Notes for LABF20 (Once upon a Time in Springfield)

Interesting enough episode. As wacky-times-at-Krusty's-show episodes go, this was better than some, and somehow managed to explore unfamiliar territory (romance for the clown). I actually felt bad for her as the end was nearing (before Krusty reappeared), so that's something. Considering he and Penelope wound up together at the end, though, I don't know how that's going to move ahead, unless Anne Hathaway is going to be the new Jane Kaczmarek. Homer's subplot was...odd... anyway, there it is. I can't imagine how "the best is yet to come" but I'll be happy to wait and see.

Opening notes The stupid football game finished in overtime at 8 on the dot, but The Simpsons didn't begin until 8:13 ET. Don, now you know. R to L: Ralph on kite

Previous episode stuff LABF07: Anne Hathaway guest stars (at least this time they gave her a more interesting role) 2F10, JABF06: Couch gag has more spermy Simpsons 1F15: No/D'oh/Nuts reminiscent of D'oh/a deer (ok, very vaguely, but I liked it) 9F15: Burns refers to spending a fortune on "atoms" - the reference style is like the worker stealing 6 atoms 5F02: Gary Larson guest stars and his work is referenced (but again "The Far Side" is never mentioned by name) KABF22: Lisa's fascination with Princess Penelope manifests in similar ways (princess costume, unicorns, etc.) HABF07: Ralph: "I'm a Star Wars!" (as Leia), compare Marge in Darth Vader mask saying the same thing to the Flanderses (I thought there was another instance of this but I can't find it) 3F23: Homer et al recruited to leave SNPP FABF12: Ruining a wedding

Goofs I don't have an HDTV... yet... or more to the point, a flat panel LCD type... but if you unplug one, I'm almost positive the image doesn't "star" out like older TVs.

20th anniversary stuff Well, I've already gone over some of the wrong-date-and-counting stuff before. I am amused that with an encore airing of this episode at 9:30 on 1/13 (a day *before* the 20th anniversary of the series "premiere" [ugh]), there's yet another wrong time! But it is fitting, at least, that this is the last episode of the 20th production season, and somewhat amusing now that I think about it that for the last handful of years the production seasons have been aligned more so with the December series premiere than any others. Also fitting, then, is the appropriate billboard and blackboard gag, and the bizarrely cheesy note at the end (will it feature in repeats? I don't know), "Thanks for 20 wonderful years The best is yet to come"

The Spurlock documentary was all right... kind of a general interest piece, I guess, but interesting enough. The fine print at the end of the credits was not easy to read, so does anyone know if this got assigned a 20th Century Fox Television production code? (Not a Simpsons code like LABF21-22 or something, but often specials do get some sort of code.)

Finally What was the end credits music?

Eartha Kitt did a guest voice on an episode debuting over a year after her death. I presume that's a SIMPSONS first.

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010, AndrewJ wrote:

Was she credited? If it was her voice, then obviously they changed the rest to match her pre-existing death.

Michael

She was credited. I was surprised, because I thought she had died a long time ago.

-- CH

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:51:16 -0800 (PST), Carl wrote:

So did Elvis and John Lennon, but that hasn't stopped them from continuing to rake in the bucks.

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010, Carl wrote:

No, December 2008. I suppose that is quite some time in terms of a tv show, but I also gather it can take quite some time to do the animation.

So clearly then they must have adjusted the wedding scene, to acknowledge her death.

Michael

I finally figured out what it reminded _me_ of: The Budweiser frogs!

--- CH

I don't recall another example of that, specifically, but the bigger reference for this bit was:

1F17: Ralph uses random Star Wars stuff for an unrelated school assignment.

This seemed like an intentional callback, that Star Wars is Ralph's go-to thing for school assignments. Maybe I'm being generous, but I like the idea of a "running joke" that gets picked up after a 15 year absence.

On Fri, 29 Jan 2010, Brett A. Pasternack wrote:

Ralph fifteen years older? That's unpossible.

Michael

I finally figured out what it reminded _me_ of: The Budweiser frogs!

--- CH