The Simpsons 176-180

Homer's Enemy

This episode premiered on May 4th 1997. The lead in show was World's Greatest Animal Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. The show ran opposite The ABC Sunday Night Movie (Forrest Gump), Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun. 

The chalkboard and couch gag are both repeats.

Mr. Burns is watching Kent Brockman's "Kent's People" which features a man named Frank Grimes. Burns wants to hire Grimes as his Executive Vice President but changes his mind when he sees a show about a dog that rescues a child from getting hit by a car and then shoves a criminal into the oncoming car. Marge is trying to pick out a personalize license plate but all the versions of her name are taken, Bart gets bored and goes to a tax auction, he ends up buying an abandon warehouse for a dollar. Homer calls Grimes "Grimy" which Frank hates, eats his special lunch and chews up his personalized pencils. Homer has a 5-13 emergency but just pours water on the control panel until it shorts out. Grimes gets mad at Homer's laziness and recklessness. He saves Homer from drinking acid but gets in trouble with Burns when the acid destroys a wall, he declares Homer his enemy. Homer goes to Moe who suggests inviting Frank over for dinner and then stabbing him with a fork, Homer decides to just do the dinner. Homer tricks Grimes to come to dinner to become friends but he gets mad because Homer has such a nice house and his collection of photos featuring President Ford (Two Bad Neighbors), Smashing Pumpkins (Homerpalooza), the Be Sharps getting a Grammy from David Crosby (Homer's Barbershop Quartet) and in space (Deep Space Homer). Grimes says Homer is everything that is wrong with America, the next day Homer doesn't want to go to work, Marge suggests that he be more professional so he eats donuts with a fork and knife. Grimes decides to trick Homer into entering a contest for kids to build a model power plant, as he is laughing at his scheme Homer back into his car and drives off. Bart hires Milhouse to be his night watchman, later the whole building collapses. Milhouse watched it collapse and all the rats head to Moe's. At Mr. Burns's nuclear plant contest Ralph shows up with a Malibu Stacy Dream House with the word Nuclear written across the top. Martin shows up with an actual working power plant but Burns says it's too cold and sterile. Homer shows up with a model of the existing plant but adds racing strip and fins and wins the contest. After his plan fails Grimes freaks out and runs around acting like Homer, scarfing donuts, peeing on the toilet seat and then grabs some exposed power lines which kill him. At his funeral Lovejoy calls him "Grimey" while Homer sleeps through the ceremony. "That's our Homer"

Frank Grime's story, abandon at 4, worked as a toy deliverer to "more deserving children", on his 18th birthday he was blown up in a silo explosion, studied science by mail and got a diploma in nuclear physics. His diploma is almost stolen by a crow. 

Bart's warehouse is at 35 Industry Way. 

Continuity error, Marge makes 5 lobsters even though Lisa is a vegan and won't eat one. 

This episode didn't have a lot of pop culture references but became one itself.

According to an unscientific online poll I ran Frank Grimes is the second best One And Done characters on the show. I hope they leave him dead and don't ruin this episode with some future nonsense. "Wink!"

The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase

This episode premiered on May 11th, 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Kids Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite the movie Angels In The Outfield, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The show starts off with Troy McClure walking down a hall with posters of spinoff shows. He says that Fox has a lot of empty spaces to fill in the nightly lineup so they created three Simpsons spinoffs.

chief wiggum p.i.

Wiggum leaves Springfield and become a private investigator in New Orleans, he brings along Ralph and Skinner since Seymour he grew up in the city (continuity error). Someone throws a skull through Wiggum's window as a warning, he uses it to hold pencils. Skinner deduces "Big Daddy" threw the skull based on an article he read in Parade Magazine. (Parade Magazine was a Sunday paper supplement until 2022, now it's strictly on line). Big Daddy puts an alligator into Wiggum's bedroom but it's just a warning since the teeth are corked, meanwhile they kidnap Ralph. When Big Daddy calls Wiggum there is a party going on in the background, he and Skinner are shocked to discover it's Mardi Gras. The Simpsons are there to promote the show. Wiggum spot Big Daddy in the crowd and they go on a chase through the Lafayette cemetery and then on fan boats through the swamp. Big Daddy is hiding in the middle of the swamp in the stolen Governor's mansion (13 years before Despicable Me). Big Daddy throws Ralph at Wiggum and slowly escapes, Wiggum says they'll probably cross paths every week for more exciting adventures. 

Wiggum shoots up Tipitina's (this is a real N.O. location)

The opening titles are a spoof on Magnum P.I., Skinner is seen scruffy faced and in fancy clothes, a take on Miami Vice, A Huggy Bear character is seen talking to Skinner (a character from the series Starsky and Hutch)

Wiggum's house boat is named The Big Queasy. 

 Boxes being carried into Wiggum's new office, Magnifying Glasses, Trench Coats.

A Paul Prudhomme character makes an appearance. 

Big Daddy's trademark calling card: Big Daddy ™ "As seen in Parade Magazine"

Big Daddy is based on musician Dr. John and is voiced by Gailard Sartain. (best known for his appearances in the Ernest movies)

During the break Troy McClure gets caught peeping down the shirt of a Charlie's Angels mannequin. 

The Love-Matic Grandpa

Moe is feeling alone but discovers that the spirit of Abe Simpson, who was killed in a grocery store accident, is in the love tester in the bar. Homer shows up and when he finds Abe is in the machine he pulls the plug, for the second time. A woman walks in to the bar after being in a car accident, Moe has her try the love tester and Grandpa tells her to go out with Moe, he tells Moe to take her somewhere nice. Moe brings the machine to the restaurant but has to stash him in the restroom. The date is going bad so Moe runs back to the restroom for advice but the bullies are beating up the machine for calling them Gay. A delirious Grandpa tells Moe to say her rump's as big as the queen's and twice as fragrant. When Moe returns to the restroom he's covered in snails, but gets caught by the woman and confesses the truth. It turns she liked what Moe did. 

The show is a spin on My Mother The Car and Love American Style.

The Love Tester was first introduced in the episode Flaming Moe's.

Troy introduces the curator of the Museum Of TV and Television, John Winslow, and then walks away. 

The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour

The show opens with the family doing a musical number. This is followed by a skit of the family as beavers, Tim Conway shows up as Homer's boss but he's a skunk. The family then does a music medley in a 50's soda shop,  I Want Candy (The Strangeloves), The Peppermint Twist (Joey Dee and the Starlighers), Jasper sings Lollipop (Ronald and Ruby) and when he does the pop sound he knocks out his dentures, Smithers does Whip It (Devo) while wearing a cowboy outfit and an oversized licorice whip. They finish with a repeat of I Want Candy while the cast appears on stage in candy costumes, they are panting hard after singing and dancing. Cut to Moleman doing a poem about his cataracts. The episode ends with the family and Tim Conway in an oversized bed. 

Featuring the Waylon Smithers Dancers. The Springfield Baggy Pants Players. (Lenny, Willie, Dr Hibbert, Selma, Jasper and The Sea Captain)

The show is a spoof on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour complete with Lisa being replaced by a new actress. On the Brady Bunch Hour Eve Plum didn't want to do the show so they replaced the character of Jan with Geri Reischl.

There is a drawing of Homer and Marge on the stage, it's a take on the logo from the Sunny and Cher show. The Captain pops out of a port hole, Kent Brockman introduces the show like Gary Owens and Moleman does a poem like Henry Gibson from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. The Baggy Pants Players are a take on the Not Ready For Prime Time Players (the original SNL cast)

This is the second time The Simpsons have been seen as a TV sitcom family, the first was in the episode The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular.

Troy McClure does a preview of what is coming up in season 9 of The Simpsons, Homer gets magic powers / Selma marries Lenny, Bumblebee Man and Itchy / Bart meets his long lost triplets: a Rastafarian and a cowboy / Ozmodiar shows up but only Homer can see him (This is a spoof on The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones)

The posters of real spinoff show in the opening, The Ropers (Three's Company), Laverne And Shirley (Happy Days), Fish (Barney Miller), Rhoda (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and The Jeffersons (All In The Family). 

Troy McClure "You may remember me from such TV spinoffs as Son of Sanford and Son and After Mannix." 

Self Aware Joke: Troy McClure "I'm here with a real treat for Simpsons fans, if any".

Fox Programming Chart. Simpsons 8:00 PM Sunday, The X Files 9:00 PM Sunday. Melrose Place 8:00 PM Monday. The rest of the chart is just question marks.

The Secret War Of Lisa Simpson

This episode premiered on May 18, 1997. The lead in show was Busted On The Job: Caught On Tape and it was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite AFV, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title of this episode comes from the 1968 movie The Secret War Of Harry Frigg. 

