$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)

Last updated

"$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 10
Directed by Wes Archer
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Production code1F08
Original air dateDecember 16, 1993 (1993-12-16)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "I will not say 'Springfield' just to get applause" [1]
Couch gag The family runs to the couch, but when they get there, they break and shatter like glass. Santa's Little Helper enters the room confused.
Commentary Matt Groening
David Mirkin
Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Wes Archer
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Last Temptation of Homer"		Next →
"Homer the Vigilante"
The Simpsons (season 5)
List of episodes

"$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", simply known as "$pringfield", is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 91st episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 16, 1993. In the episode, Springfield legalizes gambling to revitalize its economy. Mr. Burns opens a casino where Homer is hired as a blackjack dealer. Marge develops a gambling addiction, Bart opens a casino in his tree house, and Burns' appearance and mental state deteriorate à la Howard Hughes.

Contents

The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Wes Archer. Gerry Cooney and Robert Goulet guest starred as themselves. The episode features cultural references to the films Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb , The Wizard of Oz , Rain Man and 2001: A Space Odyssey . Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 11.7, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. The Rich Texan makes his debut in this episode, referred to as "Senator" by Homer. [1]

Plot

At a town hall, Mayor Quimby fields suggestions on ways to improve Springfield's faltering economy. Principal Skinner suggests the town legalize gambling to rejuvenate its economy. Everyone likes the idea, even Marge, who has become known for disapproving of the townspeople's ideas. Mr. Burns and Quimby work together to build a casino, and Homer is hired as a blackjack dealer.

While waiting for Homer's shift to end, Marge finds a quarter on the casino floor and uses it to play a slot machine. She wins and quickly develops a gambling addiction. Bart attempts to patronize the casino, but he is refused service because he is younger than the legal gambling age. This prompts Bart to transform his tree house into a casino for children. Burns grows even richer from his casino, but his appearance and mental state deteriorate. He develops a fear of germs and builds a handheld model plane called "The Spruce Moose", which he believes is big enough to hold human passengers.

Marge's gambling addiction causes her to neglect her family. This causes them to panic, including Lisa unintentionally convincing Homer and Bart that there might be a Boogeyman or worse Boogeymen in their home. She fails to notice when Maggie crawls away from the slots and is nearly mauled by a white tiger from Gunter and Ernst's circus act. Marge forgets to help Lisa make a costume for Lisa's geography pageant. Homer makes a costume of Florida for Lisa, but it is misshapen and shabby, displaying the state's name as "Floreda".

Homer frantically runs throughout the casino, searching for Marge. Security cameras capture his rampage, causing Burns to demote him to his old job at the power plant. After realizing how much he misses the plant, Burns decides to return to it. When Homer confronts Marge for her behavior, she finally realizes she has a gambling problem and agrees to stop.

Lisa wins a prize in the geography pageant for children who "clearly had no help from their parents". Ralph receives the same prize for his costume, a note taped to his shirt that reads "Idaho".

Production

Bill Oakley was one of the writers of the episode. Bill Oakley2.jpg
Bill Oakley was one of the writers of the episode.

The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Wes Archer. [1] The story of the episode originated from a newspaper article that Oakley and Weinstein found about a town in Mississippi that was introducing riverboat gambling. [2] Oakley said another inspiration for it was that there had not been many episodes about Springfield as a whole and how "crummy" the town was, so they filled the whole first act with scenes showing how "dismal" it was. [3] Oakley particularly liked the animation of the lights on the slot machines and the lamps in the ceiling of the casino; the "way they radiate out" had always amazed him. [3] Archer, who directed the animation of the episode, also thought they turned out well. The lights were especially hard for them to animate back then because the show was animated traditionally on cels. [4] A deleted scene from the episode shows Homer dealing cards to James Bond. The staff liked the scene, so they decided to put it in the clip show episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular". [5]

There was a brief period when the episode had a different subplot that revolved around the restaurant chain Planet Hollywood. Groening had been told by a spokesperson that if he put Planet Hollywood in The Simpsons, the creators of the restaurant, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, would agree to make guest appearances on the show. The writers of The Simpsons were excited about this so they wrote a new subplot for the episode that featured Planet Hollywood and the three actors. However, for unknown reasons, they were unable to appear in the episode. [6] Instead, Gerry Cooney and Robert Goulet guest starred as themselves. Executive producer David Mirkin enjoyed directing Goulet because he was "such a good sport" and had "a great sense of humor". [5] Oakley thought it was nice that Goulet was willing to make fun of himself in the episode, which at the time was rare for guest stars on The Simpsons. [3] This episode features the first appearances of Gunter and Ernst, the Siegfried and Roy-esque casino magicians who are attacked by their white tiger, Anastasia. Ten years after this episode first aired, on October 3, 2003, Roy Horn was attacked by one of the duo's white tigers. The Simpsons production team dismissed the novelty of the prediction by saying that it was "bound to happen" sooner or later. [5]

