Anna Howard Shaw Day
Encyclopedia
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 71st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard
and directed by Ken Whittingham
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on February 11, 2010. Elizabeth Banks
, Jon Hamm, Shinnerrie Jackson, Douglas Rees, Horatio Sanz
, Jason Sudeikis
, and Dean Winters
guest star in this episode, and there is a cameo appearance by musician Jon Bon Jovi
.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) schedules a dentist appointment on Valentine's Day
to avoid feeling lonely on the holiday. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) meets a successful and attractive CNBC
host (Banks). Elsewhere, Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) is frustrated when her stalker (Sanz) finally loses interest.
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
, it was watched by 6.004 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.8 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. For his work in this episode, Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
, Liz schedules a needed root canal
on that day, but soon realizes she will need someone to escort her home from the dentist's office due to the after effects of anesthesia. She asks her colleagues around the 30 Rock building for a ride home, but for various reasons they cannot do it. As a result of this, Liz calls the dentist's office and says that she does not have anyone to pick her up. However, the receptionist (Shinnerrie Jackson) informs her that after her procedure she can leave alone if she signs a liability waiver
. Later, after receiving the document, Liz begins to sign it, but ultimately decides against it.
Meanwhile, Jack, who is Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric
, makes an appearance on the fictional CNBC
show The Hot Box. During the appearance, Jack interacts with the show's host, Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
), with the two flirting during the broadcast. The two share Republican
viewpoints, and Avery asks Jack out for a drink, which he accepts. They eventually embark on a number of both successful and unsuccessful dates. During one of those dates, Jack invites her to the fictitious comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan' s (TGS) VIP party, whereupon he enlists the help of musician Jon Bon Jovi
—NBC's Artist in residence
—to come over to them and converse, and impress her. When Bon Jovi approaches them, though, Jack disregards him due to his own intriguing conversation with Avery. After the TGS party, the two go back to Jack's apartment and end up sleeping together, resulting in the two beginning a relationship.
At the same time, Jenna begins to worry that her stalker, Maynard Roger Hoynes (Horatio Sanz
), has lost interest in her. Jenna tracks down Maynard and her suspicions are confirmed, after he tells her that his therapist encouraged him to stop his obsession with her and move forward. Later, in the 30 Rock building, NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) finds Jenna upset in her dressing room. She tells him why she is in that state and shows him letters that Maynard sent to her in the past. Kenneth, however, is confused as to why Jenna misses her stalker, leading her to reveal that Maynard has been the longest relationship she has ever had. The next day, Jenna enters her dressing room and sees that her picture is inscribed with the words "I want to eat your Boogers." Jenna immediately knows Kenneth did this, due to his reaction towards it, and thanks him for his thoughtfulness.
On Valentine's Day, Liz goes to her dentist appointment and tells the receptionist that she did not sign the waiver. After her surgery, Liz reassures the dental staff that the anesthesia
is having no effect on her and can take herself home. In the lobby, Liz sees her former boyfriends Drew Baird (Jon Hamm), Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters
), and Floyd DeBarber (Jason Sudeikis
), and is moved that they came back so that she not be alone on Valentine's Day. Liz, however, is hallucinating and mistakes Drew, Dennis, and Floyd for the three Jamaican women dental assistants who are actually there. One of them calls Jack, Liz's boss, asking if he could come pick up Liz and take her home, which he does.
and directed by Ken Whittingham
. This episode was Hubbard's ninth writing credit, and the second episode for Whittingham who had directed the March 12, 2009, season three
episode "The Funcooker
". "Anna Howard Shaw Day" originally aired in the United States on February 11, 2010, on NBC as the thirteenth episode of the show's fourth season
and the 71st overall episode of the series. This episode was filmed on December 9, 2009, and January 27, 2010.