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the upside down room

Krabappal shows up at the police station for a field trip, Wiggum is late. There are 75 messages on the answering machine but he deletes them all. He shows the kids the Museum Of Crime featuring a stoned hippie and his "old lady" eating a baby sandwich (Wiggum calls it a California Cheeseburger). At school Miss Hoover is showing an educational film about sand. She then puts on a 1952 movie about how one day people will reach the Moon. When the movie is over the class discovers that she snuck out. Lisa complains to Skinner over the lack of learning. Wiggum takes everyone to his office to see his chair, meanwhile Bart finds the bullhorns and lines them all up, when he says "testing" it causes a shock wave all over town and mass destruction. Everyone has ringing in their ears but it all stops at the same time. Wiggum suggests drugs but Marge says no, after Bart takes off on a riding mower they decide to send him to military school, they trick him by saying they're going to Disneyland, Skinner and Krabappal celebrate with champaign. Bart begs to go home, and Lisa insists on staying. Bart attempts to escape but is brought back by the MP's. Because Lisa has joined the school, as the only girl cadet, an entire company has to move out of their dorms and in with Company L (who smell). The school hazes Bart and Lisa by making them do pushups in the mud, scrubbing the school statue and strapping them to the propeller of a plane. At the firing rage they give Bart a grenade launcher (since he went to public school). He hits four out of five targets but the last shot blows up Skinner's car, Nelson laughs "Haw-Haw". Meanwhile Lisa loses control of an M-16 so the field officer gives her a whistle to blow in case a war breaks out. Lisa tries to call home but Homer doesn't want to get up to answer the phone. She calls Grandpa who rambles on for hours, he actually gets tired of talking to her. Lisa gets a cassette from the parents but Bart ditches her for the company. Bart convinces Lisa to stick it out and tells her he'll stand by her, in secret. The final exam is The Eliminator, a 60 gauge hemp-jute rope with a blister factor of 12 suspended 40 feet over a British acre of Connecticut Vally thorn bushes. Bart leaves Lisa a note to meet him at the Eliminator so he can help her get over the rope obstacle. The commanding officer tells the cadets that crossing the Eliminator has been barred by the State Supreme Court so they'll be the last class to do it. Everyone heckles Lisa as she tries to cross the rope, she almost falls but Bart starts cheering her on. Lisa makes it but can't put her arms down afterwords. The cadets swear to make Bart's life a living hell for the rest of the semester, which ends in three hours. Bart tells Homer that he's now trained in six more forms of unarmed combat. The commanding officer gives Lisa a medal "The satisfactory completion of the Second Grade". Homer tells them they are going to Disneyland for real this time, but they go to the dentist. 

At the hippie museum the posters: Off The Fuzz / Down With Haircuts / Foment Rebellion. 

Monotone Pictures Presents The Moon Of Earth 1952, Adlai Stevenson makes an appearance. (governor of Illinois, Presidential hopeful in 1952, 1956 and 1960, Ambassador to the UN during the Kennedy administration, died in 1965) The film predicts 12 colonies on the Moon by 1964.

The scene with Bart testing the bullhorns is a take on the movie Son Of Flubber where Professor Brainard's weather machine breaks windows all over Medfield.

Rommelwood A Tradition Of Heritage. The school has been operating for 135 years. The school motto "I'll die before I surrender, Tim", The general who's statue is out front said it just before he was shot in the head. 

Chalkboard: English Literature- John Keats (civilian) Ode On A Grecian Urn. 

Targets for the grenade launcher, Tank, Soldiers, Jeep, Rocket Launcher, ammo dump. 

Marge sends a tape where she sings You Are My Sunshine. 

The commanding officer tells the cadets that future wars will be fought by small robots. Considering the U.S. drones he wasn't wrong.

This is the third time Bart has passed the Fourth Grade, he also passed in Kamp Krusty and Summer of 4'2". 

This was the last episode of Season 8. 27 more seasons to go, considering they are starting a new one this year.

The City Of New York vs. Homer Simpson

This episode premiered on September 21st, 1997. The lead in show was The Worlds Funniest and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite The Barbara Walters Special, Touched By An Angel and Dateline NBC.

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is the family as the Harlem Globetrotters, complete with uniforms and Maggie making a slam dunk just before the buzzer.

At 5 PM everybody shows up at Moe's, most of the guys come through the front door but Barney comes out of the bathroom in a robe and slippers. Since the bar's regulars cause 91% of drunk driving accidents the police require Moe to make one of the people a designated driver, they pull eggs out of the pickled jar and Barney ends up with the black one so he has to stay sober. Just then the Duff Partymobie shows up because Barney sent in 10,000 labels and won a party with Duffman. Because he's the designated driver everyone else gets drunk while he sits there. Barney has to drive a drunk Carl, Lenny and Homer home, he takes Homer's car but disappears. Two months later a limo shows up at Moe's with Barney in the trunk, he can't remember what happened or where the car is. Homer tries to build a new car out of an old mattress but he gets a letter from NYC that tells him his car is illegally parked, he has to move it in 72 hours or they'll toss it into the East River. Homer has a NYC flashback to when he was going to the Harrisburg Outlet store to buy an irregular coat. First a guy steals his camera and then a cop steals his suitcase. A pickpocket steals his wallet then a seagull steals his hotdog. A guy dumps trash on Homer and then he hits a pimp with a banana peel, while running away he tries to climb a fire escape but the ladder drops down an open manhole, that's where he runs into the C.H.U.D.s. Although Homer doesn't want to go the bus company is having a special family deal, $9, Bart pays the way. In order to make sure NYC won't get his wallet Homer tosses it into the fireplace. He wants the family to wait for him at the bus station but Marge tells him they'll meet him in Central Park at 5 PM. Homer's car is parked at One World Trade Plaza, it's covered in tickets and booted. He calls the number on the boot and pleads not guilty via the pin pad on the pay phone, he's found guilty, assessed a fine and is order to wait by his car from 9 AM to 5 PM for officer Grabowsky. Bart tries begging on the subway but claims he was born without taste buds and then licks one of the hand bars, it doesn't go well. While waiting by the car people start tossing Homer coins, he sees a pizza place across the street but can't leave. A guy selling Khlav Kalash shows up, Homer wants him to run across the street to the pizza place and get him a slice but the guy refuse so Homer buys from him. To wash down the awful taste the guy has Mt. Dew or crab juice, Homer is grossed out and goes with the crab juice. After drinking multiple cans Homer has to go to the restroom but the only one available is on the observation deck of the WTC tower. He considers going in the mailbox but gets caught by the mailman. While visiting Chinatown Marge tells Bart to put a firework back so he does, however he already lit it and sets off the rest. The shop owner comes out and yells "Chinese Fire Drill, serious this time!" (That joke didn't age well). Homer sees a bus that says Flushing Meadows and has a fantasy about a field covered in toilets, he can't wait anymore so he pushes his way to the front of the elevator but when he gets to the observation deck he finds that it's out of order, he rushes over to the other tower. While in the restroom he spots the parking cop and gets another ticket. He loses his temper and drives off with the boot still attached, doing damage to the front of his car. While Marge and Lisa are shoe shopping Bart wanders off and finds the office of Mad Magazine, the secretary says it's just a normal office but Alfred E. Newman opens the door and a lot of zany things are happening. Homer goes to a guy running a jackhammer and uses it on the boot, doing even more damage to the car but busts it off. The family takes a carriage ride through the park, Homer shows up and forces them into the car. As they drive away Homer gets stuck behind a sanitation truck with trash, including a biohazard bag, blowing out. The episode ends with the song New York New York as sung by Michale Dees.

This is the first appearance of Duffman.

In the couch gag the Simpson's jersey numbers match their position in the family, Homer is #1, Marge is 2, Bart is 3 Lisa is 4 and Maggie is 5.

When Duffman arrives at Moe's the Partymobile plays Oh Yeah by Yello

On their way home Lenny, Carl and Homer drunkly sing (with the wrong lyrics) Macarena by Los Del Rio

The Entertainer by Scott Joplin plays during Homer's flashback to his trip to New York.

Porn movies showing in NYC: The Godfather's Parts, II / Jeremiah's Johnson / Five Sleazy Pieces.

The NYC police officer who steals Homer's suitcase is modeled after Officer Murray Greshler from the 70's sitcom The Odd Couple. The guy dumping his trash on Homer looks like Woody Allen. The pimp is a classic image from the Blaxploitation films of the 70's

The ticker news: Crime Up 8 Million Percent.

C.H.U.D is a reference to the 1984 horror movie. The acronym is for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.

The $9 bus fare deal was based on Greyhound's $68 Or Less fair campaign of the 1990's.

Sit-N-Stare Bus Lines.

The really tall guy from the episode 22 Stories About Springfield is on the bus in the seat behind Homer. Homer thinks his legs have gone numb.

NYC sign: Welcome To Manhattan, Home Of The World-Weary Poseur.

Sites Marge is impressed by: The Williamsburg Bridge / 4th Avenue / Governor's Island.

Bart confuses a group of Hasidic Jewish guys with ZZ Top. (A didn't age well joke is all the shops are diamond stores)

Subway advertisements: Have you been Injured in a subway accident? Call NY Metro 555-5680 / Trade Food Stamps for Lottery Tickets / Laser Wart Removal, Marge says "the future is here now"

Original Famous Ray's Not Affiliated With Famous Original Ray's We Deliver 555-PIZA This is a joke about the number of restaurants in NYC claiming to be The Original.

