The Simpsons episode
"The Front"
Episode no.	78
Prod. code	9F16
Orig. Airdate	April 15, 1993
Show Runner(s)	Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Writer(s)	Adam I. Lapidus
Director	Rich Moore
Chalkboard	"I will not sell miracle cures"
Couch gag	The family form an impromptu Can-can line in front of the television and are joined by dancers and unicyclists before the walls are removed to reveal an array of circus acts.
Guest star(s)	Brooke Shields as herself
SNPP capsule
Season 4 September 24, 1992 – May 13, 1993
Kamp Krusty A Streetcar Named Marge Homer the Heretic Lisa the Beauty Queen Treehouse of Horror III Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie Marge Gets a Job New Kid on the Block Mr. Plow Lisa's First Word Homer's Triple Bypass Marge vs. the Monorail Selma's Choice Brother from the Same Planet I Love Lisa Duffless Last Exit to Springfield So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show The Front Whacking Day Marge in Chains Krusty Gets Kancelled
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"The Front" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons ' fourth season. The Simpsons is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Network, becoming one of the first hits for the network, and is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed television shows ever produced. ... Image File history File links 9F16. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Al Jean is a TV comedy writer most known for his work on The Simpsons. ... Mike Reiss is an American TV comedy writer. ... 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. ... The Can-can (also spelt Cancan, Can Can) is regarded today primarily as a music hall dance, perfomed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and black stockings, harking back to the fashions of the 1890s. ... A unicycle is a one-wheeled human powered vehicle. ... The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ... Brooke Christa Camille Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... The Simpsons Season 4 DVD. The Simpsons 4th season (September 1992 - May 1993) began on September 24, 1992. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Kamp Krusty is the first episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... A Streetcar Named Marge is the second episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Homer the Heretic is the third episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Lisa the Beauty Queen is an episode of The Simpsons fourth season (1992-1993) of the show. ... Treehouse of Horror III is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fourth season, and the third Simpsons Halloween episode. ... Marge Gets a Job is the 7th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... New Kid on the Block is the 8th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Mr. ... Lisas First Word is the 10th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Homers Triple Bypass is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Marge vs. ... It has been suggested that Gladys Bouvier be merged into this article or section. ... Brother from the Same Planet is an episode of The Simpsons from the fourth season. ... The couch gag for I Love Lisa I Love Lisa is an episode from the fourth season of The Simpsons, in which the dim-witted and socially-awkward Ralph Wiggum plays a prominent role. ... Duffless is the 16th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Last Exit to Springfield is the 17th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Richard Nixon on Whacking Day Whacking Day is the 20th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Marge in Chains is the 21st episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Krusty Gets Kancelled is the final episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... The Simpsons is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Network, becoming one of the first hits for the network, and is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed television shows ever produced. ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ...

Synopsis

Bart and Lisa watch a terrible episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show and decide they can write a better one themselves. Inspired by the sight of Homer accidentally cutting Marge's hair with hedge shears, they write "Little Barbershop of Horrors", but the episode is rejected by Roger Meyers, President of Itchy & Scratchy International. They resubmit the manuscript under the name of Abraham Simpson. As a result, Grampa is given a job as staff writer. Bartholomew Bart Jo-jo Simpson is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Itchy & Scratchy Show. ... Homer Jay Simpson is a main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. ... Marjorie Marge Simpson, née Bouvier, (age 34 or so), is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons and is voiced by Julie Kavner. ... The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 black comedy film directed by Roger Corman. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Later, at a ceremony called the "Annual Cartoon Awards", Grampa is recognised for outstanding writing in a cartoon series. After watching the clip shown to introduce the award – apparently the first time he has seen the show – Grampa is appalled, and directs his acceptance speech as an assault against the cartoon and against the audience attending the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Homer and Marge are invited to their "Class of 1974" High School reunion, prompting Homer to admit that he never graduated. At the reunion, Homer receives numerous awards (almost all of them of a dubious or negative nature), including Most Improved Odor, but when Principal Dondelinger reveals that Homer never graduated these awards are revoked. Homer takes an evening class in Remedial Science 1A (the class he failed) in determination to win them back. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

The episode ends with an apparently unrelated segment entitled The Adventures of Ned Flanders, with its own memorable theme tune: "Hens love roosters and geese love ganders, everyone else loves Ned Flanders". Ned Flanders is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. ...

Deleted Scenes

The following scenes were cut and can be viewed on the DVD as a bonus feature:

• Roger Myers types a rejection letter for Bart and Lisa, saying they are too young to be writers. Lisa is then seen reading the letter, saying, "I know what that word is, but what's Shinola?" (a reference to the insulting putdown, "you don't know shit from Shinola.")

• An alternate scene of Homer vowing to retake his science course. He references his problem to movie about a skier that falls off the mountain. Marge tells him to get to the point. Homer vows to ski, and then changes it.

• After telling Grandpa about the source of the cheques, Grandpa says, "So that's why they were so nice at Richy and Cathy's." Bart corrects him.

