(capsule) 3G02 - Lisa's Sax (1)
Hari Michael Wierny
it. One of everyone's favorites.
Part one. Part two coming soon.
Hari Michael Wierny
"Tuba-ma-ba? Oba-ma-bo? Hmmmm, saxa-ma-phone..." [3G02]
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Lisa's Sax Written by Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Directed by Dominic Polcino
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Production Code: 3G02 Original Airdate on FOX: 10/19/97
Capsule revision A (29-Feb-2000)
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> "TV Guide" synopsis
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None submitted.
For reference, here's a TV Guide-like synopsis:
The family reminisce on the way Lisa got her first saxaphone, when
Bart destroys it. We learn the tale of Bart's first day of school,
and Lisa's first signs of musical interest.
(see "comments and other observations" for an observation concerning
the entry in Canada's TV Guide.)
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> Title sequence
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Blackboard: I NO LONGER WANT MY MTV
I NO LONGER WAN (at cutoff)
Couch gag: Homer runs in, and splits in two, the top half jumping
onto the couch. Then Marge (who is inside), Bart and Lisa.
Maggie stays put sucking her pacifier.
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> Didja Notice...
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Andrew Gill:
... Snowball I is accurately there?
... "It Blows" is where King Toots should be, and KT is across the
street?
(not a goof, because who is to know how it's changed over the
years --hmw)
Jason Hancock:
... young Milhouse, Nelson, Wendell, Sherri, and Terri in the
auditorium?
... Homer says "It's Miller Time!" while holding a can of Duff?
... the picture of Albert Einstein in the gifted school?
... the three clocks in the picture? (I couldn't tell what they were
supposed to represent.)
... Michelangelo's David wears a fig leaf in Homer's fantasy?
Ondre Lombard:
... in 29 seasons, Krusty has only received FOUR Emmies? (Probably due
to the fact that the Academy hates him [9F19])
... Maggie was visibly UNWILLING to take the beer?
... when Homer watches "Twin Peaks," the music in the bizarre sequence
Homer watches is the EXACT same music they used during Wiggum's
confused dream with Lisa in 2F20, which was also a parody of "Twin
Peaks?"
... the last time we saw Michelangelo's David, David's penis was
replaced with a toe, but this time it's _covered_ with a fig?
... Snowball I looks exactly like Snowball II, only white?
... This is also the only time we've seen Snowball I active--alive?
... Homer quotes the bible correctly for once (and in relation to a
specific point he is making)?
... how awfully cute toddler Bart and Lisa are?
Mark Aaron Richey:
... the burning tire yard?
... the front yard is a mess?
... Hans is the one on the triangle?
... you can see Otto's silhouette in the school bus window?
... the picture over the fireplace in the flashback has only Homer,
Marge, Bart, and Lisa?
... Homer wears his baseball cap backwards when he trys to interest
Bart in catch?
... the puzzle Lisa puts together in Dr. J's office is of the Taj
Mahal?
... Dr. J's clock reads 3:00?
... the photo of Albert Einstein and the clocks set for different time
zones at the preschool?
... the fig leaf covering David (SNUH would be happy)?
... Snowball I?
... Milhouse's glasses take up a bigger percentage of his face in
kindergarten?
... in the dream sequence, Homer is sitting in front of the air
conditioner like it's a TV?
Benjamin Robinson:
... this is the first episode to be rated under the new, expanded TV
rating system? (For the record, the rating was TV-PG-L, the "L"
presumably earned by Bart's stand-up routine)
... this is Al Jean's first "Simpsons" writing credit without partner
Mike Reiss?
... Lisa didn't wear the trademark pearls when she was three? (This,
despite wearing them as a baby in "Lisa's First Word [9F08]")
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> Voice credits
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- Starring
Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Announcer, Michigan J. Frog, Grampa, Willy,
Barney, Music Store Owner)
Julie Kavner (Marge, Selma, Patty)
Nancy Cartwright (Bart, Chin-Ho, Todd, Nelson)
Yeardley Smith (Lisa)
Hank Azaria (Apu, Moe)
Harry Shearer (Movie Announcer, Skinner, Man in "Twin Peaks," Dr.
Hibbert, J. Loren Pryor, voice in Homer's Nobel Prize image, Kent
Brockman, Ned Flanders, "Frutopia" Announcer)
- Special Guest Voice
Fyvush Finkel (Himself, as Krusty)
- Also Starring
Doris Grau (Lunchlady Doris)
Pamela Hayden (Jimbo, Milhouse, Worm-Eating Boy)
Maggie Roswell (Teacher, Miss Tillingham)
(voice credits courtesy of Ondre Lombard.)
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> Movie (and other) references
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+ "I want my MTV" (slogan)
- Bart's blackboard gag spoofs this slogan from MTV's early days {bjr}
+ "All in the Family" (TV show)
- Homer and Marge sing a nostalgic tune, just as Archie and Edith
Bunker at the top of their show {bjr}
- as they are singing, the scene dissolves through several shots of
Springfield, like "All in the Family's" opening credits {bjr}
- Homer calls Bart "meathead," which was the way Archie referred to
his son-in-law {bjr}
+ The Simpsons Ullman shorts (from "The Tracey Ullman Show" TV show)
(meta reference)
- Homer says that the Tracey Ullman show featured comedy and crudely-
drawn filler material. In our universe, that material was "The
Simpsons," in short-subject form. What I want to know is what
preceded commercials on the Simpsons' version of "Tracey Ullman"
-- "Fish Police?"
+ The Woody Allen-Mia Farrow marriage
- Krusty and Woody share an ill-starred attempt at matrimony to this
actress {bjr}
- Mia's predisposition to adopt children is shown {bjr}
+ "The A-Team" (TV series)
- in tonight's flashback, Dr. Hibbert fashions his hair after Mr.
T's {bjr}
+ Coppertone Ad (commercial)
- while Brockman introduces his piece on the heat wave, the graphic
shows a dog tugging off his bathing suit, just like in the famous
suntan lotion ad {bjr}
+ "The Scream" (painting)
- the subject of this Norwegian painting takes up Homer's foosball
challenge (By the way, this painting was stolen from a museum in
Norway shortly before the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. I
don't know whether or not the painting has been recovered) {bjr}
+ "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"
- the music after Lisa's sax is flattened {jh}
- after Lisa's sax gets flattened, Hans Moleman, wearing a raincoat,
rides by on a tricycle and flips over. There was a guy on "Laugh-
In" who did the same thing {bjr}
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> Previous episode references
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[7G02] [2F04] Baby Maggie plays with blocks (cf. Lisa plays with blocks)
Also, Maggie uses her blocks to spell out E=MC^2, at a younger age
than Lisa, in fact. (So who's the real gifted one whose gift will
go to waste?) {ol}
[7G02] J. Loren Pryor decides that a Simpson child is gifted {ol}
[7G04] "B-I-N-G-O" {jh}
[7G08] Grampa playing piano during end credits {ms}
[7F07] Thanks to Bart, something important to Lisa ends up ruined {ol}
[7F09] Maggie playing with a dangerous household tool {dsb}
[7F09] Michelangelo's David on The Simpsons {ol}
[8F04] Homer goes to Moe's with Lisa {ol}
[8F06] Homer has to replace Lisa's saxophone {ol}
[8F14] [3G03] Marge addresses the familial pressure taking its toll on
her {ol}
[8F15] The last time we saw J. Loren Pryor (did he die, too?) {ol}
[9F02] Reference to "The Ugly Duckling" {ol}
[9F02] Homer has to decide between something he really wants and Lisa {ol}
[9F04] [9F21] Flashback stories are started by Marge and Homer with
accounts of pop culture happenings of yesteryear {ol}
[9F04] Homer gets sidetracked when the family intended to reminisce about
Lisa {ol}
[9F14] A syringe found in an alcoholic beverage {ol}
[9F16] [9F17] Grampa's narcolepsy {ol}
[9F20] [3G01] Grampa's teeth wind up in the mouth of an animal. (Is this
a trend or something?) {ol}
[9F21] Homer playing a piano {dsb}
[9F22] A succession of unlikely subjects trampling something {dsb}
[1F08] [3F31] [4F20] An audience and associated laughter is inserted into
The Simpsons {ol}
[1F09] Lisa loses her sax, and Homer doesn't seem to understand Lisa's
attachment to it {ol}
[1F10] Imagination shows that Lisa will grow up to win the Nobel Prize {ol}
[1F22] A heatwave hits Springfield; Homer uses frozen boxes of vegetables
to cool himself off {ol}
[2F06] Reference to "Gentle Ben" {ol}
[2F07] Grampa stunting Young Homer's self esteem {ol}
[2F07] Grampa making money selling sexual medication to dead heads {ol}
[2F10], [9F04], [2F02], [7G08] Snowball I references {ms}
[3F01] "Sax-a-ma-phone!" {jh}
[3F03] Ralph Wiggum's worm eating habit {ms}
[4F18] Homer speaks in another language {ol}
Characters appear without explanation or unexpectedly in the Simpson house
{ol}:
[9F22] Nelson pops up when everyone laughs at "Wide Load" on Homer's butt.
[1F10] When everyone says their catch phrase in the living room.
[1F21] Milhouse appears to help sing the Armour Hot Dogs song.
[3G03] Barney appears and disappears occasionally during Sharry Bobbins'
breakdown.