Next to Ray's is a tobacco shop that offers same day photos. Remember when you had to get your photos developed?

Chinatown shops: 99¢ Furniture / The Emperor's Used Clothes / Yee's Olde Tavern.

While trying to drive on the boot Homer turns on the radio and Ray Stevens sings Everything Is Beautiful, he smashes the radio in. 

Plays on Broadway: Neil Simon's More About Brooklyn / Tommy Tune in Gotta Mince! / David Copperfield's Astonishing Girlfriend (in 1998 the magician was dating Claudia Schiffer) / Ernest Goest To Broadway "Winner of 4 Tony awards" / Hoofin' -N- Mouthin' / Midtown Urine Disposal / Kickin It "A Musical Journey Through The Betty Ford Center. "Shhhh, they're strapping down Liza Minnelli."

The main character in the song Checking In is based on Robert Downey Jr. In the 1990's he was arrested for numerous drug violations. People became upset with his lenient rehab punishment while other "not famous" people got harsher sentences. He even got work release for a movie he was starring in. 10 sober years later he became the star of Iron Man. The musical Kickin' It takes place in The Betty Ford Clinic, this is a real drug treatment center created by the former First Lady after she had to overcome her drug and alcohol problem. The song Checkin' In is one of my favorite Simpsons originals. I'd place it in my top five. 

Homer chasing the horse carriage is a take on the chariot race from Ben Hur.

The carriage horse's name is Secretariat. the real Secretariat is perhaps the most famous race horse in the world. 

The World Trade Center appeared in the background of Homer's commercial in the episode Mr. Plow.

This episode is bittersweet since the story takes place at the World Trade Center. Almost four years later it would be the site of the most vicious terrorist attack on U.S. soil and alter the course of the 21st century. One can't help but think of the characters in the towers shouting at each other out the windows and wonder if they died on that fateful day. (yes I realize they are just animated but none the less)

This was the first episode of the 9th season. Most people felt that this was the year where there was a shift in the program and things started to go downhill. Which brings us to the next episode. 

The Principal And The Pauper

This episode premiered on September 28th 1997. The lead in show was The World's Funniest and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite The Wonderful World Of Disney (Toy Story), Touched By An Angel and Jenny (a short lived sitcom starring Jenny McCarthy)

The title of this episode comes from the novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is the family runs into the living room wearing space suits and the couch blasts off.

Chalmers sneaks into the school to announce they are having a special tribute to Skinner for his 20th anniversary as principal. Lisa volunteers to do a report on Skinner while Bart is moulding dog food into balls and placing flags on them, Homer scarfs down several "America Balls" while Marge bakes a real cake. In the middle of his tribute the real Seymour Skinner shows up the principal admits his real name is Armin Tamzarian. The real Skinner was captured in Vietnam and then sold into slavery in China where he spent two decades making sneakers. It turns out Armin was a criminal who was sentenced to join the army. The real Skinner told him about his dreams and when he disappeared Armin came to tell Skinner's mother that he's dead but took his place instead. Since nobody trusts him anymore Armin retires from being principal and they hire the real Skinner to take his place. Krabappal wants Armin to stay but he decides to leave town, he goes to his storage shed where his leather jacket and motorcycle are waiting. Skinner discovers that the kids don't know the Pledge Of Allegiance. Armin gets a job promoting a nude bar. The real Skinner doesn't act like Armin which ticks off Agnes. The town starts to hate the real Skinner and they get Homer to drive a group to Capitol City to talk Armin into coming back. Armin doesn't want to come back to Springfield until Agnes insists that he gets into the car and come home. The real Skinner demands that the town treat him with dignity, instead they tie him to a chair and stick him on a train heading out of town. The judge officially changes Armin's name to Skinner and threatens to sentence anyone who talks about it to torture.

This episode was based on the Tichborne Case where Roger Tichborne from England disappeared in 1854 after the ship he was on sank, but then he showed up in 1866. However it turns out that he was Arthur Orton, aka Thomas Castro, an Australian, was pretending to be the missing man and had come to claim the Tichborne family fortune. There were also several popular movies based on the same subject, 1982 French movie The Return Of Martin Guerre (also based on a true story) and 1993's Sommersby (a remake of the French movie).

Martin Sheen does the voice of the real Skinner. 

Springfield Elementary sign: Tonight: Surprise Tribute to Seymour Skinner. (which almost spoils the surprise)

Skinner went to Vietnam in 1966.

The kid's tribute to Skinner is the Flipper theme song with his name swapped out. 

Armin has a Radio Shack battery club card. Radio Shack use to give out battery cards and after the 10th purchase you got two free batteries. 

Armin is staying at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel for Transients.

Armin is reading Swank, a rather sleazy porn magazine, Homer asks to borrow it.

Continuity Error: First there are a number of references to Skinner's history as an Army Sergeant including his photos and when he reenlisted in the episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song. We also see his father, who looks and talks exactly like him, as a member of the Flying Hellfish in the episode Raging Abe. 

Internet personality Jon Hein coined the term "Jump the Shark" to describe the Happy Days episode where the Fonz does a waterski jump over a shark in a netting cage, it has become the term for the point where a series had gone past its peak and was now on a downhill slide. Many fans of The Simpsons have labeled The Principal and the Pauper as the Simpson's Shark Jump and it's also considered the worst episode both for the story and going against the overall continuity of the series. Personally I feel there is a worse episode but that is coming up so I won't talk about it.

Anyhow, we've reached episode 180, we are on the cusp of the dark years, for a while the show will be hit and miss and I'm not looking forward to it. Why did I decide to do this again?

 The Simpsons 171-175

Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment

The episode premiered on March 18th, 1997. The lead in show was TV's Funniest News Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite AFV, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

There wasn't a chalkboard gag and the couch gag was a repeat of the cowboy family. 

Lisa is wearing a green dress to school, all of sudden Bart realizes that it's St. Patrick's Day and he's mobbed with pinches. Homer complains that he's not drunk yet, "will 9 o'clock ever get here?" (AM by the way) Moe kicks out all of the designated drivers because he doesn't want any deadbeats. Kent Brockman is hosting the parade and he says it's a day where everyone is a little Irish, except the Gays and the Italians, drunk guys invade Brockman's booth. The John Bull Fish and Chips shop blows up and the crowd celebrates. The Duff float is spraying the crowd with free beer however Bart has bought a horn, he gets a mouth full and becomes instantly drunk. Apu encourages everyone to get naked and the crowd is about to join in until Bart stumbles down the street the entire town is angry. Channel 6 calls for prohibition, all the angry women demand it. The town clerk finds that there has been a law on the books banning alcohol for 200 years, no alcohol under the penalty of being catapulted. When they read about the banning of alcohol Homer, Moe, Barney and Bernice Hibbert pass out. The CEO of Duff says his company isn't worried and Alcohol Free Duff Zero should sell better, 30 minutes later the brewery is out of business. Homer goes to Moe's Pet Shop which is really a speakeasy. Fat Tony is running booze and paying off the cops. The Prohibition League shows up at Moe's and catches Wiggum with Princess Cashmere. They demand that Quimby bring in a new police chief, he has to do what they say because it's an election year so he calls for Rex Banner. Banner fires Wiggum, cleans up the town, blocks the roads and destroys the mob's warehouse. Homer wants to come up with a plan so he goes to Bart, they then go to the dump and dig up all the buried beer barrels. Banner tries to chase them down but they take a turn through the cemetery and escape. Marge asks Homer why he's taking so many balls to bowl and he says he's not going to lie to her, then turns and heads out of the house. Homer rigged up a series of pipes under the bowling alley to smuggle booze to Moe, who then charges Barney $45 for a beer. Banner grabs a drunk Barney and asks him a series of questions with 30's slang, Barney answers Yes? Homer gets caught by Marge and once he explains what he's doing she says it's very clever. Lisa complains and talks about upholding the law (of course) but they send her to her room. When Banner shows up at the bar  Moe pulls a lever and the place turns into a pet shop, everyone hides their beers behind their back. When everything returns to a bar Barney hadn't gotten off his barstool and was run through the gears. Banner stands on the town overlook and says he'll find the Beer Barron, off in the distance Homer replies "No you won't." Homer runs out of dump beer so he buys 42 bathtubs and starts brewing his own. Banner keeps asking people on the street if they're the Beer Barron, meanwhile Homer goes by with a wagon full of Barley, Sour Mash and Tequila Worms. Homer's stills start to blow up and he claims it was the bean he had for dinner. Marge tells him to quit while he's ahead and he says he'll think about it, then an exploding still sets him on fire and he decides that she's right. Wiggum tries to rob Homer so they come up with a plan for Wiggum to catch the Beer Barron and get his job back. Being found guilty Homer is about to be catapulted but first they test it out with a cat. When Bannon is preaching about laws they catapult him, then the town clerk discovers that the Prohibition Law had been repealed 199 years ago so Homer is free and Fat Tony promises to flood the town with booze within four minutes.

Rex Banner is based on the character of Elliot Ness (played by Robert Stack) from the 1959 TV series The Untouchables, not the movie character or the TV remake in 1993.

