Wild Barts Can't Be Broken

"**Wild Barts Can't Be Broken**"
"Wild Barts Can't Be Broken"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 10; Episode 11
Directed by	Mark Ervin
Written by	Larry Doyle
Production code	AABF07
Original air date	January 17, 1999
Guest appearance
	Cyndi Lauper as herself
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"Sherri does not "got back""
Couch gag	A parody of a scene from the film Dr. Strangelove ; the Simpsons (wearing cowboy hats) straddle the couch as it drops from a bomb bay door towards the ground.
Commentary	Matt Groening ; Mike Scully ; George Meyer ; Larry Doyle ; Matt Selman ; Tom Martin
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Viva Ned Flanders"	Next →; "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"
	The Simpsons (season 10)
	List of episodes

Last updated April 02, 2024

"Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" is the eleventh episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 17, 1999. When Homer, Barney, Lenny, and Carl drunkenly vandalize Springfield Elementary School, it is blamed on the children of Springfield, prompting Chief Wiggum to impose a curfew. The children respond by setting up a pirate radio show in which they reveal the embarrassing secrets of Springfield's adults. The episode was written by Larry Doyle and directed by Mark Ervin.^[1] The concept behind the episode originates from show producer Mike Scully always wanting to do an episode where the children would be subject to a curfew.^[2]

Plot

The Simpsons are at Springfield War Memorial Stadium, watching a Springfield Isotopes baseball game. After Cyndi Lauper's rendition of the national anthem, the crowd all begins to leave before the announcer reminds them that there's still a ball game to be played. After the first pitch, Homer becomes disappointed by the poor performance of the Isotopes and goes to wait in the car. The game picks up as the Isotopes and the rival team are deadlocked into a tight game. Six months later, he enters Moe's Tavern and is informed by Lenny and Carl that the Isotopes are in the playoffs, and have been playing well (although a sniper's deadly rampage at the All-Star Game is credited with much of their success). Homer jumps on the Isotopes bandwagon as they win the pennant. To celebrate, Homer, Lenny, Carl, and Barney go on a drunken rampage and end up vandalizing Springfield Elementary School.

The next morning, Homer discovers his now badly damaged car, oblivious that he and his friends were responsible. Chief Wiggum jumps to the conclusion that the vandalism at the school is the work of "no good punk kids", and immediately enforces a curfew on all of Springfield's children, prohibiting them from being on the local streets after dark. The kids do not react well to the new rules, and soon rally together to break curfew so they can see a 1950s drive-in horror movie which they saw advertised on television, called The Bloodening. While at the movie, the screening is suddenly stopped by Chief Wiggum. As punishment for breaking curfew, the children must clean a police billboard with Chief Wiggum on it.

To get even with their parents and the other adults, the children set up a late night pirate radio show called We Know All Your Secrets, in which they expose the adults' secrets all through Springfield, similar to the children in the movie. They are tracked down at the billboard by Professor Frink, resulting in a musical confrontation, between the kids and adults of Springfield. However, this in turn rouses the ire of Grampa Simpson and the other senior citizens trying to get some sleep. To get even with both groups, they take the measure of voting a brand new curfew, sending everyone under the age of seventy to their own homes before sunset. It is passed by a single vote, due to Homer refusing to cast a ballot, claiming "it wouldn't have made a difference". Elderly residents including Abe, Jasper, Old Jewish Man and others have a great time in the undisturbed dusk streets of Springfield.

