Helen Keller! The Musical
Encyclopedia
"Helen Keller! The Musical" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season
of the animated television series South Park
and the 61st episode of the series overall. "Helen Keller! The Musical" originally aired in the United States
on November 22, 2000 on Comedy Central
.
, which is the story of Helen Keller
, starring Timmy as Helen. Butters
provides them reports that the kindergarteners'
play is the greatest show he has ever seen, and the other kids agree to put extra effort into making their play better. Cartman
agrees to adapt the play into a musical, and eventually Jeffrey Maynard, who played the lead in Les Misérables
for the Denver
Community Playhouse, is brought in to help. The kids also decide to replace Helen's pet dog with a turkey, which is also to perform tricks for the audience. Timmy helps to pick out the turkey
, and chooses a disabled turkey which he names "Gobbles".
At rehearsal, Maynard brings in a professional performing turkey named Alinicia, and her trainer Lamond declares that she will not perform with Gobbles, and suggests Cartman kill it. Cartman attempts to kill Gobbles with a falling stage-light, but it hits and kills Kenny by mistake. Eventually, Lamond tells Timmy that animal control is going to take Gobbles from him because he is disabled, and Timmy reluctantly lets Gobbles go. When Timmy realizes he has been tricked, he leaves to rescue Gobbles, who has been found by a slaughterhouse and is now being pursued by Jimbo and his hunter friends. In Timmy's absence, Maynard goes on as Helen Keller and surprises everyone by singing ad-libbed songs to express Helen's thoughts. Also after hearing the kindergarteners' play even has pyrotechnics, Cartman rigs laser shows, choreography and water effects into the fourth graders' show, culminating with Alinicia leaping through a ring of fire - the result is so extravagant it leaves the audience very confused.
Timmy, Gobbles and Jimbo go to the Thanksgiving
Extravaganza and shoot Alinicia. Gobbles goes onstage and jumps through the ring of fire during the grand finale, and the audience, following a stunned Principal Victoria's lead, gives a standing ovation
. In the end, the kindergartners put on their show: a song to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" about the first Thanksgiving, ending with them setting off a small confetti
cannon which sends one kindergartner fleeing the stage, and bringing a prop horse on stage. The performance is less than a minute long. All the fourth graders are mad at Butters, who is easily impressed by the performance, for having them go through the trouble of making a big spectacular musical for nothing.
. The scenes of Butters running down the hall is similar to scenes in The Right Stuff. The title of the episode may be a reference to Cannibal! The Musical
, which was also created by Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
. Another reference to Cannibal! The Musical are the fake beards that the children are forced to wear in their play. The scene where Cartman follows Jeffrey Maynard's suggestion of using sensory deprivation
to get inside the mind of Helen Keller, resulting in disturbing and apocalyptic images flooding Cartman's mind, bears much similarity to the sensory deprivation sequences in the Ken Russell
film Altered States
. The final shot of Cartman's vision is from the movie Inseminoid
. Cartman also makes a reference to Tim Rice
writing the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera
. However, these lyrics were written by Charles Hart
and Richard Stilgoe
. The scene of the turkeys watching the movie before being killed is a reference to the euthanasia
scene in Soylent Green
. Jeffrey Maynard is a parody of Colm Wilkinson
who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the broadway musical Les Miserables
", "4th Grade" and "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000
". Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune
highlighted the episode as part of "holiday TV shows that'll leave you shouting out with glee".
South Park (season 4)
Season four of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 5, 2000. The fourth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 20, 2000.- Episodes :-External links:...
of the animated television series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
and the 61st episode of the series overall. "Helen Keller! The Musical" originally aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 22, 2000 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
.
Plot
The fourth graders are rehearsing for the "Thanksgiving Extravaganza", where they have to perform The Miracle WorkerThe Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker is a cycle of 20th century dramatic works derived from Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life. Each of the various dramas describes the relationship between Keller—a deafblind and initially almost feral child—and Anne Sullivan, the teacher who introduced her to...
, which is the story of Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
, starring Timmy as Helen. Butters
Butters Stotch
Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by series co-creator Matt Stone and loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough. He is a fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town...
provides them reports that the kindergarteners'
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
play is the greatest show he has ever seen, and the other kids agree to put extra effort into making their play better. Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
agrees to adapt the play into a musical, and eventually Jeffrey Maynard, who played the lead in Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
for the Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
Community Playhouse, is brought in to help. The kids also decide to replace Helen's pet dog with a turkey, which is also to perform tricks for the audience. Timmy helps to pick out the turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
, and chooses a disabled turkey which he names "Gobbles".
At rehearsal, Maynard brings in a professional performing turkey named Alinicia, and her trainer Lamond declares that she will not perform with Gobbles, and suggests Cartman kill it. Cartman attempts to kill Gobbles with a falling stage-light, but it hits and kills Kenny by mistake. Eventually, Lamond tells Timmy that animal control is going to take Gobbles from him because he is disabled, and Timmy reluctantly lets Gobbles go. When Timmy realizes he has been tricked, he leaves to rescue Gobbles, who has been found by a slaughterhouse and is now being pursued by Jimbo and his hunter friends. In Timmy's absence, Maynard goes on as Helen Keller and surprises everyone by singing ad-libbed songs to express Helen's thoughts. Also after hearing the kindergarteners' play even has pyrotechnics, Cartman rigs laser shows, choreography and water effects into the fourth graders' show, culminating with Alinicia leaping through a ring of fire - the result is so extravagant it leaves the audience very confused.
Timmy, Gobbles and Jimbo go to the Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
Extravaganza and shoot Alinicia. Gobbles goes onstage and jumps through the ring of fire during the grand finale, and the audience, following a stunned Principal Victoria's lead, gives a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
. In the end, the kindergartners put on their show: a song to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" about the first Thanksgiving, ending with them setting off a small confetti
Confetti
Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper, mylar or metallic material which is usually thrown at parades and celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...
cannon which sends one kindergartner fleeing the stage, and bringing a prop horse on stage. The performance is less than a minute long. All the fourth graders are mad at Butters, who is easily impressed by the performance, for having them go through the trouble of making a big spectacular musical for nothing.
Cultural references
The storyline of Timmy and Gobbles is similar to A Charlie Brown ChristmasA Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
. The scenes of Butters running down the hall is similar to scenes in The Right Stuff. The title of the episode may be a reference to Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical is a 1993 independent film directed by co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
, which was also created by Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
. Another reference to Cannibal! The Musical are the fake beards that the children are forced to wear in their play. The scene where Cartman follows Jeffrey Maynard's suggestion of using sensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation or perceptual isolation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing respectively, while more complex devices can also cut off the sense of smell, touch,...
to get inside the mind of Helen Keller, resulting in disturbing and apocalyptic images flooding Cartman's mind, bears much similarity to the sensory deprivation sequences in the Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
film Altered States
Altered States
Altered States is a 1980 American science fiction-horror film adaptation of a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. It was the only novel that Chayefsky ever wrote, as well as his final film. Both the novel and the film are based on John C...
. The final shot of Cartman's vision is from the movie Inseminoid
Inseminoid
Inseminoid is a British film of science fiction and horror released in 1981. Norman J. Warren's eighth motion picture, the plot of Inseminoid concerns a group of future scientists excavating the ruins of an ancient civilisation on a distant planet...
. Cartman also makes a reference to Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
writing the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. However, these lyrics were written by Charles Hart
Charles Hart (lyricist)
Charles Hart is a British lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for re-writing the lyrics to, and contributing to the book of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical The Phantom of the Opera. He also co-wrote the lyrics to Lloyd Webber's 1989 musical Aspects of Love...
and Richard Stilgoe
Richard Stilgoe
Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music....
. The scene of the turkeys watching the movie before being killed is a reference to the euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
scene in Soylent Green
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
. Jeffrey Maynard is a parody of Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson is an Irish tenor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera .Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of...
who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the broadway musical Les Miserables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
Reception
The episode was selected for inclusion on the DVD release South Park: Timmy!, along with "Timmy 2000Timmy 2000
"Timmy!" is the 51st episode of the Comedy Central animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 19, 2000. It was voted #6 of the "10 South Park episodes that changed the world"...
", "4th Grade" and "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000
The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000
"The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000" is episode 49 of Comedy Central's South Park. It originally aired on April 5, 2000.-Plot:...
". Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
highlighted the episode as part of "holiday TV shows that'll leave you shouting out with glee".
External links
- "Helen Keller! The Musical" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Helen Keller! The Musical" Episode guide at South Park Studios