• There was originally a longer version of the tour Roger Meyers gives to Bart and Lisa. It contained a stop at the art department, where they see a dozen sketchers observing a cat and trying to design it. One of them puts a stick of dynamite into his mouth and lights it. As Meyers, Lisa, and Bart walk out of the room, a large explosion can be heard. According to the audio commentary, it was cut out to please the censors, before the episode aired.

• A brief scene of Bart and Lisa at work at the next Itchy and Scratchy episode, while Grandpa tries to direct them into what he wants for the episode. They eventually tell him to shut up and he does.

• After confessing that he didn't like the episode, he goes back stage to find Roger Meyers waiting for him there to fire him. Grampa exclaims, "I DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY!" After a beat, he comes back to him asking for a nickel for a trolley ride.

Shinola is a brand of wax shoe polish available in the early- to mid-20th century. ... Look up Shit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Trivia

• Homer's Trophies:
  • Most weight gained
  • Most improved odor
  • Lowest paying job
  • Most hair lost
  • Oldest car
  • Person who travelled the least distance to come to the reunion
• Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein have said that the Ned Flanders short in this episode inspired them to come up with the idea for Season 7's 22 Short Films About Springfield.
• The writers and animators for Itchy and Scratchy (particularly the Harvard graduate who got fired) are all based on real Simpsons writers and animators. The Harvard graduate who got fired is based on Jon Vitti.
• The "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" piece was done to fill up time when it was discovered that the episode was running short.
• The credits include for Itchy and Scratchy episode: "Little Barbershop of Horrors":
  • Assistant to Mr. Itchy: DEE CAPPELLI
  • Assistant to Mr. Scratchy: JACQUELINE AKTINS
  • Scratchy's Wardrobe Provided by: BOTANY 500
  • for a transcript of this episode, send $25 to this station.
  • The closing logo for Itchy & Scratchy Productions parodied the Stephen J. Cannell Productions logo.
• According to the DVD commentary for this episode, the "CLIP NOT DONE YET" shown for Ren and Stimpy: Season Premiere was made as a knock on John Kricfalusi's notorious habit of procrastination, whom took shots at the animation and writing of The Simpsons. The show did have a guest appearance on the episode Brother from the Same Planet.
• During the "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" segment, you can hear a crew member talk in the background, straight after Todd Flanders says "We're not going to church today".
• Impressions by class clown Bobby Mindix include Flo (Polly Holliday) saying her catchphrase "Kiss my grits!" from the sitcom Alice, Richard Nixon, Ed Sullivan, Howard Cosell, and Jimmie "JJ" Walker (shouting his catchphrase, "Dyn-O-Mite!!")
• Artie Ziff makes his second of four appearances, but is not voiced by Jon Lovitz, as in his previous one and later two.

William Douglas Oakley (April 1, 1964 - February 16, 2004) was a letterer for numerous comic books from Marvel, DC, and other companies. ... Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966) is an American TV writer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. ... 22 Short Films About Springfield is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, airing on April 22, 1996. ... Jon Vitti is a writer who is most noted for his well-received scripts for the television series The Simpsons. ... A manufacturer of fine mens clothing, often featured on game show hosts. ... A production logo is used by movie studios and television production companies to brand what they produce. ... Stephen J. Cannell (born May 2, 1941) (pronounced CAN-ULL) is an Emmy award winning television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor from the USA. Noted for sophisticated, character-driven writing within genre formats, Cannell has created or co-created nearly 40 different shows, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest... // Ren and Stimpy are the eponymous characters of two American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. ... Canadian-born animator John Kricfalusi, as seen in a 2003 promo created for The New TNN (later to become Spike TV). ... Brother from the Same Planet is an episode of The Simpsons from the fourth season. ... Florence Jean Castleberry , better known Flo, is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore, the subsequent television series, Alice, and that shows spinoff, Flo. ... Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937 in Jasper, Alabama) is an American actress, best known for her role as Florence Jean Castleberry (Flo) on the television series Alice, and later on her own show, Flo. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... Alice was an American television sitcom series which ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the movie Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore (1974). ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the emcee of a popular TV variety show that was at its height of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Howard William Cosell, born Howard William Cohen (March 25, 1918 – April 23, 1995) was an American sports journalist on American television. ... Jimmie Walker (born June 25, 1947 in The Bronx, New York) is an American actor. ... Jon Lovitz Jonathan Lovitz (born July 21, 1957) is an actor best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. ...

Cultural References

• The title "Little Barbershop of Horrors" is a reference to the movie Little Shop of Horrors, as well as the stage musical which inspired it, and the 1960 movie which inspired that.
• Strong-Dar: Master of Akom (one of the nominees) is a spoof of the 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Also, "Master of Akom" is a reference to the Korean animation studio AKOM (who did the animation for this episode).
• The writer deciding to write a sitcom about a "sassy robot" is a reference to British sitcom Metal Mickey, which was created by former Monkee Micky Dolenz. Simpsons creator Matt Groening would go on to create Futurama, featuring Bender, who is also a sassy robot.
• At the end of the episode Bart says he'll never watch an award show again unless Billy Crystal is on. Billy Crystal has hosted 8 Academy Awards, including 4 since this episode aired.

Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 screen adaptation of the off-Broadway stage musical of the same name. ... 1982 Cast Album of the original off-Broadway production of ORIGINAL OFF-BROADWAY CAST: Seymour Krelborn - Lee WIlkoff Audrey - Ellen Greene Mr. ... The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 black comedy film directed by Roger Corman. ... He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattels successful toy line Masters of the Universe. ... AKOM is a South Korean animation studio that has provided much work since its conception in 1985 by Nelson Shin. ... Metal Mickey , robot on UK television early 1980s Metal Mickey was a 5 foot tall fictional robot character who first appeared on British television in the ITV childrens magazine show The Saturday Banana, produced by London Weekend Television in 1979. ... The Monkees were a four-man musical band created for an American television series of the same name, which ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968. ... George Michael Dolenz, Jr. ... Futurama is an American animated sitcom that follows Philip J. Fry after he is cryogenically frozen at midnight, December 31, 1999, and is revived a thousand years later in the year 2999. ... Bender Bending Rodríguez, more commonly known as Bender (assembled c. ... Billy Crystal Billy Crystal (born March 14, 1947 in Long Beach, New York) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. ...

Quotes

• Homer: "Kids, I have a secret to confess and I'm not proud of it."
  Bart: "Don't worry Dad, whatever it is we'll understand."
  Homer: "I never graduated from highschool.(Ashamed)"
  Bart: "Ha-ha-ha-ha !!! (laughing hysterically)"

• Bobby Mindix (the former class clown): "First, the award for the alumnus who's gained the most weight: Homer Simpson."
  Homer: "Oh my God!"
  Mindix: "How'd you do it Homer?"
  Homer: "I discovered a meal between breakfast and brunch."

• Homer: "All right brain, you don't like me, and I don't like you. But let's just get me through this, and I can get back to killing you with beer."
  Homer's brain: "It's a deal!"

• Lisa: Look, there's only one reasonable way to settle this. Rock-paper-scissors.
  Lisa's brain: Poor predictable Bart. Always takes 'rock'.
  Bart's brain: Good ol' 'rock'. Nothin' beats that!
  Bart: Rock!
  Lisa: Paper.
  Bart: D'oh!

• Grandpa Simpson (typing a letter on the typewriter): "Dear Mr. President, there are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot."

• Homer's brain: This is it, Homer. It's time to tell her the terrible secret from your past.
  Homer: Marge I ate those fancy soaps you bought for the bathroom.
  Marge: Oh, my God!
  Homer's brain: No, the other secret!
  Homer: Marge, I never graduated from High School.
  Marge: Well that still doesn't explain why you ate my soap. Wait, maybe it does.

• Dondelinger: Welcome to adult education. My wife passed away recently and I'm hoping that teaching this class will help ease my loneliness.
  Homer: Will this be on the test?
  Dondelinger: No!
  Homer: Awww... (erases "DEAD WIFE" from his notes)

• Dondelinger: Now I'm going to burn this donut to show you how many calories it has.
  Homer: NOOOOOOOOOOO!
  Dondelinger: The bright blue flame indicates this was a particularly sweet donut.
  Homer: This is not happening!

• Dondelinger: Alright here are your exams, fifty questions true or false.
  Homer: True.
  Dondelinger: Homer I was just describing the test.
  Homer: True.
  Dondelinger: Look Homer just take the test and you'll do fine.
  Homer: False.

• Song: Hens love roosters and geese love ganders, everyone else loves Ned Flanders!
  Homer: Not me!
  Song: Everyone who counts loves Ned Flanders!
  (We then see a title card that says "Love That God".)
  Ned: Knock that off you two it's time for church!
  Rod: We're not going to church today!
  Ned: What? You give me one good reason!
  Todd: It's Saturday.
  Ned: Oakily doakily-doo!
  Song: Hens love roosters and geese love ganders, everyone else loves Ned Flanders!

• Lisa: It's so sad that Krusty is ashamed of his roots.
  Homer walks in the living room with a plunger on his head
  Homer: Marge, it happened again!
  Bart: What are you going to change your name to when you grow up?
  Lisa: Lois Sandborne.
  Bart: Steve Bennett.

Breakfast is a meal, preceding lunch or dinner and usually eaten in the morning. ... Brunch is a late morning meal between breakfast and lunch, as a replacement for both meals, usually eaten when one rises too late to eat breakfast, or as a specially-planned meal. ... Homer Simpson pronouncing his famous Doh! Doh! is the comical catch phrase of Homer Simpson, from the long-running animated series The Simpsons. ... Soap most commonly appears in bar form. ... Common household plungers: to the left, a toilet plunger; to the right, a sink plunger A plunger (British English: plumbers helper) is a common device used to release stoppages in plumbing. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Front (The Simpsons)

• "The Front" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive