Larry asks what state and as the conductor is answering the train whistle blows. 

Burns has a painting of Angus Burns in his library. 

Burns graduated from Yale in 1914 which would mean he was born in 1890 thus making him 106 in this episode. Larry would be 57. 

Larry's mother is Lily Bancroft. 

Burns and Lilly go to see Gone With The Wind and then sneak into the Peabody Museum Of Natural History, Larry was conceived at the Eskimo exhibit, with the janitor watching. Larry was left in an orphanage until he was 18 and then got a job at the souvenir stand. The Peabody Museum is a real place at Yale University.

Burns has a "Play room" where they are putting on Death Of A Salesman. He yells at the actors that the show was suppose to close a week ago.

When Marge gets tired of hearing about Larry Homer says "why, it's not like anything interesting happened to anyone else today" Cut to Bart holding a diamond, Lisa with her arm in a cast and Maggie wearing a Cutest Baby sash.

The Aztec head is still in the basement along with Homer's Santa suit from the episode Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire

While fleeing the cops Homer attempts to hide in an abandon warehouse but it's full of people working, he says "stupid economic recovery". 1996 was the height of the Clinton economy.

Name of the costume shop, Springfield Costume Shop, the writers had really given up on the clever signs. Costumes in the shop window, Krusty, Ballerina, Spaceman. 

Movie at the Aztec Theater: Olympia Dukakis * Bo Derek In Too Many Grandmas!

The party scene at the end of the movie is a spoof on Caddyshack. 

Bart After Dark

This episode premiered on November 24th 1996. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programs.

The title of the episode comes from the 1961 movie Hollywood After Dark aka Walk The Angry Beach.

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a take on The Beatles album cover for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with the main characters making up the background (For a full list check out Wikipedia, on a quick side note they have the jello from the episode There's No Disgrace Like Homer but it's not listed on Wikipedia.)

The kids are watching Itchy And Scratchy when they cut to a special report about an oil tanker running aground on Baby Seal Beach, the captain was drunk. Lisa bugs Marge to go to help with the cleanup so  Homer and Bart are left home alone. At the beach Lisa finds out that the animals have all been reserved for celebrities and all that is left is rock scrubbing. The house is such a mess that Homer and Bart make garbage angels. Bart decides to go to the park where he finds Milhouse flying his model plane, Nelson takes control and forces Martin and Ralph to jump off their paddle boat, almost crashes into Burns but is deflected by Smithers and it lands on the roof of a creepy house. Bart climbs a tree up onto the roof but nearly falls off, breaking a gargoyle in the process. A woman catches him and drags him home, she is greeted by Homer wearing a paper bag. The woman threatens to talk to Marge if Homer won't do anything so he takes Bart back and makes him do chores until the gargoyle is paid for. Bart finds out that the house is really a burlesque theater and casino. Bart ends up working the door, first Grandpa shows up, turns around and go back out but then comes back in. When Marge finds out that the beach cleaners are having kelp burgers and watching Johnny Arvik the Eskimo comedian she takes off. Mel Zetz, the burlesque comedian, can't show up so Bart has to take his place on stage, he doesn't really get the dirty jokes. When Homer realizes Bart's dinner is getting cold, and eaten, he goes to find him and discovers what the Mason Derriere is really all about. Skinner shows up to see Roxanne and is greeted by Bart, he claims he was looking for the Air and Space Museum. He tips off the religious crowd so the Lovejoys and Flanders show up to tell Homer about Bart, just as Marge shows up. When Marge gets mad at Homer he says he was just doing what she would have done and it's really her fault. Marge goes to the Mason to ask them to shut down and move away. She then goes to the town meeting to complain about the Burlesque House. The town forms a mob to go tear the place down. When they start to destroy the house Homer starts giving a speech that turns into a musical number. Everyone decides to leave the House but Marge shows up with a bulldozer and accidentally crashes into it. Bart makes Marge pay off the damage by doing a ventriloquist act, when her joke flops Homer shouts "take it off" and Bart bounces him. 

This episode was a take on the stage musical and movie The Best Little Whore House In Texas.

While watching TV it goes off because the V Chip blocks Itchy And Scratchy. Homer grabs the remote and turns it back on for the kids. V Chips were a parental tool to keep kids from watching adult content shows. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show Good Cats Bad Choices. Scratchy is on a talkshow about how Itchy mistreats him, the subtitles say Scratchy is about to be slashed when Itchy walks out with a broken bottle, however the channel cuts to a special report.

The oil tanker running aground story was a take on the Exxon Valdez Alaskan disaster in 1989 . Joe Hazelwood, the captain of that ship, was accused of being drunk. In the episode The Sea Captain is steering the ship and is clearly drunk.

