Notes for MABF06 (The Color Yellow)

A pretty good premise and plot here. Some interesting twists and amusing revelations, I think, all the way to (one assumes) the genesis of Abe's name. On the other hand, I wasn't crazy about some of the mechanics of it (the typical way the characters are put in as past people, but this time meant to be their ancestors), or the similar parts involving Milhouse, or a few other bad historical jokes, which sort of brings it down. Anyway...

Short list:

Previous episode stuff BABF17, KABF20: Bart helping with dynamiting 4F24: Lisa and Simpson lineage/extended family {Small collection of stuff in attic: 1F11: I didn't do it shirt 1F13: Homer's space suit DABF02: HJS rocket 7F22: Olmec head (out of the basement?) 9F07: Mr Plow jacket }

Goof/discussion question/nitpicking -Lisa can't believe she's descended from slaveowners. Should that be a surprise? I guess their heritage is variable enough that they can have been in America in colonial times one week and much more recent immigrants the next.

Also Marge refers to a sampler she's made (QUIT WHILE YOU'RE AHEA). She's made some similar things before but I can't seem to find where one is. I know she did the Lenny-based needlepoint in BABF02, and a "PLEASE PICK UP YOUR UNDERPANTS" at some point (but when?). Any others?

And I caught a glimpse of a commercial for this episode that seemed to be in a scope-like widescreen (about 2.35:1), but only a glimpse. It may have been an oddly formatted (letterboxed and stretched-out) clip, or a deliberate cropping for the ad - did anyone else see that who can provide more info?

His Pin Pals jacket was in there, too.

In article ,

Well, the Capital City Goofball said that the state is a Northern state.

On Sun, 21 Feb 2010, Tim Smith wrote:

And yet, the ancestors were talking with a southern accent.

Lisa would have to be surprised if she didn't know her relatives were Southern-based. If she knew that, then there'd be less reason to be surprised, though one might hope otherwise, and they didn't seem all that rich (which I'm not sure is a factor in slave owning).

Lisa was surprised because she pictures herself, and her family to a lesser extent, a certain way, and slave owning doesn't fit that picture.

Michael

The Renaissance faire ep where Marge wove "BART, I AM WEAVING ON A LOOM" on a loom.

On Sun, 21 Feb 2010, Matt Garvey wrote:

I forget the exact line, but I laughed at the bit about going to Selma, clearly in there for Black History Month, even though the joke turned out to be about Aunt Selma.

I'm surprised little has been said/was said, about how The Simpsons are now black.

Michael

Black! Just like Smithers was black one time? And one time they were gay, I assume?

THE SIMPSONS ARE JEWISH, TOO! And nobody said anything about that! Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are related to them!

Mr. Museum

On Mon, 22 Feb 2010, [email] wrote:

That was another neat reference.

The Rosenberg kids were adopted by Abel Meeropol (and his wife) who was the guy who wrote "Strange Fruit". Billie Holiday had quite a successful recording of the song, among others. People tend to think it was written by a black person, but no. A little bit of Black History for the month.

Michael

I wasn't aware that the song wasn't written by Billie Holiday, but it doesn't surprise me that it was written by a white composer since millions of white Americans and Canadians participated in the abolitionist movement and later the civil rights movement. (E.g.: a Canadian chapter of the Black Panthers used to meet at Donald Sutherland's house.)

AND a lot of people involved in black civil rights protests were Jewish. Negro spiritual songs were often based on the Torah, the Biblical books of Moses, particularly the Book of Exodus. Western Hemisphere Jews saw that the discrimination against blacks was reminiscent of the Holocaust, and a lot of white Jews gave their lives so we could have equality in this country. Even today Jewish groups and individual Survivors like Elie Wiesel speak out against the genocide in Darfur.

I liked the episode. Black History Month has been joke fodder for blacks for at least 50 years, and I think this ep ranks up there with all the other ethnic/nationality-themed shows like the St Patrick's Day, First Nations, Scottish, Australian and Japanese eps.

Once Upon A Time, Armillaria caligata wrote:

There were jokes? You're pulling my leg, aren't you.

** Captain Infinity

You gotta feel sorry for the kids, since even their black ancestor from 150 years ago is Homer. Wheelcakes and all.

Nelson with that haircut and short pants saying "Yes We Can!" scared a few years off my lifespan.

i saw Funzo in the attic,