In December 2009, it was confirmed that actress Elizabeth Banks would guest star on the show, and in this episode, she played right-wing CNBC anchor Avery Jessup, and love interest to Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly
s Michael Ausiello
, Banks revealed that she approached the show's staff about making an appearance on the show. "I definitely put feelers out, like, 'I would love to be on your show.' And they did it. They made it happen! I'm a huge fan, so this is a dream come true." She said that on her first day on set she "begged" producers if she could use a teleprompter
—in which she is first introduced in the episode on the set of her show The Hot Box, with her interviewing Jack and another guest (Douglas Rees)—so that she could deliver her lines quickly, explaining that her fast delivery would help "sell" the comedy and her 30 Rock character. They agreed to it, though, a problem ensued when they could not figure the prompter out, which resulted in Banks "throwing fastballs at [Baldwin] and him battling them back as fast as possible and hoping they could cut it together faster than we were doing it." Banks revealed to Ausiello that she had no intention on becoming a series regular, explaining that she has been having "too much fun" making movies to commit to a television show full-time. According to a February 2010 report in the New York Post
, after the airing of this episode, the Avery character was based on CNBC news anchor Melissa Francis, and it was Francis who "pitched" the character to a 30 Rock producer. Banks, however, denied this report, calling it "false".
In October 2009, it was reported that musician Jon Bon Jovi would serve as the first artist in NBC's brand new "artist in residence
" program. In a November 25, 2009, appearance on NBC's The Today Show, Jon Bon Jovi explained that his band (Bon Jovi
) had released a new album, The Circle
, and that for two months the group would be making appearances on a wide range of NBC broadcast and cable channels to promote it. On 30 Rock, Jon Bon Jovi played himself and his title as artist in residence was referenced, in which he appears as a contestant on the Bravo cooking reality television series Top Chef
, and is later shown strum
ming the NBC Nightly News
theme.
Actors Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters reprised their roles, respectively, as Drew Baird, Floyd DeBarber, and Dennis Duffy; former boyfriends of Liz Lemon (Fey). In the final scene of "Anna Howard Shaw Day", in which she is still under the after effects of anesthesia, Liz "sees" Drew, Floyd, and Dennis speak in Jamaican accents
, however, the three men are really three Jamaican dental assistants. In regards to the accent, Hamm said in an interview "That was given to me literally the day before we shot it. They were like, 'We wrote some more stuff, so we'll see you tomorrow.' I was like, 'Okay, how much more can it be? Oh great, it's a completely different take, awesome.'"
Comedic actor Jason Sudeikis, who appeared in this episode as Floyd DeBarber, is a current main cast member of Saturday Night Live
(SNL). Additionally in this episode, Horatio Sanz, who played Maynard Roger Hoynes—Jenna Maroney's stalker—has also appeared in the main cast of SNL. Fey was the head writer on SNL from 1999 until 2006.
. Liz tells Jack that she does not watch CNBC, a business news channel, but that she gets all her money advice from a fictitious cartoon character, Foxy Moneybags, on PBS
. While confronting Maynard, as he does not stalk her anymore, Jenna asks him if he is stalking "one of those kids from Glee
", the latter being a Fox
program that focuses on a high school show choir. During his appearance on The Hot Box, Avery asks Jack what his favorite movie is with him responding that it is a tie with The Fountainhead
(1949) and Uncle Buck
(1989). During her hallucination, in which she sees Drew, Dennis, and Floyd, Liz confesses to Dennis that watching the period drama The Color Purple
with him drunk "was one of the funnest nights of my life."
The character Astronaut Mike Dexter was referenced in this episode, in which Liz tells the dental receptionist that she did not sign the liability waiver as her "boyfriend" Mike Dexter would come and take her home. Liz considers the character to be her imaginary perfect husband. The character was first introduced in "Sun Tea
", in which "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
) pretended to be Mike Dexter, Liz's "crazy black boyfriend", after she planned to get her roommate out of his apartment with Dot Com's help, but her plan backfired. In "Dealbreakers Talk Show
", Mike Dexter was played by actor John Anderson, in which Liz fantasizes about what it would be like following the success of her talk show, and is then notified by Mike Dexter that he has to go back to outer space
. Astronaut Mike Dexter would be mentioned further in the season.
