The Simpsons episode
"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
Herb returns as a poor man
Episode no.	59
Prod. code	8F23
Orig. airdate	August 27, 1992
Show runner(s)	Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Directed by	Rich Moore
Chalkboard	"I will not fake seizures"
Couch gag	The family cartwheels onto the couch
Guest star(s)	Danny DeVito as Herb Powell, Joe Frazier as himself
DVD commentary	Matt Groening James L. Brooks Al Jean Nancy Cartwright Rich Moore
Season 3 September 19, 1991 – August 27, 1992
Stark Raving Dad Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington When Flanders Failed Bart the Murderer Homer Defined Like Father, Like Clown Treehouse of Horror II Lisa's Pony Saturdays of Thunder Flaming Moe's Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk I Married Marge Radio Bart Lisa the Greek Homer Alone Bart the Lover Homer at the Bat Separate Vocations Dog of Death Colonel Homer Black Widower The Otto Show Bart's Friend Falls in Love Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" is the 24th episode of The Simpsons' third season. It was originally supposed to be the opener for season four, but FOX decided to air it earlier to promote the series premiere of Martin; thus, it became the finale of season three. Simpsons redirects here. ... Image File history File links Simpsons_8F23. ... Herbert Anthony Herb Powell is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Danny DeVito. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Al Jean is a TV comedy writer most known for his work on The Simpsons. ... Mike Reiss is an American TV comedy writer. ... The Simpsons writing staff in season 13, including current show runner Al Jean (fourth from left in middle row) and previous show runners Mike Scully (first from left in back row), David Mirkin (sixth from left in back row), and Mike Reiss (fourth from left in back row). ... One of the few pictures of John Swartzwelder. ... 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. ... Rich Moore is an animation director whose credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, Baby Blues, and The Critic. ... 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. ... (left to right) Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, Homer, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer guest starred in the heavily promoted season 14 episode How I Spent My Strummer Vacation. This is a list of guest stars who appeared on The Simpsons. ... Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. ... Herbert Anthony Herb Powell is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Danny DeVito. ... For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ... 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;[3] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[4] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... Al Jean is a TV comedy writer most known for his work on The Simpsons. ... Nancy Cartwright (actress) is an American actress, best noted for providing the voice of Bart Simpson. ... Rich Moore is an animation director whose credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, Baby Blues, and The Critic. ... The Simpsons Season 3 DVD. The Simpsons 3rd season (September 1991 – May 1992) began on September 19, 1991. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Stark Raving Dad is the first episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Mr. ... Bart the Murderer is the third episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... Bart the Murderer is the fourth episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... Homer Defined is the fifth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Like Father, Like Clown is the sixth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Treehouse of Horror II (onscreen: The Simpsons Halloween Special II)is the seventh episode of The Simpsons third season, and the second Simpsons Halloween episode. ... Lisas Pony is the eight episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... Bart the Murderer is an episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... Flaming Moes is the 10th episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... “Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk” (German: Burns to Sell [sic] the Power Plant) is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons’ third season; the title uses incorrect German grammar—see below. ... I Married Marge is the 12th episode of the The Simpsons third season. ... Radio Bart is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Lisa the Greek is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Homer Alone is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Bart the Lover is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons third season which is an early look at the personal life of Mrs. ... Homer at the Bat is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Separate Vocations is the 18th episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Dog of Death is the 19th episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Bart the Murderer is an episode of the The Simpsons third season Episode details Production Number: 8F19 Original Air Date: March 26, 1992 Writer: Matt Groening Director: Mark Kirkland Blackboard: I will not conduct my own fire drills Couch Gag: The cushions are missing Synopsis Homer and Marge go see... Black Widower is the 21st episode of The Simpsons third season. ... The Otto Show is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons third season. ... Barts Friend Falls in Love is the 23rd episode of The Simpsons third season. ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... The Simpsons Season 3 DVD. The Simpsons 3rd season (September 1991 – May 1992) began on September 19, 1991. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... The television show Martin aired for five seasons from 1992 to 1997 on Fox. ...

