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Encyclopedia > Bart of Darkness
The Simpsons episode
"Bart of Darkness"
Bart witnesses Flanders apparently tell Rod and Todd he has killed Maude, and will soon kill them.
Episode no. 104
Prod. code 1F22
Orig. airdate September 4, 1994
Show runner(s) David Mirkin
Written by Dan McGrath
Directed by Jim Reardon
Chalkboard "Beans are neither fruit nor musical."[1]
Couch gag The family sits in midair as the couch runs in, puts itself together on top of them, and they collapse under its weight.[2]
DVD
commentary		 Matt Groening
David Mirkin
Jim Reardon
David S. Cohen
Greg Daniels
David Silverman
Season 6
September 4, 1994 – May 21, 1995
  1. Bart of Darkness
  2. Lisa's Rival
  3. Another Simpsons Clip Show
  4. Itchy & Scratchy Land
  5. Sideshow Bob Roberts
  6. Treehouse of Horror V
  7. Bart's Girlfriend
  8. Lisa on Ice
  9. Homer Badman
  10. Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
  11. Fear of Flying
  12. Homer the Great
  13. And Maggie Makes Three
  14. Bart's Comet
  15. Homie the Clown
  16. Bart vs. Australia
  17. Homer vs. Patty & Selma
  18. A Star Is Burns
  19. Lisa's Wedding
  20. Two Dozen and One Greyhounds
  21. The PTA Disbands
  22. 'Round Springfield
  23. The Springfield Connection
  24. Lemon of Troy
  25. Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Bart of Darkness" is the first episode of The Simpsons' sixth season, which originally aired September 4, 1994.[1] It was written by Dan McGrath, and directed by Jim Reardon. In the episode, Bart breaks his leg; his resultant isolation causes him to believe that Ned Flanders has committed murder. The episode was produced during the 1994 Northridge earthquake which held up production by a month, and is largely a parody of the film Rear Window. Simpsons redirects here. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... David Mirkin (born September 18, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American, feature film and television director, writer and producer. ... Al Jean (left) and David Mirkin (right), have both been writers for The Simpsons for more than ten years. ... Dan McGrath is an American television writer. ... The three people are caricatures of (left to right) Rich Moore, Wes Archer and David Silverman[1] The following is a list of directors who have worked on the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... Jim Reardon is a director and storyboard consultant for episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... Bart writes The Pledge of Allegiance does not end with Hail Satan The chalkboard gag is a running visual joke that occurs during the opening credits of many episodes of The Simpsons. ... The couch gag is a running visual joke in the opening credits of the animated television series The Simpsons. ... The Simpsons DVD season boxsets have been released since 2001 in different regions all over the world. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[2] in Portland, Oregon;[1] his family name is pronounced , rhymes with raining) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons, Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... David Mirkin (born September 18, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American, feature film and television director, writer and producer. ... Jim Reardon is a director and storyboard consultant for episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... David X. Cohen (born 1966), born David Samuel Cohen, is an American television writer. ... Greg Daniels is a well known television comedy writer. ... David Silverman (born on 15 March 1957 in New York City, New York) is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, where he would go on to be the supervising director of animation for several years, as well as animating on all... The Simpsons sixth season originally aired between September 1994 and May 1995, beginning on September 4, 1994. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Lisas Rival is the second episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired September 11, 1994. ... Another Simpsons Clip Show is the third episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired September 25, 1994. ... Itchy & Scratchy Land is the fourth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and first aired on October 2, 1994. ... Sideshow Bob Roberts is an episode of The Simpsons. ... Treehouse of Horror V is the sixth episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired October 30, 1994. ... Barts Girlfriend is the seventh episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... Lisa on Ice is the eighth episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... Homer Badman, also known as Homer: Bad Man[2] is the ninth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and originally aired November 27, 1994. ... Grampa vs. ... Fear of Flying is an episode of The Simpsons from the sixth season. ... Homer the Great is the 12th episode of The Simpsons’ sixth season. ... And Maggie Makes Three is the thirtenth episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... Barts Comet is the 14th episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... This article is about The Simpsons episode. ... Bart vs. ... Homer vs. ... A Star is Burns is the 18th episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... Lisas Wedding is the 19th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired March 19, 1995. ... Two Dozen and One Greyhounds is the 20th episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... Another Simpsons Clip Show is an episode from the sixth season of The Simpsons. ... Round Springfield is the twenty-second (22) episode of the sixth season of The Simpsons, and the 125th episode overall. ... The Springfield Connection is the 23rd episode of the sixth season, and the 126th episode of The Simpsons. ... Lemon of Troy is the 24th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which premiered on the Fox network on May 14, 1995. ... Who Shot Mr. ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... The Simpsons sixth season originally aired between September 1994 and May 1995, beginning on September 4, 1994. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Dan McGrath is an American television writer. ... Jim Reardon is a director and storyboard consultant for episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... For the comic book series of the same name, see Bart Simpson comics. ... Nedward Ned Flanders is a fictional character on The Simpsons, based on the real life Donald Macmillan, heir to the Alcan Fortune, voiced by Harry Shearer. ... The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... For the 1998 remake, see Rear Window (1998 film). ...