Cultural references

Mr. Burns's paranoid obsession with germs and cleanliness, and his refusal to leave his bedroom once the casino opens, is a parody of American magnate Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes.jpg
Mr. Burns's paranoid obsession with germs and cleanliness, and his refusal to leave his bedroom once the casino opens, is a parody of American magnate Howard Hughes.

The title is a reference to the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb , the music of which was composed by Laurie Johnson. Two of his songs, "Happy-go-lively" and "Rue de la park" can be heard in the News on Parade segment at the beginning of the episode. [7] Burns' bed looks similar to the one occupied by Keir Dullea's character Dave Bowman in the end of the 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). [8] Homer is impressed by the card-counting abilities of a man who resembles Raymond Babbitt, Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man (1988). [1] Krusty's midnight show is similar to Bill Cosby's 1971 album For Adults Only , recorded at a casino at midnight. [8] Marge reminds Homer that his lifelong dream was to be a contestant on The Gong Show . [8]

Henry Kissinger visits the plant and drops his glasses in the toilet. He thinks that no one can know how he lost them, "Not I, the man who drafted the Paris Peace Accords!" Burns's paranoid obsession with germs and cleanliness, and his refusal to leave his bedroom once the casino opens, parodies American magnate Howard Hughes, who had obsessive–compulsive disorder and was involved in the casino business in his later years. The "Spruce Moose", an absurdly tiny wooden plane Burns makes, is a parody of Hughes' impractically enormous wooden plane, derisively nicknamed the Spruce Goose . [8] Homer parodies the scene in The Wizard of Oz (1939) when the Scarecrow demonstrates his newfound intelligence by (incorrectly) reciting the law that governs the lengths of the sides of an isosceles triangle. Unlike in the film, somebody correctly points out that the Pythagorean theorem recited applies only to right triangles, not isosceles triangles. [6]

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "$pringfield" finished 35th in the ratings for the week of December 13 to December 19, 1993, with a Nielsen Rating of 11.7, translating to 11 million households. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. [9]

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that "this excellent episode includes a surprising number of concurrent plots. Homer also works in the casino and tries to care for the family without Marge. It balances them deftly and provides great laughs along the way." [10] Adam Suraf of Dunkirkma.net named it the third best episode of the season. He also praised the episode's cultural references. [11] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "There's a lovely nod to the earlier episodes in which Marge protests the citizenry's hare-brained ideas at council meetings. A series of bizarre moments rather than a story—we're especially fond of Homer's photographic memory and Mr Burns' descent into insanity—but great fun." [8] Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode a grade of A, [12] and Bill Gibron of DVD Talk gave it a score of 4 out of 5. [13] The episode is Sarah Culp of The Quindecim's eleventh-favorite episode of the show, [14] and one of Les Winan of Box Office Prophets's favorite episodes. [15] A scene from the episode where former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger meets Burns was included in the 2002 documentary film The Trials of Henry Kissinger . [16]

Related Research Articles

Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier) is a character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Marge was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He based the character on his mother Margaret Groening. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the Simpson family received their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Simpson</span> Character from the Simpsons franchise

Homer Jay Simpson is the protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of the Simpsons, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created by the cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks's office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead created a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpsons received their own series on Fox, which debuted on December 17, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampa Simpson</span> Recurring character in The Simpsons

Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa Simpson, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled "Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Simpson</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons

Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip, Life in Hell, but instead decided to create a new set of characters. While the rest of the characters were named after Groening's family members, Bart's name is an anagram of the word brat. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for two years, the Simpson family received its own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every Simpsons episode except "Four Great Women and a Manicure".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Weinstein</span> American television writer and producer

Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Chaparral. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show Sunday Best, but was then unemployed for a long period.