Production

Mike Scully wanted to do an episode where the children of Springfield would be subject to a curfew.^[2] He came up with the idea to do a Kids vs. Adults episode, where the children would be blamed for something the adults have done.^[2] The name of the baseball announcer, Denis Conroy, was used because that is the name of writer Larry Doyle's uncle.^[3] Dan Castellaneta ad libbed Homer singing "Hitler is a jerk, Mussolini...."^[3] It was added in to the episode only for the purpose of filling time.^[2] The Chief Wiggum billboard sketch was inspired by Beaver Cleaver getting stuck in a soup bowl billboard during the "In the Soup" episode of Leave It to Beaver .^[2] The music playing when the kids secretly leave their houses to see the movie was written by composer Alf Clausen.^[4]

Cultural references

The episode's title is a reference to the movie Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken .
The movie The Bloodening is a parody of the 1960 film Village of the Damned .^[2]^[5]
The sequence showing the children taking the equipment to build their radio transmitter is a recreation of a sequence from the short comedy films Our Gang , featuring similar music and a dog, with Milhouse dressed like Our Gang character Alfalfa.^[2]^[5]
The review Marge reads of Talk to the Hand– "The writing snaps, crackles and pops" – was how Variety reviewed the sitcom Just Shoot Me! when it first aired in 1997.^[3]
The set of "Don't Go There" is similar to Central Perk on Friends .
The musical argument between kids, adults and seniors is a parody of the song "Kids" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie .^[3]^[5]
When Lisa is flipping through the radio channels, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech can be heard.
In the Springfield Elementary School shower-room Homer, Barney, Lenny, and Carl sing a medley of Queen songs consisting of "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You".^[1]
When Cyndi Lauper sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" it is to the tune of her hit song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".^[1]
In one scene, when Chief Wiggum orders the children to go inside, he says, "Achtung, babies!" This is a reference to the album Achtung Baby by Irish rock band U2

Reception

"Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" finished tied for 40th in the weekly ratings for the week of January 11–17, 1999 with a Nielsen rating of 8.9.^[6]

In his review of The Simpsons' tenth season, James Plath of Dvdtown.com noted "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" as "pretty decent".^[7]

Peter Brown of If regards "Lard of the Dance", "Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers' ", "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken", and "Homer Simpson in: 'Kidney Trouble' " as "some of the best episodes of the season".^[8]

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 that the episode was "a curiously unmemorable episode with a good chunk in the middle. Neither the opening with The Isotopes nor the finale with the rather dire song help this one at all, and frankly, if it wasn't for the superb parody of Village of the Damned, and the kids' revenge by revealing their family's secrets, it'd sink without trace."^[1]

In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times listed Lauper's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.^[9]

Related Research Articles

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

Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character in the animated series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph, the son of Police Chief Wiggum, is a classmate of Lisa Simpson and is characterized by his frequent non-sequiturs which range from nonsensical and bizarre to profound. His dim-witted behavior lends him an air of blissful ignorance.

"Treehouse of Horror IX" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 1998. This is the ninth Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, contains three self-contained segments: In "Hell Toupée", Homer gets a hair transplant and is possessed by the spirit of an executed criminal; in "Terror of Tiny Toon", Bart and Lisa are trapped in a special, extremely violent episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show; and in "Starship Poopers", Marge reveals that Maggie is the product of a one-night stand with the alien Kang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa on Ice</span> 8th episode of the 6th season of The Simpsons

"Lisa on Ice" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was the first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on November 13, 1994. In the episode, Lisa discovers that she possesses a skill for ice hockey. A rivalry between her and Bart ensues.

"The Great Money Caper" is the seventh 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 December 10, 2000. In the episode, Homer, along with his son Bart, con people out of their money in order to pay for Homer's broken car. However, after having paid for the repairs, the two decide to continue grifting, which leads to some troublesome situations.

"Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers'" is the fifteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1999. After Homer purchases a Canyonero sports utility vehicle, he discovers he bought the model intended for women, so he gives the vehicle to Marge. Despite disliking it at first, Marge grows fond of it, and quickly develops road rage against other motorists. The episode was written by David M. Stern and directed by Mark Kirkland.

"When You Dish Upon a Star" is the fifth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 8, 1998. When the family spend the day at Lake Springfield, Homer meets Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, who are hiding from the media in their secluded summer home. Homer starts to work for them, developing a good friendship, but he soon reveals their secrets to the public, damaging his new friendship with them. It was the last Simpsons episode written by Richard Appel, and was directed by Pete Michels.

"Simpsons Bible Stories" is the eighteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999. It is the first of The Simpsons' now annual trilogy episodes, and consists of four self-contained segments. In the episode, the Simpson family falls asleep during a sermon in church. Marge dreams that she and Homer are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Lisa dreams that she and her fellow Springfield Elementary School students are Hebrew slaves in Ancient Egypt and guides Moses to lead them to freedom, Homer dreams that he is King Solomon called to resolve a dispute between Lenny and Carl over the ownership of a pie, and Bart dreams he is King David, who has to fight Goliath's son, Goliath II.

"Make Room for Lisa" is the sixteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 28, 1999. The main plot has Homer and Lisa embark on a spiritual journey via a sensory deprivation tank.

"Maximum Homerdrive" is the seventeenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on March 28, 1999. In the episode, Homer challenges trucker Red Barclay to a meat eating contest, of which Barclay is the long-standing champion. Barclay wins but quickly dies of "beef poisoning", marking the first time he will miss a delivery at his job. Feeling bad for him, Homer take on the duty of transporting Barclay's cargo from Springfield to Atlanta.

"The Old Man and the 'C' Student" is the twentieth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 25, 1999. In the episode, after offending the Olympic committee during their visit to Springfield Elementary, the school's students are committed to 20 hours of community service. Bart, along with his sister Lisa, is put in charge of Springfield's retirement home, where Bart notices the doldrums that the old people go through every day. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa's father Homer tries to sell springs.

"Grift of the Magi" is the ninth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Being the final episode to air in the 1990s, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 19, 1999. In the episode, mafia boss Fat Tony successfully extorts a large sum of money from Springfield Elementary School, forcing Principal Skinner to close it down. However, a toy company called Kid First Industries, led by Jim Hope, later buys the school and privatizes it. Classes now start focusing on toys and marketing only, and soon a new toy called Funzo that resembles the children's ideas is released by Kid First Industries in time for the Christmas shopping season. Bart and Lisa decide to destroy all Funzos in Springfield but Gary Coleman, Kid First Industries' security guard, tries to intercept them.

"Last Tap Dance in Springfield" is the twentieth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, 2000. In the episode, Lisa decides to sign up for tap dancing lessons after being inspired by a film about a girl who enters a tango contest and wins. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse hide out at the mall to escape going to summer camp. "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" was written by Julie Thacker, who based it on her own experiences with dance classes.

"The Parent Rap" is the second episode and official premiere of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2001. In the episode, Bart and his father, Homer, are sentenced by the cruel judge Constance Harm to be tethered to each other as a result of Bart stealing Police Chief Wiggum's car thanks to Homer's negligence. Eventually, Homer's wife, Marge, is fed up with the punishment and cuts the rope, which instead leads to Judge Harm sentencing them to have their heads and hands locked up in wooden stocks.

"Homer the Moe" is the third episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 18, 2001. In the episode, Moe, following the advice of his former bartending professor, decides to modernize his bar. The bar's new image attracts several customers, but leaves Moe's four regular customers, Homer, Lenny, Carl, and Barney, feeling alienated, which in turn prompts Homer to open his private bar, disguising it as a hunting club to avoid liquor license restrictions.

"This Little Wiggy" is the eighteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 22, 1998. It was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Neil Affleck. The episode sees Ralph Wiggum becoming friends with Bart. Phil Hartman guest stars as recurring character Troy McClure.

"Das Bus" is the fourteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 15, 1998. In an extended parody of Lord of the Flies, Bart, Lisa, and other students from Springfield Elementary School are stranded on an island and are forced to work together. Meanwhile, Homer founds his own Internet company. It was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Pete Michels. Guest star James Earl Jones narrates the final scene of the episode.

"My Sister, My Sitter" is the seventeenth 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 March 2, 1997. In the episode, Marge and Homer leave Lisa to babysit Bart and Maggie. Annoyed that his younger sister is his babysitter, Bart does everything he can to annoy her. When Bart is injured, Lisa must find him medical attention without spoiling her reputation as a good babysitter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Springfield Files</span> 10th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"The Springfield Files" is the tenth 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 January 12, 1997. In the episode, Homer believes he has discovered an alien in Springfield. It was written by Reid Harrison and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Leonard Nimoy guest stars as himself and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson guest star as agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, their respective characters on The X-Files. The episode serves as a crossover with The X-Files and features numerous references to the series. The story came from former showrunners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who returned to produce this episode while under contract with The Walt Disney Company. It received positive reviews from critics; Jean and Reiss won an Annie Award for producing it.

"Bart Star" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 1997. Written by Donick Cary and directed by Dominic Polcino, the episode guest starred Joe Namath, Roy Firestone, and Mike Judge. In the episode, Homer becomes the coach of a pee-wee football team and makes Bart the quarterback, to the displeasure of the rest of the team.

References

1 2 3 4 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian. "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken". BBC . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scully, Mike (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
1 2 3 4 Doyle, Larry (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
↑ Meyer, George (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
1 2 3 Bates, James W.; Gimple, Scott M.; McCann, Jesse L.; Richmond, Ray; Seghers, Christine, eds. (2010). Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 (1st ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 490–491. ISBN 978-0-00-738815-8.
↑ "60 Minutes II Keeps CBS Ticking in Ratings". Orlando Sentinel . Sentinel Communications Co. Associated Press. 1999-01-20. p. A2.
↑ Plath, James (August 17, 2007). "Simpsons, The: The Complete 10th Season Special Edition". Dvdtown.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
↑ Brown, Peter (August 7, 2007). "DVDs: What iF Picks: 'ROME THE SECOND SEASON' ONE OF THE TOP 5 DVDs TO OWN FOR AUG. 7, 2007". If . Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
↑ Crerar, Simon (2007-07-05). "The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever". The Times . Retrieved 2010-08-09.

External links

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.

[BBC-1] 1 2 3 4 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian. "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken". BBC . Retrieved 2008-08-23.

[Scully-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scully, Mike (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Doyle-3] 1 2 3 4 Doyle, Larry (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Meyer-4] Meyer, George (2007). The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[ult-5] 1 2 3 Bates, James W.; Gimple, Scott M.; McCann, Jesse L.; Richmond, Ray; Seghers, Christine, eds. (2010). Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 (1st ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 490–491. ISBN 978-0-00-738815-8.

[6] "60 Minutes II Keeps CBS Ticking in Ratings". Orlando Sentinel . Sentinel Communications Co. Associated Press. 1999-01-20. p. A2.

[Dvdtown-7] Plath, James (August 17, 2007). "Simpsons, The: The Complete 10th Season Special Edition". Dvdtown.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

[IfMagazine-8] Brown, Peter (August 7, 2007). "DVDs: What iF Picks: 'ROME THE SECOND SEASON' ONE OF THE TOP 5 DVDs TO OWN FOR AUG. 7, 2007". If . Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

[Crerar-9] Crerar, Simon (2007-07-05). "The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever". The Times . Retrieved 2010-08-09.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Season 10	"Lard of the Dance" "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" "Bart the Mother" "Treehouse of Horror IX" "When You Dish Upon a Star" "D'oh-in' in the Wind" "Lisa Gets an 'A' " "Homer Simpson in: 'Kidney Trouble' " "Mayored to the Mob" "Viva Ned Flanders" "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" "Homer to the Max" "I'm with Cupid" "Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers' " "Make Room for Lisa" "Maximum Homerdrive" "Simpsons Bible Stories" "Mom and Pop Art" "The Old Man and the 'C' Student" "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" "They Saved Lisa's Brain" "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo"
Themed episodes	Treehouse of Horror list
See also	The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy"
Category