Contents

Plot

A heat wave in Springfield leads Bart and Lisa to pester Homer for a swimming pool, who, to avoid months of nagging, gives in. Word soon spreads that the Simpsons have a pool and every child in the town comes to use the new facility. After being dared, Bart tries an ambitious dive into the pool. However, after being distracted by Nelson, he falls and breaks his leg. This forces him to spend the rest of the summer in his bedroom wearing a cast. His isolation slowly makes him more and more irritable and paranoid. Lisa loans him her telescope, so Bart will have something to take his mind off things. Soon, Bart hears a scream next door, and witnesses Ned Flanders burying something in his backyard. He becomes convinced that Flanders has murdered his wife Maude, and vows to reveal the truth. For other uses, see Heat wave (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Springfield. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... cast A cast is a shell, frequently made from plaster, encasing a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to hold a broken bone (or bones) in place until it has healed. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nedward Ned Flanders is a fictional character on The Simpsons, based on the real life Donald Macmillan, heir to the Alcan Fortune, voiced by Harry Shearer. ... Maude Flanders was a fictional character in The Simpsons. ...


Meanwhile, Lisa basks in the glow of her new popularity. However, Martin Prince gets a larger pool, and everyone abandons Lisa. Bart convinces her to go and look for evidence of the murder. When Ned returns early, Lisa is trapped in the Flanders house, eventually being cornered in the attic; Bart painfully makes his way over there on his own, just in time to discover that Ned is actually putting away an axe, not threatening Lisa with it. Maude, it turns out, is alive and well, and had just gone to Bible camp for the weekend, learning to be more judgmental. The victim of Ned's "murder" was merely her favorite ficus plant.[3] Martin Prince, Jr. ... “Fig” redirects here. ...


Production

Dan McGrath was chosen to pen the episode, while Jim Reardon directed.[1] The episode was originally produced as the season finale of the fifth season, but was held-over and aired as the premiere of the sixth.[4] This was because, along with "Lisa's Rival", the episode was in production at the time of the Northridge earthquake of 1994. The earthquake damaged much of the Film Roman building in which The Simpsons writing and animation staff worked, forcing them to move out for three months and continue production in a temporary building.[5] David X. Cohen came in the weekend after the earthquake to see what had happened, as was told that "it was no more dangerous than it was before the earthquake," as the building was "a ninety year old, decrepit shack."[6] The only staff members that came in expecting to work, were future show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein.[4] As a result, the staff were given a month more than they would usually have had to work on the episode, which Reardon described as "greatly benefiting" it.[5] Having been a director on the series for five years before this episode, he believed that this "was closer to what [he] was trying to achieve as a director then [he] had done before."[5] He credited this to the extra time, and used it to insert little details, such as having Bart get stuck on the fabric of the chair he was in,[5] and wearing his underwear instead of a swimsuit.[7] Dan McGrath is an American television writer. ... Jim Reardon is a director and storyboard consultant for episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... The Simpsons Season 5 DVD. The Simpsons 5th season (September 1993 - May 1994) began on September 30, 1993. ... Lisas Rival is the second episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired September 11, 1994. ... The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... David X. Cohen (born 1966), born David Samuel Cohen, is an American television writer. ... Bill Oakley (born in 1966) is an American televison writer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. ... This article is about The Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein. ...


Many of the heat wave jokes at the start of the episode were based on past events of the crew's lives. The sitting in front of the fridge-freezer joke, came from McGrath, who had done a similar thing as a child.[8] The Springfield Pool-Mobile was based on a similar vehicle from David Mirkin's childhood, where a truck with a "spinning cars" fairground ride on the back would often come around his neighborhood.[4] Flanders' feminine scream was performed by Tress MacNeille and not his regular voice actor Harry Shearer.[7] Krusty's mispronunciation of Ravi Shankar's name was an ad-lib, than Mirkin kept in after the editing process because he liked it so much.[4] David Mirkin (born September 18, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American, feature film and television director, writer and producer. ... Tress MacNeille (born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated television shows The Simpsons and Futurama, and Animaniacs. ... Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American comedic actor and writer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


Cultural references

Jimmy Stewart caricatured in the episode.
Jimmy Stewart caricatured in the episode.