<i>The Itchy & Scratchy Show</i> Fictional animated cartoon on The Simpsons

The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a fictional animated series featured on The Simpsons. The cartoon depicts a blue mouse named Itchy, and a black cat named Scratchy, who repeatedly maim or kill each other. It is typically presented as 15- to 60-second shorts that are a part of The Krusty the Clown Show. Itchy & Scratchy is filled with graphic violence that almost invariably prompts laughter from The Simpsons characters, especially Bart and Lisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror IV</span> 5th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5+1⁄2 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Oakley</span> American television writer and producer (born 1966)

William Lloyd Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show Sunday Best, but was then unemployed for a long period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpson family</span> Family of five fictional characters in animation series The Simpsons

The Simpson family are the main fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town of Springfield, United States, and they were created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted on Fox on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989, and started airing in Winter 1989.

"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons, after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and "Another Simpsons Clip Show".

"Lady Bouvier's Lover" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 12, 1994. In the episode, Abe Simpson falls in love with Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, and they start dating. However, on a night out in town, she is charmed by Mr. Burns. Abe is brokenhearted when he learns that Jacqueline is going to marry Mr. Burns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22 Short Films About Springfield</span> 21st episode of the 7th season of The Simpsons

"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David X. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Dan Greaney, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh Weinstein, Bill Oakley, and Matt Groening, with the writing being supervised by Daniels. The episode was directed by Jim Reardon. Phil Hartman guest-starred as Lionel Hutz and the hospital board chairman.

"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" is the third episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1995. In the episode, the Simpson children are put in foster care at Ned and Maude Flanders' house. Homer and Marge are forced to attend a parenting class to get their children back.

"Another Simpsons Clip Show" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 25, 1994. In the episode, Marge reads a romance novel in bed, and it prompts her to have a family meeting, where the Simpson family recall their past loves in form of clips from previous episodes.

"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 4, 1994. In the episode, Homer and Marge's sex life wanes, so Grampa restores it with a homemade revitalizing tonic. He and Homer travel town-to-town selling the elixir, but they are estranged after Grampa reveals that Homer's conception was unintentional.

Media is a recurring theme of satire on The Simpsons. The show is known for its satire of American popular culture and especially television culture, but has since its inception covered all types of media such as animation, journalism, commercials, comic books, movies, internet, and music. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town but the town of Springfield acts as a complete universe. The town features a vast array of media channels—from kids' television programming to local news, which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the entertainment industry.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994, and May 21, 1995, and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993, and May 19, 1994. The showrunner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes. Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season contains some of the series' most acclaimed and popular episodes, including "Cape Feare", "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", "Homer Goes to College", "Deep Space Homer", and "Rosebud". It also includes the 100th episode, "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song". The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program as well as an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 21, 2004, Region 2 on March 21, 2005, and Region 4 on March 23, 2005.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991, and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon, with it being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. An additional episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", aired on August 27, 1992, after the official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" and also received a nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" for the episode "Radio Bart". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Shot Mr. Burns?</span> Two-part episode of The Simpsons

"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons.Part One is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the sixth season and originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 1995, while Part Two is the season premiere of the seventh season and aired on September 17, 1995.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family . Created by Matt Groening; edited by Ray Richmond and Antonia Coffman. (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p.  131. ISBN   978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN   98141857. OCLC   37796735. OL   433519M..
  2. ↑ Weinstein, Josh (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "$pringfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  3. 1 2 3 Oakley, Bill (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "$pringfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ↑ Archer, Wes (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "$pringfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. 1 2 3 Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "$pringfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. 1 2 Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "$pringfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. ↑ "Stanley and Bart... another Kubrick legend". The Guardian . London. July 16, 1999. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "$pringfield". BBC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Nielsen Ratings/December 13–19". Long Beach Press-Telegram. December 22, 1993. p. C6.
  10. ↑ Jacobson, Colin (December 21, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (1993)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  11. ↑ Suraf, Adam (December 18, 2004). "The Simpsons: Season 5". Dunkirkma.net. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  12. ↑ Bromley, Patrick (February 23, 2005). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ Gibron, Bill (December 23, 2004). "The Simpsons – The Complete Fifth Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  14. ↑ Culp, Sarah (February 19, 2003). "The Simpsons' Top 25 Episodes". The Quindecim. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  15. ↑ Winan, Les (December 28, 2004). "How to Spend $20". Box Office Prophets. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  16. ↑ MITCHELL, ELVIS (September 26, 2002). "FILM REVIEW; Taking Kissinger to Task, Perhaps Even a Bit More". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.