Heading toward the bar Moe is carrying a bottle of Green Dye with a skull and crossbones and the word Poison on the bottom. 

The first parade float is 2000 Years Of Irish Cops, they are all swinging clubs and telling people to move along, there's nothing to see here. Pot "O" Gold with a leprechaun, St. Patrick driving out the snakes. Drunken Irish Novelists Of Springfield, someone throws a bottle at them and it turns into a brawl. 

Helen Lovejoy says her famous catchphrase "won't somebody please think of the children" during the prohibition protest. Protest signs: Prohibition Now, Draft Men Not Beer, Say No To Drunks (this was a play on Nancy Reagan's Just Say No To Drugs campaign)

Springfield Shopper headline: Alcohol Prohibited In Springfield. Bums threatens leave town / City Goes Dry Today. Bums Extend Deadline / Banner Bars Booze. Booze Barred by Banner / Beer Baron Beats Banner. Family Sedan Outruns Cops. 

Banner over Main Street: Springfield Has Been Clean And Sober for .75 Days

Rex Banner gets two telegrams: Mr Banner- Springfield Need You!- Mayor Quimby Springfield / Rexy-Daisy Had Puppies-Love Mom.

The scene where Barney is standing outside of the Duff Brewery is a take on the mysterious stranger who leaves a rose on Edgar Allen Poe's grave every year.

Signs on the Simpson basement door say Do Not Enter in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. 

When the cops take Banner out for ice cream it's a spin on Winslow Homer's painting Nighthawks.

Labels on Homer's tubs: Rye, Gin, Beer, Cognac, 12 Year Old Scotch, Pina Colada, 

Twelve Day Dry Cleaners. Houseware Warehouse "Your Super Super Store Store"

Best line in the episode: Homer "To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems"

Grade School Confidential

This episode premiered on April 6th 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Outtakes and it was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Prime Time Live, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title was taken from the 1958 movie High School Confidential

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the bubble family.

Everyone gets bored with Skinner's announcement so Krabappal throws fire crackers at the kids. Martin announces he's having a birthday party and the whole class is invited. On the day of the party Homer is driving the lawn mower and dragging Bart and Milhouse around in a wagon marked Space Shuttle while he does NASA announcements, they decide to risk their social standing and go to the birthday party instead. Martin has a Mathemagician at his party, everybody groans, naturally Lisa corrects the guy's division. Edna is depressed because other than Seymour she's the only other non parent adult at the party. When Skinner's mother shows up they hide in Martin's dollhouse. Everybody gets sick on the oysters except for Bart. Lisa the vegetarian pretends to be sick so she can escape. Edna and Seymour make out and Bart catches them. The next school day Bart is about to tell all the kids but they call him to the office to ask him to keep their secret. Bart cuts a deal to get Milhouse's name put on his permanent record file. Edna and Skinner spend the night together and the next day they are both cheerful, however they start using Bart as their messenger boy. Edna and Skinner sneak into the theater but get caught by Chalmers so they claim they are on a field trip and force Bart to go to the movie. Skinner forces Bart to spend time with his mother while he sneaks out with Edna. When Bart is forced to say "I love you" to Krabappal and then is mocked by his class he decides to expose the truth and shows the school Edna and Skinner making out in the janitor's closet. When Lisa tells Marge that Skinner and Krabappal were naked in the closet Homer is upset because he's been calling her Crandall the whole time. The parents get upset so Chalmers gives Skinner an ultimatum, quit the relationship or the two of them will be fired. Bart feels guilty and convinces Skinner to stand his grounds so they barricades themselves in the school, they go up on the roof to say they aren't coming out but the only one who hears them is Willie and he doesn't care, Bart calls Channel 6 and tells them that an escaped octopus is on the roof. Homer sees Bart on the roof so he grabs the bullhorn and asks him where the TV remote is, it's in Homer's back pocket. The police decide to blast them out with music but they play Embraceable You, then they cut the lights and hit them with spotlights but it is broken up by a colander and turns the cafeteria into a dance hall. A phone is thrown through the window and Chalmers tells Skinner to give it up. Edna says she wants to take her case directly to the people, Chalmers asks if they want to talk to the guy in the bee suit or the one with the bone stuck in his hair, Sideshow Mel says his opinion is a valuable as anyone elses. Skinner comes out claiming to have a bomb but he just has hot dogs strapped around his body. When the town says their kids told them that Edna and Seymour were having sex in the closet he admits he's a virgin. The crowd breaks up and they get to keep their jobs. Seymour and Edna tell Bart that since they'll be in the public spotlight they are going to break up, however they sneak off to the janitor's closet. 

Permanent Record Depository / Warning: Trespassing will be noted on your permanent record.

Edna has a Charley Brown candle with the head burned off. 

Skinner's note: Dear Edna, I want to "Seymour" ("see more") of you! How about another secret rendezvous? Forever Yours: Principal Skinner. 

At the Aztec theater Chalmers asks if they filmed the movie in Atlanta, considering it stars Tom Berenger the general consensus is that the movie is The Big Chill.

When the police try to drive Skinner and Krabappal out of the building they use the same technique the US used to force Manuel Noriega out of the Vatican Embassy in Panama, blasting music. However Wiggum uses Embraceable You by Michael Dees and the two just end up dancing. 

Best line of the episode: Wiggum "Hey, those are hot dogs, Armor Hot Dogs" Chalmers "What kind of man wears Armor Hot Dogs?"

Maude spells out S-e-x in front of the c-h-i-l-d-r-e-n. Krusty says "Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down" 

 In the episode My Sister, My Sitter Skinner and Krabappal can be seen together at the Squidport Promenade, was this foreshadowing for this episode?

The Canine Mutiny

This episode premiered on April 13th 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite 20/20, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title comes from the 1954 movie The Caine Mutiny.

The chalkboard gag is "A Fire Drill Does Not Demand A Fire" and the couch gag is a repeat of Grandpa being folded up in the sleeper couch.

The Simpsons get their mail, a free sample of gas and a note from the Publisher's Clearinghouse telling them they are out of the running. Lisa gets a German Verb Wheel and says Ich esse, er isst, wir essen. (I eat, he eats, we eat), Homer replies When, when?  Ich bin hungrig (I'm hungry). Homer gets a CARtoons magazine. When Bart complains he doesn't get any mail Marge give him the junk pile. He finds an application for a credit card and puts Santa's Little Helper's name on the form. 6 to 8 weeks later Marge gets the mail, they get a rejection letter from the New Yorker subscription department. A letter shows up for Santos L. Halper, it's a credit card. Bart goes to the Comic Book Shop and tries to use the card but Comic Book Guy knows Bart's name and kicks him out. Bart finds a catalog from Covet House and goes on a spending spree. Bart orders a collie from Vermont but claims he won it in a church raffle. The bank calls Bart to ask about the non payment of his credit card. Bart buries the card in the woods but when he gets home the repo company is there for all his stuff. When they ask for the dog Bart gives them SLH. The family take Laddie to the park,  Brockman wants him to breed with his dog and everyone else loves him, but Bart starts to miss SLH, he imagines the dog being used to fire a steam ship. Laddie shows up with a card asking to go for a walk, he runs off and saves a bunch of people from a fire and becomes a hero. Wiggum compliments Laddie so Bart gives him to them. When no dogs show up Bart admits he gave both dogs away. Bart goes to the Repo Depot to find out about getting SLH back, Moe is there because they repossessed the bar floor. The Repo Depot guy tells Bart they sold his dog to a guy wearing a dress, he goes to see Patty. Next he goes to Willie, he says he "ate him" but he meant he "hates him" so he gave him to the church. Lovejoy gave the dog to one of the parishioners. Bart finds SLH in a backyard being sprayed by a sprinkler, Bart tries the sad eyes but the guy is blind, so he plans to steal the dog back. When he gets to the guy's house he discovers that SLH is inside so he sneaks in through the dog door. SLH starts barking and the blind guy comes after him and Bart gets stuck in the closet. Bart confesses but the guy doesn't want to give up the dog so they let SLH decide, he goes to Bart. Just then the  police show up, Laddie comes with them and finds the guy's stash of marijuana. Officer Eddie suggests that it might be medicinal and the guy says without he he could go even blinder. Bart and SLH goes home while all the cops show up for a party at the blind guy's house. Jamming by Bob Marley plays over the closing credits.

This episode has a rare full length opening sequence even though the couch gag is a repeat.

Homer gets a copy of CARtoons magazine. It ran from 1962 to 1991. In 2016 it resumed publications under a new company. 

Bart's junk mail: Gas Your Termites / Freeze Your Termites / Zap Your Termites / Save The Termites. 

Bart's credit card application: Social Security # 123-45-6789 / Date Of Birth 07/15/62 / Home Phone (???) 555-3126 / Occupation Butt Doctor / Income Whatever I find I keeps / Santa's Little Helper

Bart's credit card number 4123 0412 3456 7890

Comic books Bart wants to buy Zebra Girl / Zillionaire / Zoidzilla / The hardbound collection of Radioactive Man.

Bart buys Marge 15 pounds of Vancouver smoked salmon, Homer a golf shirt with his corporate logo on it (his image saying "HI"), for Lisa he buys 500 Trucker's Choice stay alert capsules. When Marge asks where Bart got all the stuff he gives her a frying pan with a radio built into the handle, it plays You Really Got Me by The Kinks.

Stuff in Bart's room, Jukebox, Neon Krusty light, Lava lamp, autographed baseball, Navajo blankets, skis, gumball machine, Pachinko machine, antique phone.

Springfield Dog Park Where Dogs Meet To Sniff Each Other And Bark.

This is the first episode where Maggie's arch nemesis is mentioned by name, Baby Gerald even though he's been on the series since the episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song in 1994.

Bart goes to the Repo Depo to try to get SLH back, the Repo Depo first appeared in the episode Mr. Plow.

Church Thrift Shop "Nobody beats the rev"

SLH was given to Mr. Mitchell at 57 Mt. Aubum Street.

In the Whacking Day episode Bart writes "I will return the blind man's dog" on the chalkboard. (just a funny observation)

The Old Man And The Lisa

This episode premiered on April 20th 1997. The lead in show was World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues and was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite PrimeTime Live, Touched By an Angel, and Third Rock From The Sun

The title is based on the Hemingway novel The Old Man And The Sea

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the Whack-A-Mole

The family wakes up to Lias digging through the trash for her recycling club, she lectures Marge on separating plastic, Homer starts throwing away books, Lisa lectures him on not having fun while recycling. The Jr. Acheivers Club invites Burns to give a lecture. He says to avoid Family, Friendship and Religion if you want to succeed in business. Lisa asks about recycling at the plant, Burns doesn't know the meaning of the word. Burns gets mad at Lisa and says he wouldn't be worth $200 million if he listened to people like her, she tells him he's not worth that much. When Burns gets back to his office he discovers that the market crashed in 1929. He decides to do an aggressive trading strategy but buys into companies that would mostly be defunct by now. The recycling club hauls all their paper to the recycling center and get .75¢ for their efforts, they make less than the cost of gas to take it there, the trip to Albany gets cancelled and they crash into a tree on their way out making the whole thing pointless. Burns goes broke and gets mad at his financial advisers since they are all just a bunch of "yes men", he finds out that the bank has seized the power plant and his house. Hitman Hart buys Burns' house (he does his own voice). Lenny is put in charge of the power plant. Burns moves in with Smithers and starts breaking stuff, he's stuck in the apartment alone so he decides to go shopping. At the store Burns is trying to figure out which cereal to buy, he sees Krusty buying Krusty-O's so he looks for the Burns-O's, instead he gets Count Chocula since it is the closest to his face. He gets trapped in the dairy case, and confused over ketchup vs. catsup. The store owner has him committed to the retirement home. Homer gets super drunk in order to help Lisa recycle, he tells her to go to the retirement home for more stuff. Burns hears Lisa asking Grandpa for recyclables and asks her to help him get his money back, Lisa makes him promise to do nothing evil. Lisa introduces Burns to recycling. Burns gives Lisa 10% of his first dollar. The family mocks Burns and naturally Lisa gets mad at them. Burns puts the nursing home to work separating his recycling and then opens The Li'l Lisa Recycling Plant. Burns uses old liquor bottles for windows, Barney shows up to lick them. Burns uses 6-pack holders as a fishing net and soon starts pulling in all kinds of plants and animals that he converts into the Li'l Lisa Animal Slurry that is used as a high protein feed, insulation, explosives and engine coolant. Lisa freaks out and tries to stop the recycling program. Burns buys back the power plant and sells his recycling center for $120 million, and comes by to give Lisa her 10%. Lisa rejects the money and Homer has a heart attack. Homer says it's alright since she gave up $1200, when she tells him how much 10% really is he has another heart attack. 

Homer and Bart watch the all night movie, Colonel Dracula Joins The Navy. This is a multi level joke since they swapped out Count for Colonel and there are no Colonels in the Navy. 

Books Homer is recycling Dickens, Leon Uris, Faulkner. 

The Junior Achievers Club "Up...with Business" "I'm High...on capitalism". The group is planning a trip to Albany. 

Words in Burns' mental dictionary:

Rag*a*muffin A an often disreputable person, esp: A poorly clothed often dirty child

rah-rah: 

raid: 

ran*cid

ran*cor

rat*tle*snake

reap

red*skin (1699) American Indian-Usually taken to be offensive

reign

reign of terror

rel*ic

re*pug*nant

rogue

rott*wei*ler

ro*tund

running dog n: One who does some else's bidding: Lackey, ie (Smithers)

ru*ta*ba*ga turnip

Ruth*less

All the words refer to something about Burns or in his life. 

In this episode Smithers was born in 1954. That would make him 43 in 1997.

Burns' investments: Confederated Slaveholdings, Trans-Atlantic Zeppelin, Amalgamated Spats, Congreves Inflammable Powders, U.S. Hay, Baltimore Opera Hat Company. 

Uriah's Heap Recycling Center. Since the proprietor is a hippie this is more of a play on the 60's band than the David Copperfield character Uriah Heep. The Hippie also makes the comment about living too much in the past and yet he's stuck in the 60's. He also says Shine on you crazy diamond which is a Pink Floyd song.

Smithers lives in apartment 19. His collection of Malibu Stacey dolls can be seen on a shelf. 

Smithers' Grocery List: Cereal, eggs, US magazine, milk, catsup, mustard, luncheon meat, cabbage, greens, juice, ointment, soap, mop, napkins. 

The residence at the retirement home are forced to dance to Achey Breakey Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus.

The montage of Burns asking Lisa for help is a spoof on the opening of the 1966 TV series That Girl.

Kent Brockman features Burns on his "It's funny when it happens to them" segment.

Springfield Shopper headline: Burns to open recycling plant, Makes other bums look bad. 

Lisa running around trying to stop people from recycling is a spoof on the movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and Soylent Green. 

In Marge We Trust

This episode premiered on April 27th 1997. The lead in show was World's Scariest Police Chases and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Turning Point, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title of the episode comes from the slogan on U.S. currency. 

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the vending machine couch. 

Bart and Lisa are trying to watch cartoons silently since Marge slept in and they don't want to go to church, however their laughing wakes her up. Lovejoy is preaching on the Nine Tenets of Constancy, everyone falls asleep. The family is happy to be out of church, they are heading to the dump to get rid of the old Christmas Tree (this was April). Marge goes to the church to talk to Lovejoy about his boring sermons and ends up volunteering to help out. At the dump Bart finds a Japanese box with Homer's face on it. Skinner calls Lovejoy because his mother covered half the TV, the reverend tells him to read the Bible. Lovejoy explains how he came to Springfield as a young idealistic preacher but then he meets Ned Flanders and constantly getting calls about over the top moral stuff. Marge ends up answering the phone and becomes the Listen Lady. Homer takes the Japanese box to the Happy Sumo to get it translated. It turns out to be Mr Sparkle soap. Homer goes to the library to get the number for Mr. Sparkle in Hokkaido Japan and then tells the librarian he needs to make a local call. The factory plans to send Homer a premium. Lovejoy becomes depressed that everyone is turning to Marge, the saints in the stained glass windows chastise him for losing his way. Helen Lovejoy calls Marge because the Reverend has become depressed. Mr. Sparkle sends a VHS for investors, it shows their commercial which makes no sense, but then Lisa discovers that the logo is a combination of a fish and a lightbulb that happens to look like Homer. Ned calls Marge because some teen are hanging out in front of his store and on the verge of slacking. Marge tells him to confront them but when he does they start to chase him. Maude comes over the next day to tell Marge that Ned never came home. Marge calls Lovejoy, Ned calls to say the teens chased him to a place where the gas costs $1.49 8/10, Marge knows that Ned is at Donny's Discount Gas. The bullies chased Ned into the zoo but he gets trapped in the baboon habitat. A group of Japanese Tourists recognize Homer as Mr. Sparkle. Lovejoy shows up on the park train and saves Ned just before the baboons tear them apart. The next Sunday Lovejoy tells an exciting story about rescuing Ned and everyone pays attention. 

Sam Shimono does the voice of Mr. Sparkle, Gedde Watanabe, best known for 16 candles, does the voice of the factory worker. 

Itchy and Scratchy Show: Deaf Comedy Blam! (The title comes from Def Comedy Jam) "Ear Trauma Ward, Quiet Please" Itchy is dressed as a doctor, he puts a stethoscope in Scratchy's ears and hops in a cab and then on a plane. He lands in French Polynesia where they are testing an atomic bomb. The sound travels back to the hospital where it blows up Scratchy's head.  Aujourd'hui: Le Bombe Atomique. 

Between the floors of the Simpson house Snowball II is trapped and trying to claw his way out.

Lovejoy's sound effects buttons when the partitioners fall asleep: Ambulance, Bird, Disco Whistle.

Church board: Next Sunday: The Miracle Of Shame / Conquest Of The Country Of The Apes. (based on the 1972 film Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes)

On his way to Springfield Lovejoy listens to Jesus Is Just Alright by The Byrds.