Plot

Homer J. Simpson "wins" the first annual "Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence", a fictional $2000 prize awarded by Montgomery Burns. The name of the "award" was hastily concocted by Burns on the spot in an attempt to convince Homer to sign a waiver freeing the nuclear plant of all liability for Homer's recently discovered sterility. Joe Frazier is the host of the award ceremony, which features extraordinary extravagance (including a lengthy opening) but only the one $2000 prize awarded to Homer. Despite planning on using the money for the Spinemelter 2000 vibrating chair, Homer agrees to loan the money to his bitter half-brother Herb Powell who, ruined by Homer previously, is now a hobo. Herb's idea to become rich again is by making a machine to translate a baby's words into actual English. Using Homer's money to develop his invention, which is an instant money-making success, Herb becomes rich once again. Along with returning the money to Homer, he buys several gifts for the Simpson family, including a washer-dryer for Marge, an honorary membership to the NRA for Bart and a subscription to the Greater Books of the Western Civilization for Lisa. Herb then tells Homer that his gift to him is that he forgives him for ruining him in the first place, and he and Homer re-establish a brotherly relationship. Finally, Homer is rewarded for his generosity and faith when Herb has a truck pull in with Homer's vibrating chair. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Charles Montgomery Monty Burns, normally referred to as Mr. ... For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Herbert Anthony Herb Powell is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Danny DeVito. ... Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights...

Trivia

• The fight between Barney and Joe Frazier was originally going to have Barney victorious, however, Frazier's son objected.
• Even though Homer eventually got the Spinemelter, it was never seen again in the series. However, it does appear in the games Virtual Springfield and The Simpsons Hit And Run.
• So far in the series, this is the last major appearance of Herb. The next time he's even mentioned is thirteen years later in the episode "The Heartbroke Kid", where Homer questions who else would need to lose weight, the last person he mentions being "my seldom-seen half-brother Herb", quickly going to a shot of a picture of him on the wall.
• The song played during the opening of the "First Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence" is referred to as "The Field of Excellence" on the album Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons and is track 14.
• The couch is undamaged in the end of the episode, even though Bart destroyed it at the beginning of the episode, but no explanation is given. (It may be the "something nice" that Herb got for Maggie or it may have been bought with the $2000 Herb returns to the Simpsons at the end of the episode.)
• Marge's very shaky washing machine and dryer, which was taken away when Herb bought her a new washer-dryer, are being used as "racers" at Moe's Tavern.

For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Virtual Springfield Virtual Springfield is a Windows, Macintosh & Frinkac computer game released in 1997 and published by Fox Interactive. ... The Simpsons Hit & Run is a video game based on The Simpsons franchise. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons is the 1999 soundtrack album from The Simpsons. ... TV Show Reference Episode is the word usually used to refer to a part of a serial television or radio program. ...

Cultural references

• The episode title is a play on the Great Depression-era tune "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?". (Mr. Burns sang this song in the second season episode "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"). Additionally, "two dimes" is gambling slang for two thousand dollars, which is the amount Homer lends Herb.
• One of the men that sits with Herb by the fireplace in the beginning of the episode looks very similar to Charlie Chaplin's character The Tramp. The Tramp also eats a boot in the Chaplin movie The Gold Rush.
• The images Homer sees when sitting in the Spinemelter chair parodies 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• Homer reminisces about sitting on the couch while watching Dallas (specifically Kristin's revelation that she shot J.R. Ewing), the Hands Across America charity event (Marge and the kids take part with the Flanders while Homer sits schlumpily on the couch), and the Berlin Wall coming down, which he switches over to Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..
• Homer's line "excuse me while I kiss the sky" originates from the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze".

The Great Depression was a time of economic down turn, which started after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ... Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, also called Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?, was one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. ... Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish is the fourth episode of The Simpsons second season. ... Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. ... Chaplin in his costume as The Tramp The Tramp was Charlie Chaplins most memorable on-screen character. ... The Gold Rush is a 1925 silent film comedy written, directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin in his Little Tramp role. ... The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family The original cast of Dallas. ... Who shot J.R.? was a national obsession. ... Hands Across America was a benefit event staged on May 25, 1986 in which millions of people held hands for fifteen minutes along a path across the continental United States. ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, November 20, 1961. ... Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a television series that ran on CBS from September 25, 1964 to September 9, 1970. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Purple Haze is a song recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. ...

External links

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"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"

The Simpsons Portal

• "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive