Simpson and Delilah
Encyclopedia
"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of The Simpsons
' second season
and first aired on October 18, 1990. Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. Homer grows hair, and is given a promotion at work which allows him to hire a secretary named Karl. The episode was directed by Rich Moore, written by Jon Vitti and guest starred Harvey Fierstein
as Karl.
sees an advertisement for Dimoxinil, a new "miracle breakthrough" for baldness
. He visits a store which sells Dimoxinil, but at $1000 it is far out of Homer's price range. At work, Lenny suggests Homer pay for Dimoxinil through the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan. The druggist yells that Dimoxinil is a frivolous product that is not covered by any medical insurance, but whispers to Homer that he will arrange an under-the-table
trade. Homer successfully applies the drug, and after using it, he wakes up the next day to the thrill of having a full head of hair, and runs throughout the town blissfully. At work, Mr. Burns
surveys the security monitors to find a new person to promote to an executive position. He sees Homer with hair and, mistaking him for a young go-getter, chooses Homer for the job.
As he is about to become an executive, Homer tries to look for a good secretary, but all the applicants fail due to being seductive young women – until Homer finds a man named Karl, who earnestly persuades Homer to tell himself that he deserves everything he has and is the finest creature God ever created. Homer eventually picks Karl, and they go shopping for a suit. At an executive board meeting, Homer is singled out by an impressed Burns to give a suggestion to increase worker productivity, and Homer meekly suggests that he give more tartar sauce
in the lunch room, which Mr. Burns does. Following the increase in tartar sauce distribution, Mr. Burns is glad to hear that workplace safety
is on the up-and-up and accidents are down. Smithers remarks that all the past accidents were either caused by Homer or believed to be traced to him. However, Burns tells Smithers to stop being negative and even accuses him of harboring jealousy towards Homer. Homer forgets his wedding anniversary, but Marge
forgives him due to his new demanding schedule. Karl covers for Homer by hiring a singing telegram service to serenade
Marge with "You Are So Beautiful
", which Marge loves.
Homer becomes successful and receives the honor of being given the key to the executive washroom. Smithers
begins to feel jealous of Homer for his high standing with Mr. Burns and searches Homer's file, finding the damaging information he seeks in the case of insurance fraud
that gave Homer hair in the first place. Smithers gleefully prepares to fire Homer for the fraud, but Karl takes the blame for Homer and writes the $1000 check to repay the company. Frustrated, Smithers is instead forced to fire Karl, who has sacrificed his own job to save Homer's. Homer is deeply saddened to see Karl go after all Karl had done for him, including lending Homer his umbrella before finally leaving in the rain. Homer is invited to give a speech at the next meeting, and Smithers does his best to ruin Homer's confidence. Homer is nervous about giving the speech without Karl, but reasons that as long as he has hair, everything will be fine.
Meanwhile, at home, Bart
uses some of the Dimoxinil in a misguided attempt to grow a beard
. When Homer enters and catches Bart, Bart accidentally drops the Dimoxinil, spilling it all onto the floor. By the next day, Homer has lost all his hair and, bald again, arrives at the meeting. His fears are alleviated when Karl appears with a pre-written speech for him, but Homer is still convinced he is incapable of accomplishing anything without his hair. Karl impatiently tells Homer what he had been trying to teach him all along—that all of Homer's achievements had been the result of his own will and effort, not of his hair. Karl urges Homer to think higher of himself and give the speech, even kissing him on the lips to prove his point. Reassured, Homer presents a brilliant speech on the Japanese art of self-management, but the audience is unable to take him seriously because he has no hair. Everyone leaves, leaving Homer greatly disappointed. Burns angrily summons Homer, threatening to fire him, but reveals photographs of himself with strawberry curly hair in his younger years when girls flocked to him until he went bald, and as a fellow sufferer of male pattern baldness, sympathizes with Homer's situation and merely demotes him back to his old position rather than terminating him.
At home later that night, Homer confesses to Marge he is afraid that his life has returned to a dead-end job, that his kids will be disappointed because he can no longer buy the things for them he promised he would, and most of all that Marge will no longer love him as much. However, Marge reminds Homer that his safety inspector job has always brought food to the table, and that the kids will get over not being spoiled. Marge then reaffirms her love for Homer as they sing "You Are So Beautiful" together into the night.
, which fascinated the writers. After growing hair, the production staff tried to give Homer a new hair design in every scene. The character Karl was played by openly gay actor Harvey Fierstein
. Groening had originally intended to design Karl to look like Fierstein, who objected to the idea because he felt that he did not "look like gay people, how they're supposed to look." Fierstein suggested that the character be made "blond, and tall, and gorgeous, and skinny, and [given] a beautiful place to live."
The episode features a kiss between Homer and Karl, which occurred a decade prior to US television's first real man-on-man kiss on Dawson's Creek
. In the episode, Karl is implied to be homosexual; creator Matt Groening
says that when people began asking "Was he gay?" the day after the episode aired, his response was "He's whatever you want him to be." However, Groening points out, "He does kiss Homer: He does give him a nice pat on the butt" which is "beyond [what] any other cartoon" had done at the time.
Karl was originally supposed to return for a cameo appearance in the season 14
episode "Three Gays of the Condo
". In the script, Homer was thrown out of the house by Marge, and encountered Karl. The purpose of the appearance was to introduce a gay couple that Homer would live with. Fierstein however felt that "the script was a lot of very clever gay jokes, and there just wasn't that Simpsons twist" and turned the role down.
. The scene in which Homer receives the key to the executive washroom is a reference to the movie Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
.
, which aired on NBC
. The supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry had been heavily hyped by the media. The first airing of "Simpson and Delilah" on Fox had a 16.2 rating and 25% share, while The Cosby Show, which aired during the same timeslot had a 18.5 rating. However, viewer-wise, The Simpsons won with 29.9 million viewers. It is one of the highest rated episodes of The Simpsons. "Bart Gets an F
", the season premiere and episode that aired the week before, averaged an 18.4 Nielsen rating
, had 29% of the audience and was watched by an estimated 33.6 million viewers.
This episode was placed twenty-third on Entertainment Weekly
s top 25 The Simpsons episodes list. Harvey Fierstein is number two on TV Guide
's "All-time Favorite Guest Voices." The Daily Telegraph
characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes." In a 2008 article, Entertainment Weekly named Harvey Fierstein
's role as Karl as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, praised Fierstein's performance, saying the episode was "brought to life by the superb character of Karl, helped no doubt by Harvey Fierstein's unique vocal drawl."
The Simpsons
The 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...
The Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
and first aired on October 18, 1990. Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. Homer grows hair, and is given a promotion at work which allows him to hire a secretary named Karl. The episode was directed by Rich Moore, written by Jon Vitti and guest starred Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
as Karl.
Plot
HomerHomer Simpson
Homer 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 for Dimoxinil, a new "miracle breakthrough" for baldness
Baldness
Baldness implies partial or complete lack of hair and can be understood as part of the wider topic of "hair thinning". The degree and pattern of baldness can vary greatly, but its most common cause is male and female pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, alopecia androgenetica or...
. He visits a store which sells Dimoxinil, but at $1000 it is far out of Homer's price range. At work, Lenny suggests Homer pay for Dimoxinil through the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan. The druggist yells that Dimoxinil is a frivolous product that is not covered by any medical insurance, but whispers to Homer that he will arrange an under-the-table
Underground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
trade. Homer successfully applies the drug, and after using it, he wakes up the next day to the thrill of having a full head of hair, and runs throughout the town blissfully. At work, Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
surveys the security monitors to find a new person to promote to an executive position. He sees Homer with hair and, mistaking him for a young go-getter, chooses Homer for the job.
As he is about to become an executive, Homer tries to look for a good secretary, but all the applicants fail due to being seductive young women – until Homer finds a man named Karl, who earnestly persuades Homer to tell himself that he deserves everything he has and is the finest creature God ever created. Homer eventually picks Karl, and they go shopping for a suit. At an executive board meeting, Homer is singled out by an impressed Burns to give a suggestion to increase worker productivity, and Homer meekly suggests that he give more tartar sauce
Tartar sauce
Tartare sauce is a creamy white sauce frequently used to season fried seafood dishes.-Composition:...
in the lunch room, which Mr. Burns does. Following the increase in tartar sauce distribution, Mr. Burns is glad to hear that workplace safety
Workplace safety
Workplace safety & health is a category of management responsibility in places of employment.To ensure the safety and health of workers, managers establish a focus on safety that can include elements such as:* management leadership and commitment...
is on the up-and-up and accidents are down. Smithers remarks that all the past accidents were either caused by Homer or believed to be traced to him. However, Burns tells Smithers to stop being negative and even accuses him of harboring jealousy towards Homer. Homer forgets his wedding anniversary, but Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
forgives him due to his new demanding schedule. Karl covers for Homer by hiring a singing telegram service to serenade
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
Marge with "You Are So Beautiful
You Are So Beautiful
"You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker....
", which Marge loves.
Homer becomes successful and receives the honor of being given the key to the executive washroom. Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
begins to feel jealous of Homer for his high standing with Mr. Burns and searches Homer's file, finding the damaging information he seeks in the case of insurance fraud
Insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer.Insurance fraud has existed ever since the beginning of insurance as a commercial enterprise. Fraudulent claims account for a significant portion of all claims received by insurers, and cost billions...
that gave Homer hair in the first place. Smithers gleefully prepares to fire Homer for the fraud, but Karl takes the blame for Homer and writes the $1000 check to repay the company. Frustrated, Smithers is instead forced to fire Karl, who has sacrificed his own job to save Homer's. Homer is deeply saddened to see Karl go after all Karl had done for him, including lending Homer his umbrella before finally leaving in the rain. Homer is invited to give a speech at the next meeting, and Smithers does his best to ruin Homer's confidence. Homer is nervous about giving the speech without Karl, but reasons that as long as he has hair, everything will be fine.
Meanwhile, at home, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
uses some of the Dimoxinil in a misguided attempt to grow a beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
. When Homer enters and catches Bart, Bart accidentally drops the Dimoxinil, spilling it all onto the floor. By the next day, Homer has lost all his hair and, bald again, arrives at the meeting. His fears are alleviated when Karl appears with a pre-written speech for him, but Homer is still convinced he is incapable of accomplishing anything without his hair. Karl impatiently tells Homer what he had been trying to teach him all along—that all of Homer's achievements had been the result of his own will and effort, not of his hair. Karl urges Homer to think higher of himself and give the speech, even kissing him on the lips to prove his point. Reassured, Homer presents a brilliant speech on the Japanese art of self-management, but the audience is unable to take him seriously because he has no hair. Everyone leaves, leaving Homer greatly disappointed. Burns angrily summons Homer, threatening to fire him, but reveals photographs of himself with strawberry curly hair in his younger years when girls flocked to him until he went bald, and as a fellow sufferer of male pattern baldness, sympathizes with Homer's situation and merely demotes him back to his old position rather than terminating him.
At home later that night, Homer confesses to Marge he is afraid that his life has returned to a dead-end job, that his kids will be disappointed because he can no longer buy the things for them he promised he would, and most of all that Marge will no longer love him as much. However, Marge reminds Homer that his safety inspector job has always brought food to the table, and that the kids will get over not being spoiled. Marge then reaffirms her love for Homer as they sing "You Are So Beautiful" together into the night.
Production
Homer's hair product Dimoxinil is a spoof on a similar product, MinoxidilMinoxidil
Minoxidil is an antihypertensive vasodilator medication which also slows or stops hair loss and promotes hair regrowth. Now off-patent, it is available over-the-counter for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. Minoxidil must be used indefinitely for continued support of existing hair follicles and...
, which fascinated the writers. After growing hair, the production staff tried to give Homer a new hair design in every scene. The character Karl was played by openly gay actor Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
. Groening had originally intended to design Karl to look like Fierstein, who objected to the idea because he felt that he did not "look like gay people, how they're supposed to look." Fierstein suggested that the character be made "blond, and tall, and gorgeous, and skinny, and [given] a beautiful place to live."
The episode features a kiss between Homer and Karl, which occurred a decade prior to US television's first real man-on-man kiss on Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
. In the episode, Karl is implied to be homosexual; creator Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew 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....
says that when people began asking "Was he gay?" the day after the episode aired, his response was "He's whatever you want him to be." However, Groening points out, "He does kiss Homer: He does give him a nice pat on the butt" which is "beyond [what] any other cartoon" had done at the time.
Karl was originally supposed to return for a cameo appearance in the season 14
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
episode "Three Gays of the Condo
Three Gays of the Condo
"Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode in the fourteenth season of The Simpsons and aired April 13, 2003.-Plot:Marge brings an "Oprah's Puzzle Club" jigsaw puzzle to the Simpson Family Wednesdays, for everyone to work on except for Grampa and Maggie, as the box clearly reads for ages...
". In the script, Homer was thrown out of the house by Marge, and encountered Karl. The purpose of the appearance was to introduce a gay couple that Homer would live with. Fierstein however felt that "the script was a lot of very clever gay jokes, and there just wasn't that Simpsons twist" and turned the role down.
Cultural references
The scene in which Homer is running through town after he got his hair is a reference to the film It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. The scene in which Homer receives the key to the executive washroom is a reference to the movie Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is a 1957 American satiric comedy film starring Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall, with Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, John Williams, Henry Jones, Lili Gentle, Mickey Hargitay, and a cameo by Groucho Marx...
.
Reception
During the second season, The Simpsons aired on Fox on Thursdays at 8 PM, which was the same time as The Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, which aired on NBC
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...
. The supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry had been heavily hyped by the media. The first airing of "Simpson and Delilah" on Fox had a 16.2 rating and 25% share, while The Cosby Show, which aired during the same timeslot had a 18.5 rating. However, viewer-wise, The Simpsons won with 29.9 million viewers. It is one of the highest rated episodes of The Simpsons. "Bart Gets an F
Bart Gets an F
"Bart Gets an F" is the first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 1990. In the episode, Bart fails four consecutive history exams and the school psychiatrist recommends that Bart repeat the fourth grade...
", the season premiere and episode that aired the week before, averaged an 18.4 Nielsen rating
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...
, had 29% of the audience and was watched by an estimated 33.6 million viewers.
This episode was placed twenty-third on 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...
s top 25 The Simpsons episodes list. Harvey Fierstein is number two on 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...
's "All-time Favorite Guest Voices." The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes." In a 2008 article, Entertainment Weekly named Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
's role as Karl as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, praised Fierstein's performance, saying the episode was "brought to life by the superb character of Karl, helped no doubt by Harvey Fierstein's unique vocal drawl."
External links
- "Simpson and Delilah" at The Simpsons.com