Krusty Gets Busted

Last updated

"Krusty Gets Busted"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 12
Directed by Brad Bird
Written by Jay Kogen
Wallace Wolodarsky
Production code7G12 [1]
Original air dateApril 29, 1990 (1990-04-29)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "They are laughing at me, not with me" [3]
Couch gag Maggie pops out of the couch, and lands in Marge's arms. [4]
Commentary Matt Groening
Brad Bird
Jay Kogen
Wallace Wolodarsky
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Crepes of Wrath"		Next →
"Some Enchanted Evening"
The Simpsons season 1
List of episodes

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on April 29, 1990. [1] The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, and directed by Brad Bird. [4] In the episode, Krusty the Clown is convicted of armed robbery of the Kwik-E-Mart and imprisoned. Convinced that Krusty has been framed, Bart and Lisa investigate the crime and learn that Krusty's sidekick, Sideshow Bob, is the culprit.

Contents

This episode marks the first full-fledged appearance of Kent Brockman. [4] Kelsey Grammer makes his first guest appearance on the show as the voice of Sideshow Bob. [5]

Plot

Marge asks Homer to pick up ice cream from the Kwik-E-Mart on the way home from work; Homer obliges, and at the Kwik-E-Mart, he sees a man resembling Krusty the Clown committing a robbery. After Homer identifies Krusty in a police lineup, the latter is arrested and convicted, much to the grief of Bart. Taking advantage of the public outrage over Krusty's seeming criminal turn, Apu begins marketing a "clown-repelling" machine gun, while Reverend Lovejoy arranges a bonfire, where Springfield's residents destroy Krusty's merchandise.

In Krusty's absence, his sidekick Sideshow Bob becomes the new host of his show, rechristening it as The Side-Show Bob Cavalcade of Whimsy and retooling it to focus on education and classic literature while retaining The Itchy & Scratchy Show . Refusing to accept that his idol could have committed a crime, Bart enlists Lisa's help to prove Krusty's innocence.

At the crime scene, Bart and Lisa recall that the robber read a magazine and used a microwave oven, which Krusty could not have done as he is illiterate and has an artificial pacemaker, which requires him to avoid microwave radiation. When Bart and Lisa visit Sideshow Bob to learn whether Krusty had any enemies, he gives them tickets to his show. During the live broadcast, Bart is invited on stage with Bob, who dismisses Bart's points about the microwave and magazine. When Bob says he has "big shoes to fill", Bart remembers when Homer stepped on the robber's foot during his robbery, making him react in pain. Despite wearing clown shoes, Krusty has small feet and would not have felt Homer stepping on them. Bart deduces that Sideshow Bob is the culprit, since he had the most to gain from Krusty's downfall and his large feet literally fill his own shoes. To prove this to the audience, Bart hits one of them with a mallet and reveals their size as Bob reacts in pain.

While watching the show, the police realize they failed to notice this evidence and head to the studio to arrest Bob, who admits he framed Krusty because he hated being on the receiving end of the clown's humiliating gags and felt that his true talents were wasted on his show. Released after his exoneration, Krusty regains the trust of the townspeople, including Homer, who apologizes for misidentifying him, as he thanks Bart for his help. Bart hangs a picture of himself shaking hands with Krusty in his bedroom, which is refilled with Krusty decor and merchandise.

Production

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the first episode guest starring Kelsey Grammer as the voice of Sideshow Bob. Kelsey Grammer - Cropped.jpg
"Krusty Gets Busted" is the first episode guest starring Kelsey Grammer as the voice of Sideshow Bob.

Director Brad Bird wanted to open the episode with a close-up of Krusty's face. [6] The staff liked the idea, and he then suggested that all three acts of the episode, defined by the placement of the commercial breaks, should begin with a close-up shot. [6] Act one begins with Krusty's face introducing the audience at his show, act two begins with Krusty's face being locked up behind bars, and act three begins with Sideshow Bob's face on a big poster. [6] Krusty's character is based on a television clown from Portland, Oregon called Rusty Nails, whom The Simpsons creator Matt Groening watched while growing up in Portland. [7] The original teleplay, written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, was 78 pages long and many scenes had to be cut. [8] One scene that had to be cut down was the scene where Patty and Selma show the slideshow of their vacation; it originally contained images of them being detained for bringing heroin into America. [8]

"Krusty Gets Busted" is Sideshow Bob's second appearance on The Simpsons but is his first major appearance. He first appeared as a minor character in the season one episode "The Telltale Head". [9] In that appearance, his design was simpler and his hair was round. However, near the end of the episode, he appears with his more familiar hairstyle. Bob's design was updated for "Krusty Gets Busted", and the animators tried to redo his scenes in "The Telltale Head" with the re-design, but did not have enough time. [9] The script for "Krusty Gets Busted" called for James Earl Jones to voice Bob, but the producers instead went with Kelsey Grammer, a cast member on Cheers at the time. [5] Grammer based Bob's voice on that of theater director Ellis Rabb. Kent Brockman, Judge Snyder, and Scott Christian make their first appearances on The Simpsons in this episode. [10]

Cultural references

Chief Wiggum's order during the suspect line-up to "send in the clowns" is an allusion to the Stephen Sondheim song "Send in the Clowns" from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music . The Sondheim musical took its name from Mozart's Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, which is the theme tune to Sideshow Bob's show. [4] The close up shot of Krusty's face behind bars in the beginning of act two is a reference of the closing credit motif of the British television series The Prisoner from the 1960s. [4] The background music in that scene resembles the theme of the television series Mission: Impossible at one point. [4] Sideshow Bob is reading The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas to the studio audience. [11] The song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" by Cole Porter is featured in the episode. [4] Following Sideshow Bob's arrest, he mutters to the Simpsons children, "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for these meddling kids.", which is a reference to a catchphrase from Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo franchise, which was airing on ABC as A Pup Named Scooby-Doo when this episode aired. [7]

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Krusty Gets Busted" finished 13th in the ratings for the week of April 23–29, 1990, with a Nielsen rating of 16.4. It was the highest rated show on the Fox network that week. [12] The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, praised the episode: "The invention of the Simpsons' arch enemy as a lugubrious yet psychotic Englishman in dreadlocks succeeds wonderfully in this super-fast, super-funny episode that works by constantly reversing the audience's expectations." [4]

In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck rated this episode a 3 (of 5). [13] Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that "throughout the episode we found great material; it really seemed clear that the show was starting to turn into the piece we now know and love. It's hard for me to relate any deficiencies" and added that "almost every Bob episode offers a lot of fun, and this episode started that trend in fine style." [14] Screen Rant called it the best episode of the first season. [15] Series creator Matt Groening listed it as his ninth favorite episode of The Simpsons and added "I have a peculiar love of TV clownery". [16]

Related Research Articles

<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">Krusty the Clown</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky, better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown, is a recurring character on the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the long-time clown host of Bart and Lisa's favorite TV show, a combination of kiddie variety television hijinks and cartoons including The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Krusty is often portrayed as a cynical, burnt-out, addiction-riddled smoker who is made miserable by show business but continues on anyway. He has become one of the most frequently occurring characters outside the main Simpson family and has been the focus of many episodes, some of which also feature Sideshow Bob.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sideshow Bob</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale University and a champion of high culture, including the adoption of a transatlantic accent, similar to that of Grammer's portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane from the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He began his career as a sidekick on Krusty the Clown's television show, but after enduring constant abuse, Bob framed his employer for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets Busted", only to be foiled by Bart Simpson, and sent to prison. Bob started seeking revenge against Bart while in prison, and the two became feuding arch-enemies.

Springfield (<i>The Simpsons</i>) Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon and Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of town to impress Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph, three older kids he admires. The town's residents, including the three boys, are horrified and Bart regrets his actions. After telling Lisa and Marge, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by an angry mob. After Bart tells the mob that he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart and the boy places the head back on the statue. The episode's title is a reference to the 1843 short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Like Father, Like Clown</span> 6th episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"Like Father, Like Clown" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 24, 1991. In the episode, Krusty the Clown reveals to the Simpsons that he is Jewish and that his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, kicked him out for pursuing a career in comedy. Bart and Lisa try to reunite a heartbroken Krusty with his estranged father.

"Cape Feare" is the second 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 October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer in his third major appearance as Sideshow Bob, who attempts to kill Bart Simpson again after getting out of jail, spoofing the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake. Both films are based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners and allude to other horror films such as Psycho.

"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1992. The third annual Treehouse of Horror episode, it features segments in which Homer buys Bart an evil talking doll, Homer is a giant ape which is captured by Mr. Burns in a parody of the 1933 version of King Kong, and Bart and Lisa inadvertently cause zombies to attack Springfield.

"Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 6, 1990. In the episode, Bart decides he wants to become a daredevil after watching famous stunt performer Lance Murdock at a monster truck rally.

"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" is the ninth 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 November 26, 1995. In this episode, Sideshow Bob attempts to rid Springfield of television by threatening to detonate an atomic bomb. When that backfires, he attempts to kill Bart once again, but this time along with Krusty the Clown.

"Day of the Jackanapes" is the thirteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 18, 2001. In the episode, Krusty announces his retirement due to interference from network executives and the growing popularity of the game show Me Wantee. When Krusty reveals that all of the episodes featuring Sideshow Bob have been erased, Bob decides to murder Bart again by hypnotizing him into murdering Krusty during his farewell show.

"Black Widower" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 9, 1992. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by David Silverman. Kelsey Grammer guest starred as Sideshow Bob for the second time. In the episode, Sideshow Bob — Bart's new archenemy — returns, apparently in a romantic relationship with Bart's aunt Selma, but when Bart later realizes that Bob is planning to kill Selma, he prevents the attempted murder and Bob is sent back to prison. "Black Widower" finished 39th in Nielsen ratings for the week that it originally aired. Reviewers generally enjoyed the episode, and gave Grammer's portrayal of Sideshow Bob particular praise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brother from Another Series</span> 16th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"Brother from Another Series" is the sixteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 23, 1997. Sideshow Bob is released from prison after his arrest in "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" into the care of his brother Cecil and claims to be a changed man. However, Bart does not believe him and tries to find out what Bob is up to. It was the first episode directed by Pete Michels and was written by Ken Keeler. The episode guest stars Kelsey Grammer in his sixth appearance as Sideshow Bob and David Hyde Pierce in his first appearance as Cecil. The title is not only a pun on the movie The Brother from Another Planet, but for the fact that guest stars Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce also played bickering brothers Frasier Crane and Niles Crane, respectively, on the NBC sitcom Frasier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Gets Famous</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Bart Gets Famous" is the twelfth 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 February 3, 1994. In the episode, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. He replaces Sideshow Mel in one of Krusty's skits and accidentally destroys the stage props. When Bart says "I didn't do it," he instantly becomes famous for his catchphrase.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between December 17, 1989, and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon.

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.

Wallace Wolodarsky, also billed as Wally Wolodarsky, is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, and film director known for being one of the writers for The Simpsons during the first four seasons with his writing partner Jay Kogen.

References

  1. 1 2 Groening 2010, p. 46.
  2. ↑ "Krusty Gets Busted" The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on August 29, 2008
  3. ↑ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. pp.  28–29. ISBN   978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN   98141857. OCLC   37796735. OL   433519M..
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Krusty Gets Busted BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on August 31, 2008
  5. 1 2 Bird, Brad (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. 1 2 3 Bird, Brad (2001). Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. 1 2 Groening, Matt (2001). Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  8. 1 2 Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  9. 1 2 Moore, Rich (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "The Telltale Head" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  10. ↑ Kogen, Jay (2001). Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  11. ↑ "Krusty Gets Busted". Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ Richmond, Ray (May 2, 1990). "CBS sweeps Sunday, but NBC nets week's honors". The Orange County Register. p. I06.
  13. ↑ Grelck, David B. (September 25, 2001). "The Complete First Season". WDBGProductions. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  14. ↑ Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  15. ↑ Sim, Bernardo (September 22, 2019). "The Simpsons: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  16. ↑ Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2000). "Springfield of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 15, 2022.

Bibliography

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.