"
Homie the Clown" is the 15th episode of
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
' sixth seasonThe Simpsons sixth season 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...
, and aired on February 12, 1995. When Krusty the Clown opens a clown college to deal with his debt,
Homer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
enrolls and ends up impersonating Krusty at public events. Mistaking him for the real clown, the Springfield Mafia kidnaps Homer, demanding their money.
Joe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
returned as
Fat TonyMarion Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico is a recurring character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Joe Mantegna and first appeared in the third season episode "Bart the Murderer"...
, while
Dick CavettRichard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
guest starred as himself.
The episode was conceived and written by
John SwartzwelderJohn Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by
David SilvermanDavid Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. Swartzwelder's script required very little rewriting and Silverman considers this one of the best episodes he has directed. He later used it to help him when directing
The Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
. One dropped storyline for
The Simpsons saw Krusty being revealed as Homer's secret identity and this episode allowed writers to comment upon the similarity of the two characters' design. The episode features references to
Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
,
The GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
and
The Maltese FalconThe Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
.
Plot
KrustyHerschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski, better known as Krusty the Klown, is a fictional character in 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...
's massive gambling debts and extravagant personal life land him in deep trouble with the Springfield Mafia. To make money, he launches a training college for clowns.
HomerHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
sees an advertisement about the college and at first says that it had no effect on him, but then becomes obsessed with it, eventually announcing to his startled family that he is going to enroll. After graduating, he impersonates Krusty at private and public events that the real Krusty deems unworthy of his personal appearance.
At first, the stress of impersonating Krusty makes Homer consider quitting. However, he discovers that he receives all sorts of benefits from authority figures and businesses, because they mistake him for Krusty due to their uncanny resemblance. The impersonation goes too far when Homer is kidnapped by the mafia, who mistake him for the real clown. Mob boss Don Vittorio DiMaggio tells Homer he will kill him unless he performs a loop-de-loop on a tiny bicycle. He fails, but the real Krusty arrives and a confused Don instead forces them to perform the trick together. The trick is a success and their lives are spared, and Krusty pays off his debt to the mob — a total of $48.
Production
The episode was written by
John SwartzwelderJohn Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by
David SilvermanDavid Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. Swartzwelder came up with the idea and his script required very little rewriting. The episode is one of Silverman's favorites and he was pleased to direct it, after enjoying Swartzwelder's script. Silverman felt he himself "brought a lot to the party on [this] one," and although "people didn't like [Swartzwelder's script] at the read-through," Silverman thought "the script was really funny, and I had an idea for the opening and presented it with a lot of circus music that inspired the music they used for it. It was great fun." He used it, along with "
Three Men and a Comic Book"Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1991...
", to help him when directing
The Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
.
Brad BirdPhillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers...
also helped Silverman, particularly with Krusty's design. An early idea for
The Simpsons saw Krusty the Clown being revealed as
Homer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's secret stage identity. This storyline never developed, but this episode allowed writers to comment upon the design similarity of the two characters. Krusty's appearance and design is just that of Homer's, with clown make-up. Silverman enhanced the lines under Krusty's eyes, and reshaped his beard line in order to make a clearer distinction between the two characters.
Homer beating up the
EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n
dwarfDwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
(who first appeared in "
Burns' Heir"Burns' Heir" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 1994. In the episode, Mr. Burns has a near-death experience which prompts him to find an heir to inherit his wealth after he dies...
") was a joke
Matt GroeningMatthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
"had trouble with".
David MirkinDavid Mirkin is an American feature film and television director, writer and producer. Mirkin grew up in Philadelphia and intended to become an electrical engineer, but abandoned this career path in favor of studying film at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating, he became a stand-up...
wanted the scene to be violent, but Silverman stated that he thought he had animated the finished product to be too realistic. However, nothing was changed.
FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
objected to the mafia buying ammunition from a
Big 5 Sporting GoodsBig 5 Sporting Goods is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California with 388 stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Steven G. Miller is the Chairman, President, and CEO.The Big 5 name is...
until Mirkin pointed out that Big 5 sold ammunition. The second act break was, up until the animatic, after
Fat TonyMarion Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico is a recurring character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Joe Mantegna and first appeared in the third season episode "Bart the Murderer"...
's line "cancel the world search."
Joe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
returned as
Fat TonyMarion Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico is a recurring character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Joe Mantegna and first appeared in the third season episode "Bart the Murderer"...
. Mirkin said Mantegna is a joy to direct and that Mantegna loves the role so much, he wishes to voice him "even if he only coughs".
Dick CavettRichard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
guest starred as himself. Mirkin commented that Cavett's part was probably the "meanest" they had ever been to a guest star. Cavett often told stories involving himself and other famous people and Mirkin decided to make light of that. Cavett did not have any objections.
Cultural references
The episode's title is reference to the character Homey the Clown from the sketch comedy show
In Living ColorIn Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
. Krusty lights a cigarette with an issue of
Action Comics #1Action Comics #1 is the first issue of the comic book series Action Comics. It features the first appearance of several comic book heroes, most notably the Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster creation Superman.-Contents:...
, the first appearance of
SupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, and one of the rarest comic books of all-time, while Homer forms his mashed potatoes into a circus tent in a parody of
Richard DreyfussRichard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
' character forming his potatoes into a replica of
Devils TowerDevils Tower is an igneous intrusion or laccolith located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River...
in the 1977 film
Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
. The episode contains several references to films related to
organized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, such as the notes played on the wine glasses during Homer and Krusty's bicycle trick forming those of the theme from the film
The GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
. Additionally, Silverman inserted a low-angle shot of Fat Tony sitting in a chair as a tribute to a similar shot of
Sydney GreenstreetSydney Hughes Greenstreet was an English actor. He is best known for his Warner Bros. films with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, which include The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca .-Biography:...
's character in
The Maltese FalconThe Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
, while Don Vittorio is based on actors
William HickeyWilliam Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr...
and
Don AmecheDon Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Homie the Clown" finished 59th (tied with
Behind Closed Doors II) in the ratings for the week of February 5 to February 12, 1995, helping Fox to an overall Nielsen rating of 7.9. The episode was the fifth highest rated show on the Fox network that week.
Mike Brantley of
The Mobile Register named "Homie the Clown" the 48th greatest television episode of all-time. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book
I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, stated the episode was "notable for its scenes of Homer on trying to emulate Krusty's mini-trike loop the loops." Ryan Keefer of DVD Verdict felt it "features one of the more amusing stunts to cap an episode", giving it an A. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said in a review of the sixth season DVD that the episode "offers a truly terrific show," and also praised the "clever
Close Encounters reference, and the ways that it ties together Krusty's mob connection with Homer," concluding "it's a real winner."
External links