Skinner and his mother are watching the 1993 movie Man Without A Face but since his mother covered half the TV he didn't know anything was wrong. The movie is about a man who has a horrible accident and half his face is badly scarred.

Self aware joke. When talking about the soap box Bart says "They could be watching us right now" to which Marge responds "That's ridiculous, nobody is watching us right now" Then they all look around. Millions of people were watching, heck I'm watching them right now. 

Continuity error Lenny tells Marge that he lied to Carl about having a wife but in several episodes he's seen with a lady including Marge On The Lamb when he shaves her legs. Another error is in this episode Reverent Lovejoy moves to Springfield after passing the seminary but in Bart After Dark his father is a frequent visitor to the Mason Derrière. 

Cast regulars waiting to see Marge: Kirk, Ruth Powers, Skinner and his mother, Dr. Nick, Miss Hoover, Larry from the bar. 

The guy at the soap factory is wearing a shirt that says Champion Of Winning Superb. In the 90's it was trendy in Japan to wear shirts with random English words on them. 

Saints in the stained glass windows. St. Eleutherius of Nicomedia, St. Donickus, St. Bartholomew, St. Lucian.

Mr. Sparkle is the result of the merger between Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern.

Zoo sign: Aardvark Paark, The Emu Experience, Habitat For Huge Manatees, Baboon Country USA, Elephant Cage. 

Lovejoy decoupling the train cars is a take on the film Breakheart Pass

I've reached episode 175. I'm slowly working my way though the series, however the dreaded years are getting ever closer.

 The Simpsons 166-170

Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious

This episode premiered on February 7th 1997 (a rare Friday airing of the show) It was the lead show for the night and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Family Matters, Dave's World and Unsolved Mysteries.

The title of this episode comes from the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from the Disney movie Mary Poppins. The movie is also the source of the plot material.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not hide the teacher's Prozac" and the couch gag is the living room but nobody runs inside, cut to the family stuck outside while Homer tries to get the door open.

The family is watching TV but they keep asking Marge to get them things, that's when they discover she is losing her hair. Dr. Hibbert diagnosis Marge as being under stress and she needs the help of a nanny. After Homer chases off all the other candidates (thinking they are a guy in disguise) the kids sing a song about the nanny they want. The new nanny shows up, Shary Bobbins (not the copyrighted character of a similar name and look). After fixing up the house Shary leaves but seconds after stepping out the door the whole place falls apart so she comes back. Despite her best efforts the Simpsons like their messed up life so she leaves. As Shary is flying off she's sucked into a jet turbine. A montage of the songs play over the closing credits. 

The family watches The Krusty Komedy Klassic (KKK) at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. (They did a simililar joke with the Krusty Kinda Kristmas! in the episode Marge Be Not Proud) Krusty has Dumb Pet Tricks which he stole from David Letterman's Stupid Pet Tricks. The dog thinks Krusty's nose is a ball and attacks him. He does a Mad About Shoe bit, Mad About You had run opposite The Simpsons for about a year, it's followed up by NYPD Shoe. Gerald Ford does a guest spot to talk about the Boy Scouts (he appeared in the episode Two Bad Neighbors.)

When they do a montage of Marge losing her hair they play Hair (from the musical of the same name) by the Cowsills.

To pay for the nanny Homer gives up the Civil War Recreation society (Homer recreated Civil War battles with monkeys in the episode Homer The Great)

Civil War Recreation Society, Lenny, Sam, Moe, Larry, Carl, Barney and Apu "The South shall come again!"

Nannys: Mrs. Pennyfeather and Mrs. Periwinkle (Homer thinks they are men in disguise like Mrs. Doubtfire), Kearney shows up and Homer wants to hire him. 

When the kids sing a song about the nanny they are looking for Homer imagines barnyard animals dancing to Turkey In The Straw. This is a take on Disney cartoons and their first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie.

Mary Poppins songs that are spoofed, The Perfect Nanny, A Spoonful Of Sugar, Feed the Birds, A British Bank

Willie does a one man band version of Maniac from Flashdance complete with with the water dump. This is a spoof of Bert the chimney sweep from the Disney movie.

In the park a cockney kid is selling papers featuring the Whitechapple Murder (Jack the Ripper). Skinner is trying to sell Jimbo like a scene from the 1968 movie Oliver!

The Simpsons watch Before They Were Famous, the set is decorated with Portraits of Brook Shields, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Dennis Franz, Krusty, Elisabeth Taylor, Barry White. (All the real celebrities had done guest voices on the show) The show features Rainer Wolfcastle singing the Bratwurst song as a child. This is a take on the classic Oscar Mayer "my bologna has a first name" commercial. Charles Bronson appears on the Andy Griffith Show as a part time sheriff, he shot Otis the town drunk and is planning on shooting Emmitt the repair guy. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show: Reservoir Cats with special director Quentin Tarantino (a take on the movie Reservoir Dogs) Itchy has Scratchy tied to a chair in the police torture scene from the movie (Stuck In The Middle by Stealers Wheel plays). Tarantino shows up to explain the cartoon and Itchy decapitates him and then the two dance around his head. (they do the dance moves from Pulp Fiction while Misirlou by Dick Dale plays) 

Barney and Shary sing Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet.

When the family performs Do A Half Assed Job Bart sings "That's the American way." In the episode 'Round Springfield Homer says "Do a half assed job, it's the American way". 

This episode made a lot of jokes about the copyrighted material owned by Disney. In 2019, 22 years later, Disney would acquire Fox Entertainment and become the owner of The Simpsons.

This was the first fully musical episode of The Simpsons in which a variety of songs are part of the overall storyline instead of part of a play within the play or just one quick song.

The Itchy And Scratchy And Poochie Show

This episode premiered on February 9th 1997. The lead in show was RSVP: Funniest Party Disasters and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite I Survived A Disaster (special), Touched By An Angel and The NBA All Star Game (East 132-West 120)

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the Sgt. Peppers album cover.

The ratings for Itchy and Scratchy are down and Krusty demands that Roger Meyer jr do something. While waiting for Marge at the mall Bart and Lisa go off with a strange man, he's holding a focus group for Itchy And Scratchy. The kids are told to use knobs to indicate if they like or don't like something, they like most of what they see. When asked if they want to the show to reflect real problems they all agree, when asked if they want the show to be the opposite with robots and magic powers they all agree. Meyers gets mad and turns on the light on the other side of the two way mirror to yell at them, Ralph turns his knob to the "don't like" side. Lisa explains that the show has become stale so Meyers decides to add a new character and the obvious solution is a dog. Meyers tells the animators to think up a proactive name like "Poochie", so they name him Poochie. The animator draws a standard dog but the executives don't like it and want various changes, the animator draws a dog wearing a backwards baseball cap, sunglasses, flannel shirt with nunchucks. Homer tries out for Poochie but Meyers tells him he doesn't have attitude so he gets mad and tells Rogers off, and is hired. Homer meets June Bellamy who does the voices of Itchy and Scratchy and the Roadrunner's Beep. Homer invites everyone over for the premier but they hate the new character and take off quickly. Fans of Itchy And Scratchy also hate the new character from Comic Book Guy, who spreads his opinion on the internet, to Kent Brockman, who has been waiting years to declare the show dead (This is based on critics of The Simpsons). Homer overhears the executives planning on killing off Poochie so at the recording he stands up to the producers and gives a heart felt speech as Poochie, everyone likes it but they still get rid of the dog. A written note appears on the screen "Note: Poochie died on the way back to his home planet" Roy (the new character living with the family) comes into the living room to announce he's moving into an apartment with two sexy ladies. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show: Why Do Fools Fall In Lava. Scratchy pays Itchy $5 for a Volcano Bungee Jump. Itchy cuts out his intestines and ties them to the platform and then pushes him off the side. Scratchy stops before he hits the bottom but Itchy fill up his guts with gas and he bursts into flames / (during the focus group) Itchy and Scratchy are playing pool, Itchy knocks out Scratchy's eyes, he replaces them with the 6 and 9 ball. (hidden dirty joke) A muscle bound guy comes on the screen, Nelson turns Milhouse's knob to show he likes it / Post Poochie Itchy And Scratchy, Itchy shoots an apple on Scratchy's head, he actually hits the apple but Scratchy is standing in front of a tank of carbolic acid and it spews out all over him leaving a screaming skeleton. 

The Itchy And Scratchy And Poochie Show. The Beagle Has Landed. (Based on Neil Armstrong's message to NASA after landing on the Moon, "the Eagle has landed) Itchy and Scratchy are on their way to the fireworks factory when they run into Poochie. Poochie raps, plays the guitar, skateboards, dunks and then steals the car. They never get to the fireworks factory.

A note on Krusty The Clown's door: Cleaning Crew: The Liquor Is Not For You. 

Anchor store at the Springfield Mall, Hailstones.

Mall Conference Room: 5:00 Focus Group, 7:00 Night School Graduation. 

Itchy and Scratchy focus group: Ralph, random girl, Nelson, Milhouse, Bart and Lisa.

Springfield Shopper Headline: Funny Dog To Make Life Worthwhile. 

Self aware joke: Lisa says adding a new character is a desperate attempt to raise ratings, just then Roy walks in, he's dressed like Poochie. Marge blames the lousy writers for the failures of Poochie, she says they make her madder than a...Yak in heat. The animators cheep out and simply pull a cel of Poochie upwards when he leaves the planet, you can even see the cel numbers on the screen, 4f12, sc-237 (4F12 was the production code for this episode). Krusty presents a sworn affidavit to prove Poochie won't be coming back because cartoon characters come back to life all the time. Lisa says they should be proud that Itchy And Scratchy are still putting on a show of this caliber after all these years. (At this point the Simpsons were mostly in the win column for their shows and this was a bit of a dig at The Flintstones *see below*)

Regular characters at Poochie auditions: Sarah Wiggum, Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure (Both characters were voiced by Phil Hartman and are standing next to each other), Kearney, Jimbo, Miss Hoover, Moleman, Ruth Powers, Otto

Troy McClure, you may remember me from such cartoons as Christmas Ape and Christmas Ape Goes To Summer Camp.

Toon Beat Magazine $4.95, Homer Simpson And Poochie! The Voice Of Cool (a spoof on Teen Beat Magazine)

When Homer and June are doing a fan meet at the Comic Book Shop Homer replies to one of the fans by asking him why a man with "Genius at work" on his shirt is doing watching a kids cartoon. This is a spin on the Saturday Night Live episode where William Shatner tells the Trekkies to get a life. 

Barney (in the background of the Poochie premier party) "Poochie is based on me"

Guests at the Simpson's premier party, Homer, Marge, Selma and Patty, Moe, Jasper, Roy, Ned, Barney, Larry (from Moe's), Lenny and Carl, Grandpa, Bart, Lisa, Milhouse and Nelson

TV events Krusty compares to the premier of Poochie, The first Moon landing and the first golf ball driven on the Moon in 1971. The Poochie episode is named after Armstrong's first message back to Earth after the first Moon landing.

Labeled boxes at the Itchy And Scratchy offices: Poochie Hate Mail, Poochie Hate Mail (Foreign), Poochie Death Threats.

This show marked the point where The Simpsons passed The Flintstones in number of episodes, the original Flintstones ran for 166 episodes and the Simpsons had reached 167.

The Poochie returning to his home planet storyline is a spoof on The Flintstones where The Great Gazoo finally does something selfless for Fred and returns to his home world. The Great Gazoo was not loved by The Flintstone fans and was seen as an attempt to boost the ratings of the show after its long run. 

The character of Roy is based on The Fonz on Happy Days where he moves into the apartment over the Cunnigham's garage and becomes a full-time member of the cast instead of just one of the supporting characters. When Roy leaves he says he's moving in with two beautiful ladies, the plot of Three's Company.

In the episode The Day The Violence Died they mention that Itchy and Scratchy once featured the character of Dinner Dog.

This show was created in response to the executive at Fox who were claiming the Simpsons has become stale and needed a new permanent character to join the family. The creators resisted and made both the character of Poochie and Roy as a protest. The executives stopped pushing them, and the show, well you know where it eventually is going. 

Homer's Phobia

This episode premiered on February 16th, 1997. The lead in show was World's Greatest Animal Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Turning Point: Broadway's New Annie, Touched By An Angel and The NBA post game show.

There isn't a chalkboard gag and the couch gag is The family is being downloaded via dial up but takes too long.

Bart is holding a lottery using the basement drier but a shoe gets stuck and he can't reach the off button. The drier starts banging around, breaking free from the gas line and starts a fire, all the kids rush out. The Simpsons get stuck with a $900 repair bill, Homer sends them his retirement fund, a water bottle full of pennies, however he drops it and it crashes through a sinkhole. Marge decides it's time to sell off Grandma's antique Civil War figurine. At the mall Lisa mentions the midget that operated the robot from Clank Clank You're Dead, just then the door swings open revealing a skeleton still inside. Marge offers her figurine but the store owner John tells her it's a J & R whiskey bottle from the Johnny Reb collection, originally worth two books of Green Stamps. Homer invites John over but then forgets, however he has a great time. The next day Marge has to tell Homer that John is Gay and he freaks out. Homer claims that John lied to them because he's not a "flamer". While out to lunch with the family John runs into Smithers, he's mad because John said he was going to visit his sick mother. (wink wink) John gives Bart a toy ray gun and Homer starts to worry that he's Gay. Bart comes in wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Homer freaks out, then he choses a Snowball instead of a cupcake. Marge tells Homer that he needs to spend more time with Bart. The next day Bart is dancing around in a wig and Homer decides he needs to Man Up the boy. John is visiting Marge but Homer tells him off. Homer makes Bart stare at a Laramie Slims billboard with two women having a pillow fight, when he comes back Bart says he wants a cigarette. Homer's happy but then asks him his brand and he says "anything slim". They go to the Ajax Steel Mill but it turns out to be a Gay steel mill. All the workers start dancing to Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C+C Music Factory. Homer goes to Moe's where they suggest going on a deer hunt. After hours of sitting around in the woods drinking they decide to go home. On the way back they stop at Santa's Village to shoot some reindeer. The deer start rutting and Homer finds himself trapped in the middle with Bart. Homer gets hit my multiple deer until John shows up with a wind up Santa that scares the deer off. Lisa finally tell Bart that Homer thinks he's Gay. The show ends with "Dedicated to the Steelworkers Of America. Keep Reaching For That Rainbow!"

John Waters does the guest voice as John.

The download couch gag is a dated reference. Its based on the AOL dialup service. The name of the service is America OnLink, there is a button that says Download Family and Exit. A pop up box says Adding Artwork. Please wait... Receiving item 1 of 5 while a timer bar slowly creeps across the screen. The cursor then moves to the Exit button which is hit repeatedly. 

A quick note, Todd Flanders is one of the kids involved in Bart's dryer lottery. The Olmec head is still in the basement. 

The mall store: Cockamamie's We buy Antiques and Collectibles.

Campaign Buttons: That's My Johnson, Carter (peanut shape on the button), Harrison Whig Convention Dec. 8 1839, I Still Like Ike, I Fell For Dole (A spoof on when Dole fell over a loose railing during the 1996 campaign), Click With Dick, Imbeciles for Ford, Quayle Can't Fayle (a spoof on his misspelling of Potato) I like Ike, McGovern.

Movie Poster: A Mechanical Man-With The Heart of a MONSTER! Clank, Clank, You're Dead.

Jackie Onassis' TV guide: Laverne And Shirley, Too Darling For TV? Her address is 1515 Park Avenue Apartment 3A. She thought Mindy lived with Mark. This is a reference to the show Mork and Mindy.

The toy ray gun is a Rex Mar's Atomic Discombobulator. 

John is wearing Homer's Pin Pals bowling shirt that Marge had donated to Goodwill (Burns gave it to him in the episode Team Homer)

Homer's records, The New Christy Minstrels, Ballads of the Green Berets by SSgt. Barry Sadler, Loony Luau, The Wedding Of Lynda Bird Johnson.

Homer and John dance to I Love The Nightlife by Alicia Bridges

Homer says the resale value of the house will drop because they can't say only straight people had been there. If only he knew the truth about Patty. Not to mention the number of times Mr. Smithers has visited.

John takes the family on a tour of Springfield and points out the gossip sites, Kent Brockman got caught cheating in the marathon, the plumbing shop where Lupe Velez bought the toilet she drowned in (google that story, it's a whopper). They go to lunch at the Sha-Boom Ka-Boom cafe, the place is shaped like an atomic mushroom cloud and the sign advertises Little Boy-$3.95, Fat Man-$12.99 (Those were the names of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) Behind the booth is a photo of the Enola Gay flight and ground crew. This is a subtle pun on the word Gay.

Best line of the episode: Bart walks into the living room wearing a Hawaiian shirt, Homer asks where he got it and Bart replies "I don't know, came out of the closet". Later Homer tells Marge that only Big Fat Party Animals and Gays wear Hawaiian shirts. 

Bart dances around in a wig to The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) by Betty Everett.

Moe blames diet soda and MTV for having a "swishifying" effect on the modern world. He then blames Christopher Warren for the lack of modern wars. Warren was Secretary of State during the Clinton Administration. In 1997 the United States wasn't involved in any ongoing wars and MTV still showed  music videos.

For the deer hunt John offers Homer the hat Yale Summer wore on the TV series Daktari

Dated reference, John mentions Green Stamps. For all the Century Kids, that was a rewards program stores would offer, you got a certain number of stamps with every purchase (based on the dollar amount spent). Once you filled books you would take them to a redemption center and cash them in for things like appliances or sporting goods. When stores realized they could offer their own incentives directly to the customers the Green Stamps program died out. 

You seriously have to wonder how this episode would be received in the modern world. Woke would be pissed at all the stereotypes of Gay people, conservatives would claim the series is trying to "groom their children". It's a good thing it came out (pun intended) in 1997 when the world made a little more sense.