The celebrities doing cleanup at Baby Seal Beach, Rainer Wolfcastle and Xoxchitla (she was seen in the episode Marge Be Not Proud)

Bart and Homer watch the World Series Of Bumper Cars from the Hapsburg Imperial Palace, aka the Hofburg in Vienna.

The house is called the Mason Derriere. That translates to the Butt House or House of Butt if you want it to be a little more classy. 

At the beach the man in charge is driving a Begley 2000, this is a spoof on Ed Begley jr. and his push for electric cars. 

The TV has a commercial that says "It's 11:00 o'clock, do you know where your children are?" Homer says no. This is a take from the 60's when cities started imposing strict curfews and New York late night talk show host Tom Gregory would start his program by asking "It's 10 PM, do you know where your children are?" This became a popular PSA slogan.

At the burlesque Princess Cashmere is doing a fan dance. The act was created by dancer Faith Bacon in Paris in the 1920's. 

Springfield Town Hall sign Tonight: Town Meeting. Tomorrow: Town Meeting Bloopers

Marge has a slideshow of men coming out of the Burlesque House, Dr. Hibbert, Wiggum, Skinner (Chalmers shouts "Skinner!"), Patty (hints of things to come), Cleetus, Barney (When nobody shouts out his name in shock Moe does it), Smithers (although he doesn't look happy because his parents made him do it), Quimby. 

When Homer convinces the mob to spare the house Reverend Lovejoy calls it a Very Very Very Nice House. This is from the Crosby Stills And Nash song Our House.

We Put The Spring In Springfield is probably one of the top Simpson Original songs. 

A Milhouse Divided

This episode premiered on December 1st 1996. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programming except for Vanessa Williams and Friends: Christmas in New York on ABC.

The title is from the Book of Matthew in the Bible, "a house divided against itself will not stand". Lincoln paraphrased the quote for his speech about the pending Civil War.

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is Bart is in green so Homer adjusts the TV set, Bart is then red so Homer smacks him and he returns to his normal yellow color.

Marge is unhappy that they eat while watching TV so she decides to throw a proper dinner party. Everyone dresses up nicely for the party except for Homer who is in his underwear and playing with his slot cars. The party is ruined when the Van Houtens make snide comments at each other. They then play Pictionary and the Van Houtens get into a fight. Luanne asks for a divorce in front of everyone. Marge blames it on the North Korean fortune cookies, "You are a coward". Luanne packs up all of Kirk's stuff and sets it on fire. Kirk gets fired from the cracker family because a single guy is bad for their family oriented business, and his father in law owns the place. Luanne starts dating Chase from American Glaiators, aka Pyro. Marge goes out with Luanne but Homer doesn't want to go. He goes to Moe's and runs into Kirk and the woman he's dating, who steals Kirk's car. Kirk tells Homer how he missed all the signs which makes Homer start worrying about his own marriage, when he gets home he finds hot dogs defrosting in the sink. Homer overcompensates by getting season tickets to the theater, trying to make ocean sounds while Marge is sleeping and sneaking into the beauty salon to cut her hair. Marge gets mad and tells Homer to go away so he heads to the courthouse. Homer surprises Marge with a second wedding with all their friends and family, and to make sure it's done right he got a divorce. Marge and Homer get married again, Kirk sings his song to Luanne and tries to get her to take him back but she refuses and Chase kicks him out. A lounge version of the theme song plays over the credits. 

The couch gag is based on the original reason the Simpsons were yellow. When the show premiered you could still adjust the color on your set manually, Groening imagined people seeing the characters were yellow would try to adjust their sets to get them to a more pinkish color. 

Homer is reading Hot Lotto Picks Weekly magazine. He imagined his married life would be driving around in a van solving mysteries like Scooby Doo.

The Simpsons go to Stoner's Pot Palace to buy new cookware, Otto comes out and claims the sign is false advertising. 

Marge washes the toilet seats in the dish washer. Ewww.

Homer mentions the comic strip Love Is..., "about two naked 8 year olds who are married." The comics were created by Kim Casali about her relationship with her husband Roberto. 

Kirk moves in to Casa Nova, A Transitional Place For Singles. 

Marge serves Southern Cracker "The dryyyyy cracker"

The original American Gladiator ran from 1989 to 1996. 

Luanne and Chase want to take Homer and Marge to see Spaulding Gray. He told stories about what it was like to be a stage actor. He passes away in 2004.

Kirk tries to become a singer with his original song "Can I Borrow A Feeling".

Homer flashes back on their marriage, this time its the original story about going to Shotgun Pete's. 

Homer takes Marge to Carvel's Ice Cream for her wedding reception and gets her a Whale of a Wife cake. 