. The show claimed a 2.8 rating/7 share among viewers aged 18 to 49, meaning that 2.8 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was an increase from the previous episode, "Verna
", which was watched by 5.93 million American viewers. Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
, but lost it to Modern Family
s Steven Levitan
and Christopher Lloyd
for their work on the pilot episode
. In December 2010, Hubbard received a Writers Guild of America Award
nomination for "Anna Howard Shaw Day". In reviewing the best television programs of 2010, The A.V. Club
named 30 Rock number 18 and cited this episode as amongst the best of the year.
The A.V. Club' s Nathan Rabin enjoyed Elizabeth Banks' appearance, writing that she played her character "perfectly" and hoped she returned to the series. Rabin was "delighted" to see the show "get back some of its blinding speed", regarding some episodes of the show's fourth season not getting well-received reception, as it was Jack and Avery's courtship here that "was a refreshing reminder of just how fucking sharp 30 Rock can be." Sean Gandert of Paste
was appreciative towards Banks' role, noted that Jon Bon Jovi's appearance was "completely unnecessary but pretty awesome nonetheless", and concluded that Liz and Jack's plotlines were "particularly strong" and that despite not anything "new" occurring here "it was largely just some fun, top-form 30 Rock." Meredith Blake, a contributor of the Los Angeles Times
, opined that the three plots featured were "equally strong", and added that Jenna's stalker plot "could easily have fallen flat" but it turned out to be very funny. In conclusion, Blake deemed this a "stellar episode, and it was especially enjoyable" than last week's episode, "Verna". Adam Mersel of TV Guide
reported that the Valentine's Day theme in the episode was "hilarious", as it was "full of the usual belly-laughs and spit-takes." Entertainment Weekly
contributor Margaret Lyons commented that it was "one of the loopiest, silliest episodes in a while, but it worked." Lyons enjoyed Tina Fey's performance here, writing that it provided Fey with her "most interesting acting showcase all season".
IGN
contributor Robert Canning said that this episode of 30 Rock "wasn't as fun and funny as it could have been", explaining that it had some great laughs, but that as a whole it "felt a bit flat and joyless." He wrote that the cameos by Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters "did little in the body of the episode", nonetheless, the "real payoff" came in the end when the three portrayed the dental assistants. "It was a gag mostly unrelated to the rest of the episode, and it was the best part of the half hour." In conclusion, Canning gave it a 7.7 out of 10 rating. Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
wrote that the episode was a "pretty lifeless outing", reasoning it had the "usual laughs in the margin" but overall "there were a lot of long, flat, deadly stretches, and entire subplots like Jenna with her stalker that just lay there." Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad enjoyed Liz's story here, but noted that he disliked Jenna's stalker story, concluding "...there were a few really funny lines ... but overall I found her missing-her-stalker-on-Valentine's-Day plot to be rather ... icky [...] Honestly, I want to see more of the human, normal side of Jenna". Nick Catucci of New York
magazine felt that Liz's plot here was "one of the worst story lines in recent memory".
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and the 71st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
and directed by Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham is an American television director.His most notable directorial work includes a number of episodes from each of the television series 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Suburgatory, The Middle, Parenthood, The Bernie Mac Show, Scrubs, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, My Name Is Earl,...
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) network in the United States on February 11, 2010. Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
, Jon Hamm, Shinnerrie Jackson, Douglas Rees, Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
, Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
, and Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Dean Winters is an American actor, who has portrayed Ryan O'Reily on HBO's Oz, Johnny Gavin on FX Network's Rescue Me, and Dennis Duffy on NBC's 30 Rock...
guest star in this episode, and there is a cameo appearance by musician Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) schedules a dentist appointment on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
to avoid feeling lonely on the holiday. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) meets a successful and attractive CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
host (Banks). Elsewhere, Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) is frustrated when her stalker (Sanz) finally loses interest.
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was watched by 6.004 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.8 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. For his work in this episode, Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
Plot
To avoid feeling lonely on Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
, Liz schedules a needed root canal
Root canal
A root canal is the space within the root of a tooth. It is part of a naturally occurring space within a tooth that consists of the pulp chamber , the main canal, and more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root canals to each other or to the surface of the root.-Root canal anatomy:...
on that day, but soon realizes she will need someone to escort her home from the dentist's office due to the after effects of anesthesia. She asks her colleagues around the 30 Rock building for a ride home, but for various reasons they cannot do it. As a result of this, Liz calls the dentist's office and says that she does not have anyone to pick her up. However, the receptionist (Shinnerrie Jackson) informs her that after her procedure she can leave alone if she signs a liability waiver
Liability waiver
A liability waiver is a legal document that a person who participates in an activity may sign to acknowledge the risks involved in his or her participation. By doing so, the signer typically removes legal liability from the business or person responsible for the activity. The enforceability of such...
. Later, after receiving the document, Liz begins to sign it, but ultimately decides against it.
Meanwhile, Jack, who is Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, makes an appearance on the fictional CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
show The Hot Box. During the appearance, Jack interacts with the show's host, Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
), with the two flirting during the broadcast. The two share Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
viewpoints, and Avery asks Jack out for a drink, which he accepts. They eventually embark on a number of both successful and unsuccessful dates. During one of those dates, Jack invites her to the fictitious comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
—NBC's Artist in residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
—to come over to them and converse, and impress her. When Bon Jovi approaches them, though, Jack disregards him due to his own intriguing conversation with Avery. After the TGS party, the two go back to Jack's apartment and end up sleeping together, resulting in the two beginning a relationship.
At the same time, Jenna begins to worry that her stalker, Maynard Roger Hoynes (Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
), has lost interest in her. Jenna tracks down Maynard and her suspicions are confirmed, after he tells her that his therapist encouraged him to stop his obsession with her and move forward. Later, in the 30 Rock building, NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) finds Jenna upset in her dressing room. She tells him why she is in that state and shows him letters that Maynard sent to her in the past. Kenneth, however, is confused as to why Jenna misses her stalker, leading her to reveal that Maynard has been the longest relationship she has ever had. The next day, Jenna enters her dressing room and sees that her picture is inscribed with the words "I want to eat your Boogers." Jenna immediately knows Kenneth did this, due to his reaction towards it, and thanks him for his thoughtfulness.
On Valentine's Day, Liz goes to her dentist appointment and tells the receptionist that she did not sign the waiver. After her surgery, Liz reassures the dental staff that the anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
is having no effect on her and can take herself home. In the lobby, Liz sees her former boyfriends Drew Baird (Jon Hamm), Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Dean Winters is an American actor, who has portrayed Ryan O'Reily on HBO's Oz, Johnny Gavin on FX Network's Rescue Me, and Dennis Duffy on NBC's 30 Rock...
), and Floyd DeBarber (Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
), and is moved that they came back so that she not be alone on Valentine's Day. Liz, however, is hallucinating and mistakes Drew, Dennis, and Floyd for the three Jamaican women dental assistants who are actually there. One of them calls Jack, Liz's boss, asking if he could come pick up Liz and take her home, which he does.
Production
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" was written by 30 Rock supervising producer Matt HubbardMatt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
and directed by Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham is an American television director.His most notable directorial work includes a number of episodes from each of the television series 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Suburgatory, The Middle, Parenthood, The Bernie Mac Show, Scrubs, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, My Name Is Earl,...
. This episode was Hubbard's ninth writing credit, and the second episode for Whittingham who had directed the March 12, 2009, season three
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
episode "The Funcooker
The Funcooker
"The Funcooker" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by Tom Ceraulo and Donald Glover, and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company on March 12, 2009...
". "Anna Howard Shaw Day" originally aired in the United States on February 11, 2010, on NBC as the thirteenth episode of the show's fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
and the 71st overall episode of the series. This episode was filmed on December 9, 2009, and January 27, 2010.