Brother From Another Series

This episode premiered on February 23rd, 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite World's Deadliest Volcanoes, Touched By An Angel and The NBC Sunday Night Movie, Shindler's List (talk about a contrasting night of TV)

The title of this episode comes from the 1984 movie Brother From Another Planet.

There is no chalkboard gag in this episode and the couch gag is a repeat of the upside down room.

The family is watching the Krusty special from the Springfield prison. Krusty talks to Sideshow Bob who does a plot exposition of his past crimes. Bart freaks out and runs upstairs to hide out. Homer doesn't help out by telling Bart all the things that Bob wants to do to him and how easily he could get out. Bob has found Jesus so Lovejoy recommends him for the work release program, and his brother Cecil has made arrangements for him to come work for him at the dam construction site. When Cecil takes Bob home the Frasier theme song runs. It turns out Cecil wanted to be Krusty's sidekick but at the audition Krusty preferred Bob and hired him instead. Bob takes Edna Krabappal to the Pimento Grove for dinner but Bart shows up to warn her about him. Bob catches Bart digging through his trash and takes them home. He tells Homer and Marge that if Bart doesn't leave him alone he won't be responsible for his actions. Bart and Lisa heads to the dam to see what Bob is up to and find a suitcase full of money. Bob catches the kids and chases them into the dam, they pull out the money and he says he doesn't know about it. When Bob goes to prove he's actually building a dam he hits the wall and it crumbles. That's when Cecil reveals his plan to destroy the dam, steal the money and frame Bob. Bob complains that the kids stopped his schemes on numerous times but now they can't do anything, he jams one of the turbines and they escape by sliding out the drain pipe. While Bart is fighting with Cecil, Bob tries to disarm the dynamite. The briefcase breaks open and the money goes flying into the river. Cecil manages to throw Bart off the dam but Bob swings in with the dynamite wire, Cecil gets to the plunger and plans to kill them but Bob cuts the wire. They plunge off the dam but Bob hits a pipe and is saved. The cops show up and arrest Cecil, even though he confesses they still arrest Bob and take him back to jail. The dam collapses and floods Springfield. Bob and Cecil are locked in the same cell and fight over the top bunk.   

Kelsey Grammar and David Hyde Pierce do the voices of Bob and Cecil. They were currently playing brothers on Frasier.

This was the first appearance of Cecil Terwilliger.

The reference to Brother From Another Planet had been used in the episode Brother From The Same Planet.

Krusty sings a version of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues while doing a take on the 1968 live album Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison. 

Sign on the prison visitors center wall "Please Visit Only YOUR Convict"

Bob mentions an unpleasant falling out he and Cecil had, Cecil mentions Arthur Fiedler's wake. He was the conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra and passed away in 1979.

Springfield Shopper headline: Maniac To Live At Brother's Apartment

Signs protesting Bob's release: Keep Bob Locked Up, You're Making A Mistake, Ban the Bob, Crime Yes! Criminals No!

Animation Error, after Bob explains his release there is a sign that says I (heart) Bob going up and down, however there is no hand holding it. 

Billboard: Welcome To Springfield Proud Home Of Sideshow Bob.

A card between scenes: "Frasier" Is A Hit Show On The NBC Television Network. This was a joke about the opening of Frasier where they would have a title card that referred to the plot of the episode. Frasier was still on the air when this episode ran.

Bob claims Cecil went to "clown college", Cecil says he wishes Bob would quit putting down Princeton. 

Bob mentions Erma Bombeck's latest book. She wrote a column and a series of books about suburban life in the modern world. She had passed away in 1996.

When getting ready to blow up the dam Cecil sings Top Of The World by The Carpenters.

The briefcase breaking open and the money blowing away is a take on the scene from It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.

Bart jumps on Cecil and says "guess who?" He answers "Maris?" Maris was Niles' unseen wife on Frasier.

My Sister, My Sitter

This episode premiered on March 2nd 1997. The lead in show was TV's All Time #1's (a special about hit TV shows) and it was followed by King Of The Hill. The program ran opposite America's Funniest Home Videos, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun. 

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is the couch is on a ship caught in a storm. The family, wearing rain slickers, hop on the couch but a wave washed them overboard. All that bobs to the surface is the TV. 

Homer and Marge see that the new Second Street Squidport Promenade is having a grand opening gala and they start making plans. Lisa is reading the Babysitter Twins, she decides to go into the babysitting business. Maude and her mother are held prisoner by terrorists so Ned has to go to Capitol City to fill out official forms, Lisa offers to babysit the boys. Rod and Todd freak out when a moth is in the house, she points out that they'll be eaten alive in Middle School. Ned recommends Lisa to everyone so she sits for Ralph Wiggum. Bart gets jealous of the amount of money Lisa is making, he is really unhappy when he finds out that she is babysitting him. Homer drives into the middle of the walkway, he parks on top of a painting of Children's Message Of Peace. Bart starts acting like a brat to harass Lisa and even upsets Maggie, he gives her coffee ice cream to calm her down and it has the opposite effect. Bart orders the 25 foot Italian sub swimming in vinegar and offers to host an AA meeting. The sub is $225, then Krusty shows up thinking it's a bachelor party. An ambulance shows up for an emergency sisterectomy. The Air Force shows up for a UFO report, they plan to sedate Lisa until she says she didn't see a UFO. Then a limo driver looking for the ambassador to Ghana shows up. Lisa chases them off and Bart "goes to bread". Bart starts jumping on the bed but when Lisa chases him he falls down the stairs, the ambulance won't come because of all of Bart's prank calls. At the Seaport Homer winds up in the fountain but can't figure out how to escape, everyone laughs at him. Bart decides to make his head lump bigger by banging it on the wall but then he passes out. Lisa considers calling Dr. Hibbert but she imagines being accused her bad babysitting. Instead she goes to Dr. Nick "As good as Dr. Hibbert". Lisa loads Bart into a wheelbarrow and Maggie into the cat carrier. There is a crowd at Dr. Nick's so Lisa heads to the hospital, Wiggum pulls her over to tell her she needs to walk with traffic. When he checks the wheelbarrow it's empty, Bart rolled down the hill. They turn up at the Squidport. People think she's killed Bart and came to hide the body. Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Bart as having a nasty fall, caused by bad babysitting. Bart apologizes for ruining Lisa's babysitting business (too little). Dr. Hibbert and Ned call for her services since she only tried to kill Bart. 

This was the third time the couch gag took place outside of the Simpson's living room. 

Eye On Springfield, The worlds first two story outhouse, the guy on the first floor starts yelling "Oh God! Stop!", A comedy nurse, she asks how many patients are there for shoulder surgery and when they raise their hands, in pain, she says "Gotcha!". Springfield is copying Baltimore and turning their waterfront into a shopping district. Sign at the new Squidport Promenade: Tentacle Cannery Place. Balloons: You break it you bought it, Shoplifters will be prosecuted, no refunds. 

The South Street Squidport. A spoof on the South Street Seaport in NYC.

Lisa reads The Babysitter Twins, this is a combination of The Babysitter Club and The Bobsy Twins. 

First Church Of Springfield sign: No Synagogue Parking.

Testament is performing in the church basement. They were a thrash metal band, not a Christian one. 

Chief Wiggum thinks he going to see Bob Seagar but it turns out to be Bob Saget. At the time Saget was hosting AFV which ran opposite The Simpsons.

Squidport shops: Turban Outfitters / Just Rainsticks / Coffee Kart / It's A Wonderful Knife / My First Tattoo "Children's Tattoos"/ Much Ado About Muffins "To Eat Or Not To Eat?"/ The Crypot Barn "A Place For codes" Loads Of Codes" "Secret Code Clearance Combinations" "The Right Passwords"/ The Itchy And Scratchy Store "Poochie Close Out"(Poochie had both made his first appearance and been killed off in the episode Itchy And Scratchy And Poochie) / Malaria Zone "Tse Tse Fly Shirt Sale" / Planet Hype (Rainer Woflcastle is talking to the press, Moleman drove his car into the building and people think it's part of the theming) / Moe's Brewing Co. (it's actually a long tunnel leading to Moe's Tavern. "You're a long way from home Yuppie Boy, I'll start a tab") 

Dr Nick Rivera "We Stitch And Don't Snitch".

Dr Nick's Patient Diagnosis sheet: Unusual Sex Practice / Looter's Hernia / Mexican Stand-Off / Prison Tunnel Syndrome / Armed Homeowner / Allergic Reaction: Mace, Pepper Spray, Bullets / Liquor Store Robbery / John Gotti's Disease. 

Best line of the night Dr. Nick "Hey don't worry, you don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court".

Cast regulars at the clinic: Snake, Louie (mob guy), Mr Smithers (who can't sit down for some reason "wink wink"), Jasper. Wheelbarrow Line: Moe with Barney, Monkey with Professor Frink, Pimple Face Guy with Comic Book Guy. 

In this episode Skinner and Mrs. Krabappal are seen in the background at the Squidport Promenade. Is this foreshadowing for a future episode?

I searched for where the title of the episode came from but anything that came up was well after 1997.

I've reached episode 170. So close to being 1/4 done, unless they keep making new ones. (note, those bustards!)