The episode is largely a parody the Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window. As in the film, a wheelchair-bound Bart witnesses an apparent murder through his telescope, with musical cues from the film also being used.[1] Jimmy Stewart's character L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies appears twice, caricatured as he looks in the film.[2] Also, the pictures on the wall of Jeff's room are a racing car accident and a plane, the same as in Rear Window.[1] The barn building scene, including the on looking Amish man is a reference to Peter Weir's film Witness.[2] The Itchy & Scratchy episode's title is a reference to The Planet of the Apes, with the mutants being a reference to the Star Trek episode "The Menagerie", as well as Beneath the Planet of the Apes.[2] At the end of the episode Martin sings Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind".[2] Springfield's wax museum features models of the Beatles and the cast of M*A*S*H,[2] and Bart plays Stratego on his own.[8] The pool dance scene sees Lisa in a role like those of Esther Williams, whilst Bart's play has similar elements of the works of Anton Chekhov.[2] The title of this episode comes from Heart of Darkness, a novella by Joseph Conrad. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jimmy Stewart, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American film actor beloved for his persona as an average guy who faces adversity and tries to do the right thing, an image which was largely reflected in his own... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... For the 1998 remake, see Rear Window (1998 film). ... Jimmy Stewart, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American film actor beloved for his persona as an average guy who faces adversity and tries to do the right thing, an image which was largely reflected in his own... This article is about Old Order Amish, but also refers to other Amish sects. ... Peter Lindsay Weir (born August 21, 1944) is an Australian film director. ... Witness is a 1985 movie released by Paramount Pictures, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, and Lukas Haas. ... Planet of the Apes is a novel by Pierre Boulle, originally published in French as La Planète des Singes and also translated as Monkey Planet (translator Xan Fielding). ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... The Menagerie is the first and only two-part episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series. ... Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), is the first of four sequels to Planet of the Apes (1968), with James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, and Charlton Heston in a supporting role. ... “Sinatra” redirects here. ... Summer Wind is a 1965 song, with music by Henry Mayer and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... M*A*S*H title screen from the television series M*A*S*H was a media franchise active, in various forms, from 1968 to 1986. ... This article is about the board game. ... Esther Jane Williams (born August 8, 1921[1][2] or 1922[3]) is a retired United States competitive swimmer and movie star, famous for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming and diving. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... For other uses, see Heart of Darkness (disambiguation). ... // Joseph Conrad (born Teodor Józef Konrad NaÅ‚Ä™cz-Korzeniowski, 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born novelist who spent most of his adult life in Britain. ...


Reception

Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it a "fine episode" and found that the "eventual explanation for [Flanders'] murderous behaviour is hilarious."[2] Tim Knight called it "a terrific opener to the season."[9]


References

  1. ^ a b c d e Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, p. 148-149. ISBN 0-00-638898-1. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Bart of Darkness. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
  3. ^ "Bart of Darkness". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  4. ^ a b c d Mirkin, David. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart of Darkness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ a b c d Reardon, Jim. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart of Darkness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ Cohen, David. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart of Darkness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ a b Groening, Matt. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart of Darkness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  8. ^ a b Daniels, Greg. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart of Darkness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  9. ^ Tim Knight. The Simpson: The Complete Sixth Season (1994)(4 DVD Set). Reel.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
The Simpsons Portal

  Results from FactBites:
 
Last Exit To Springfield >> Episode Guide >> Season 6 (3558 words)
Bart is dared to dive from the top of his treehouse, loses his balance and breaks his leg.
Bart spy's on Ned Flanders, who is digging a grave in his backyard and hears him talking about killing "her" which Bart assumes is Maude.
Bart and Lisa sneak into his estate and overhear that he plans to make a tuxedo out of 24 of the puppies; one left out because he has become attached to it.
GEOS - The Simpsons Episode Guide - Season Six (804 words)
Bart's infatuation with the Reverend's daughter is short-lived when she steals the church collection plate and he is blamed for the theft.
While visiting Bart in the hospital, Lisa learns a real-life lesson when a fellow patient is Bleeding Gums Murphy and he tells his life story for the last time.
Bart leads a group of boys in taking back the town's beloved Lemon tree when it is stolen by a group of kids from a rivalling town.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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