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
, Banks revealed that she approached the show's staff about making an appearance on the show. "I definitely put feelers out, like, 'I would love to be on your show.' And they did it. They made it happen! I'm a huge fan, so this is a dream come true." She said that on her first day on set she "begged" producers if she could use a teleprompter
Teleprompter
An autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
—in which she is first introduced in the episode on the set of her show The Hot Box, with her interviewing Jack and another guest (Douglas Rees)—so that she could deliver her lines quickly, explaining that her fast delivery would help "sell" the comedy and her 30 Rock character. They agreed to it, though, a problem ensued when they could not figure the prompter out, which resulted in Banks "throwing fastballs at [Baldwin] and him battling them back as fast as possible and hoping they could cut it together faster than we were doing it." Banks revealed to Ausiello that she had no intention on becoming a series regular, explaining that she has been having "too much fun" making movies to commit to a television show full-time. According to a February 2010 report in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, after the airing of this episode, the Avery character was based on CNBC news anchor Melissa Francis, and it was Francis who "pitched" the character to a 30 Rock producer. Banks, however, denied this report, calling it "false".
In October 2009, it was reported that musician Jon Bon Jovi would serve as the first artist in NBC's brand new "artist in residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
" program. In a November 25, 2009, appearance on NBC's The Today Show, Jon Bon Jovi explained that his band (Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
) had released a new album, The Circle
The Circle (Bon Jovi album)
The Circle is the eleventh studio album by rock band Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks, the album was released November 10, 2009, with the new single "We Weren't Born to Follow" premiering on radio August 17...
, and that for two months the group would be making appearances on a wide range of NBC broadcast and cable channels to promote it. On 30 Rock, Jon Bon Jovi played himself and his title as artist in residence was referenced, in which he appears as a contestant on the Bravo cooking reality television series Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
, and is later shown strum
Strum
In music, a strum or stroke is an action where a single surface touches several strings of a string instrument, such as a guitar, in order to set them all into motion and thereby play a chord...
ming the NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
theme.
Actors Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters reprised their roles, respectively, as Drew Baird, Floyd DeBarber, and Dennis Duffy; former boyfriends of Liz Lemon (Fey). In the final scene of "Anna Howard Shaw Day", in which she is still under the after effects of anesthesia, Liz "sees" Drew, Floyd, and Dennis speak in Jamaican accents
Jamaican English
Jamaican English or Jamaican Standard English is a dialect of English spoken in Jamaica. It melds parts of both American English and British English dialects, along with many aspects of Irish intonation...
, however, the three men are really three Jamaican dental assistants. In regards to the accent, Hamm said in an interview "That was given to me literally the day before we shot it. They were like, 'We wrote some more stuff, so we'll see you tomorrow.' I was like, 'Okay, how much more can it be? Oh great, it's a completely different take, awesome.'"
Comedic actor Jason Sudeikis, who appeared in this episode as Floyd DeBarber, is a current main cast member of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(SNL). Additionally in this episode, Horatio Sanz, who played Maynard Roger Hoynes—Jenna Maroney's stalker—has also appeared in the main cast of SNL. Fey was the head writer on SNL from 1999 until 2006.
Cultural references
The name of "Anna Howard Shaw Day" is based on Liz's hatred of Valentine's Day, for which she substitutes "Anna Howard Shaw Day", a real holiday celebrating the February 14 birthday of Woman's Civil Rights leader Anna Howard ShawAnna Howard Shaw
Anna Howard Shaw was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and the first ordained female Methodist minister in the United States. Her birthday is celebrated as Anna Howard Shaw Day, as an alternative to St. Valentine's Day.-Early Life:Shaw was...
. Liz tells Jack that she does not watch CNBC, a business news channel, but that she gets all her money advice from a fictitious cartoon character, Foxy Moneybags, on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. While confronting Maynard, as he does not stalk her anymore, Jenna asks him if he is stalking "one of those kids from Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
", the latter being a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
program that focuses on a high school show choir. During his appearance on The Hot Box, Avery asks Jack what his favorite movie is with him responding that it is a tie with The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead (film)
The Fountainhead is a 1949 American film directed by King Vidor, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ayn Rand, who wrote the screenplay adaptation....
(1949) and Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, and Macaulay Culkin, and co-stars Jay Underwood and Laurie Metcalf.-Plot:Bob Russell Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby...
(1989). During her hallucination, in which she sees Drew, Dennis, and Floyd, Liz confesses to Dennis that watching the period drama The Color Purple
The Color Purple (film)
The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director , and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous...
with him drunk "was one of the funnest nights of my life."
The character Astronaut Mike Dexter was referenced in this episode, in which Liz tells the dental receptionist that she did not sign the liability waiver as her "boyfriend" Mike Dexter would come and take her home. Liz considers the character to be her imaginary perfect husband. The character was first introduced in "Sun Tea
Sun Tea (30 Rock)
"Sun Tea" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by show co-producers Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegal, and directed by Gail Mancuso. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States on November...
", in which "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
) pretended to be Mike Dexter, Liz's "crazy black boyfriend", after she planned to get her roommate out of his apartment with Dot Com's help, but her plan backfired. In "Dealbreakers Talk Show
Dealbreakers Talk Show
"Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 65th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and directed by series producer Don Scardino. It originally aired on the National...
", Mike Dexter was played by actor John Anderson, in which Liz fantasizes about what it would be like following the success of her talk show, and is then notified by Mike Dexter that he has to go back to outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
. Astronaut Mike Dexter would be mentioned further in the season.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Anna Howard Shaw Day" was seen by 6.004 million households, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The show claimed a 2.8 rating/7 share among viewers aged 18 to 49, meaning that 2.8 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was an increase from the previous episode, "Verna
Verna (30 Rock)
"Verna" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 70th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by series producer Don Scardino. It originally aired on the National...
", which was watched by 5.93 million American viewers. Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...
, but lost it to Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
s Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan
Steven E. Levitan is an American director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies. He has created such TV series as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, and Modern Family....
and Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter)
Christopher Lloyd is an American TV screenwriter and producer of Wings, Frasier, Out of Practice, Back to You, and Modern Family...
for their work on the pilot episode
Pilot (Modern Family)
The pilot episode of the television series Modern Family, written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, premiered on ABC in the United States on September 23, 2009. The pilot introduces viewers to three sets of people who make up a single family...
. In December 2010, Hubbard received a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
nomination for "Anna Howard Shaw Day". In reviewing the best television programs of 2010, The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
named 30 Rock number 18 and cited this episode as amongst the best of the year.
The A.V. Club
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
was appreciative towards Banks' role, noted that Jon Bon Jovi's appearance was "completely unnecessary but pretty awesome nonetheless", and concluded that Liz and Jack's plotlines were "particularly strong" and that despite not anything "new" occurring here "it was largely just some fun, top-form 30 Rock." Meredith Blake, a contributor of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, opined that the three plots featured were "equally strong", and added that Jenna's stalker plot "could easily have fallen flat" but it turned out to be very funny. In conclusion, Blake deemed this a "stellar episode, and it was especially enjoyable" than last week's episode, "Verna". Adam Mersel of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that the Valentine's Day theme in the episode was "hilarious", as it was "full of the usual belly-laughs and spit-takes." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
contributor Margaret Lyons commented that it was "one of the loopiest, silliest episodes in a while, but it worked." Lyons enjoyed Tina Fey's performance here, writing that it provided Fey with her "most interesting acting showcase all season".
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning said that this episode of 30 Rock "wasn't as fun and funny as it could have been", explaining that it had some great laughs, but that as a whole it "felt a bit flat and joyless." He wrote that the cameos by Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters "did little in the body of the episode", nonetheless, the "real payoff" came in the end when the three portrayed the dental assistants. "It was a gag mostly unrelated to the rest of the episode, and it was the best part of the half hour." In conclusion, Canning gave it a 7.7 out of 10 rating. Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
wrote that the episode was a "pretty lifeless outing", reasoning it had the "usual laughs in the margin" but overall "there were a lot of long, flat, deadly stretches, and entire subplots like Jenna with her stalker that just lay there." Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad enjoyed Liz's story here, but noted that he disliked Jenna's stalker story, concluding "...there were a few really funny lines ... but overall I found her missing-her-stalker-on-Valentine's-Day plot to be rather ... icky [...] Honestly, I want to see more of the human, normal side of Jenna". Nick Catucci of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine felt that Liz's plot here was "one of the worst story lines in recent memory".
External links
- "Anna Howard Shaw Day," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...