Homer gets tickets to the theater's entire season, Mostly Madrigal (14th century a cappella songs). An evening with Phillip Glass (piano composer). Voices Of The Elderly Poor. 

The hair salon Marge goes to is The Perm Bank. 

Homer's last fling at single life involves scratching his butt and belching. 

The Larry Davis Experience play at the second wedding, complete with the Doobie Brothers saxophone player. 

Lisa's Date With Destiny

This episode premiered on December 15th, 1996. It ran in its usual time slot except the lead in program was The Tick. It ran opposite the usual programs.

There is no chalkboard gag (at the opening) and the couch gag is the living room is upside down and the family falls off the couch and onto the ceiling. 

Chalmers shows up at the Springfield Grade School to show off his new 1979 Honda Accord. He's shocked to discover someone has stolen the H off the front of the car. He and Skinner try to steal the H off a Hyundai but get caught by Kerney. Homer buys a donut with sprinkles but instead he's covered it with candy, Apu kicks him out. As he's leaving the Kwik-E-Mart he sees the cops busting up a telemarking scam and throwing out the auto dialer. Skinner does a locker search but can't find the H until the back of Nelson's locker falls out and they find all his stolen stuff. Nelson is sentenced to do a week of janitorial work. While watching Nelson spray Willie with the hose Lisa gets caught and is sent to detention. Nelson sees Lisa doing a chalkboard punishment, he tells her to use the staff liner, five chalks in a holder, to get done quicker. Lisa starts to develop a crush on Nelson, she confesses to Milhouse, who gets stuck in the friend zone. Lisa asks Milhouse to pass a note to Nelson, it says "guess who likes you" and Nelson beats up Milhouse. The only money Homer gets from his phone scam is from Grandpa and Jasper. Lisa invites Nelson over to the house, Bart warns her about dating a bully. Homer's auto dialer calls Professor Frink who recognizes the AT-5000 Auto Dialer, he punches in a code to have it return to him but Homer catches it and breaks off the wheels. Lisa goes to Nelson's house, when she finds a guitar she asks him to sing a song so he sings "Joy to the world, the teachers dead". Lisa realizes that Nelson is trouble but Marge tells her that you have to change a man. Lisa makes Nelson change his clothes and they go to the observatory. Lisa starts talking about the stars and Nelson kisses her to shut her up. They get caught by the other bullies who make fun of him. The thugs invite him to go throw rancid coleslaw at Skinner's house, but he decides to stay with Lisa. Homer's auto dialer is keeping the Flanders awake. Nelson shows up to help throw coleslaw at Skinner's house but the cops show up so they run off. Nelson goes to Lisa to hide out, he claims he wasn't there and is being framed. The cops bust into the Simpsons house and Wiggum opens fire, he shoots the auto dialer but tells Homer to bring the machine with him or they wouldn't have any evidence. Nelson lets it slip that he "did something in the birdbath" at Skinner's house. Lisa decides to break up with him since he lied. Lisa runs into Milhouse as she is walking home, when he finds out that they broke up he's extra happy. The show ends with the autodialer calling people to apologize for Homer's scam and asks them to send him a dollar if they accept his apology. 

Continuity error, Skinner says he plans to buy a car as soon as he finishes paying off his mother for all the food he ate as a child, however there have been several episodes where he shows up in a car including Bart's Comet where the kids pelt his car with rocks.

Burns' office number is 555-0001

The grade school band play list: Mary Had A Little Lamb, Pop Goes The Weasel and Jimmy Crack Corn. If there is a call for an encore they'll play Pop Goes The Weasel again. This is a continuity error because in the episode The PTA Has Disbanded Pop Goes The Weasel was the forbidden song. 

Lisa's detention is writing "I will not be a snickerpuss" on the chalkboard, a take on the chalkboard gag. In a self aware joke she says "how does Bart do this every week?" even though there hadn't been a chalkboard gag in a while. 

Lisa calls Nelson a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest. This is a paraphrase of the line from the movie JFK. 

Signs on Nelson's wall: Bomb the Arabs and take their oil. Bomb the Indians and take their casinos, Nuke the Whales. Nuke The Whales was a 1979 song by a punk group called The Fleshapoids. 

When Lisa and Nelson go to the observatory it is based on the Griffith Observatory complete with an LA style view of Springfield. This is a take on the movie Rebel Without A Cause.

Krusty Burger Inc. Coleslaw. 144 Individual Servings. Best before Feb 1994. This was two years after this episode aired and 29 years ago from now. 

Yea! I've made it to episode 160. The end is in site, well the end of season 8, well not the end of season 8 but the end of the 1996 episodes. I've still got a long way to go to get through the whole series.