Homer stealing items from Ned {ol}:
[7F11] Borrows Ned's camera and apparently loses it (8F16)
[7F23] Steals Ned's weed whacker
[9F08] Steals Ned's TV tray
[3F23] Steals items from Ned and moves away to Cypress Creek with them
[4F06] Plans to steal Ned's newspaper
[3G01] Steals an assortment of items from Ned, and his birthday party and
uses it during a camp outing with Bart; steals Ned's weathervane
[3G02] Steals Ned's air conditioning (this time Ned seems rather miffed
about it)
Clips shown where Lisa is playing her sax {jg}:
[7G06] Lisa is playing with Bleedin Gums Murphy.
[8F06] (I think) Lisa is playing on the stage when Homer couldn't get the
reed.
[8F15] Lisa is playing while Bart is writing on the chalkboard.
[9F17] Lisa is playing while Homer is in a coma.
(Note: These aren't all of them.)
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> Freeze frame fun (FFF)
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Sign {bjr}:
MISS TILLINGHAM'S
SCHOOL FOR
SNOTTY GIRLS AND
MAMA'S BOYS
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> Animation, continuity, and other goofs
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= The WB logo is wrong (the "W" is right next to the "B," not on top of
it), but this may have been done to avoid a lawsuit. {jh}
(WB = Warner Bros. --hmw)
c The song playing at the beginning of the flashbacks is "Don't Worry, Be
Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, but the closed-captioning shows lyrics to
Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" instead. {jh}
* Bart was born in 1980 in 8F10, so he would be 10 in the flashback, and
not five; also, Lisa would be 8 since she was born in 1982 in 9F08! {jg}
= Just before Bart enters the house after the first day of school, a
picture of Maggie can be seen behind Marge -- didn't this episode take
place before Maggie was born? {jh}
* Jimbo has always been portrayed as being teen-aged (obviously to denote
failing in school). Yet, he is portrayed as being the same age as Bart
and the other kids in kindergarten. {ol}
* I won't pretend I know that the Ebola virus didn't exist in 1990, but I
know that it wasn't as commonly known back then as it became in 1995.
{ol}
= I thought "The A-Team" had bit the dust in 1987 -- yet Dr. Hibbert
dresses like Mr. T in 1990. {jh}
(some people take time to settle in with the new trends. --hmw)
- J. Loren Pryor's voice is off. In comparison to him in "Bart the
Genius," he sounds more like Smithers than Mr. Burns. {ol}
* Why would a jigsaw puzzle just be lying around J. Loren Pryor's office,
especially near a baby that could put a piece in its mouth and choke on
it? {ol}
* OFF have some fans back in 1F21. {ms}
(fans = cooling fans, air conditioning etc. --hmw)
* If Snowball I run over in 1990 [9F04], how come Marge mentioned in 7G08
(Aired at Christmastime, 1989), that she run over earlier that year? {ms}
(should be in the 9F04 capsule, but since Snowball I was in this episode,
I'll include it here too. --hmw)
= Lisa correctly counts thirteen pickled eggs, however, in a previous
shot, there are clearly more than thirteen pickled eggs. (submitted by
"Ian" sea...@laker.net.)
* Doesn't Grampa need some sort of denture cream to make those teeth stick
to his gums? {ol}
* The true origin of Maggie's pacifier, according to 2F10, is that Maggie
found one and grew attached to it when she was born. {ol}
An anti-goof: No, they didn't get Snowball II's color wrong. That white
cat was her predecessor, Snowball I. Note that this means that Snowball
I died after Lisa's third birthday, but before her eighth. {bjr}
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> Reviews
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Dale G. Abersold: A refreshing change of pace: another (long overdue)
flashback into the past lives of The Simpsons, helping us see how Bart
and Lisa came to be the great characters they are. Also refreshing that
the characters stayed in character, that the plot was not outlandish,
and that it remained very funny. Although it is not perfect, this
episode is very easy to love. (Grade: A-)
Jesse Bergheimer: Indeed, those were the days, but in this case, a new
episode of "The Simpsons" has actually been up to standard. Nevermind
that this was a spare "3G" ep., written by the AWOL Al and Mike guys.
This one has been the best one so far in the season (save for the fact
that this is the first new episode in 3 weeks, and that the coveted
Halloween episode is next week).
The story of Lisa obtaining her saxaphone and Bart beginning
Springfield Elementary were great, leaving room for lots of jokes and
plot twists. My complaints are few, and this has probably been the first
episode in a long time that I've really hollered at. Great work, Simpson
staff! Keep it up! (Grade: A)
Ben Collins: OFF is back from two weeks of subpar material and two
more of BASEBALL. Many hilarious moments, and fine social commentary
on the education system and general restriction of childhood
creativity. Plus, we get to see more of the "old Homer," the goofy,
childlike guy who sacrifices his own comfort for his daughter.
Unfortunately, annoying glimmers of self-indulgence and self-regard
(the "D'oh" on the sax, for example) keep it from that precious A.
(Grade: B+)
Chris Courtois: "Lisa's Sax" was a perfectly satifactory, nothing special,
middle of the road episode. It recovered from an overly
referencer-heavy, "Critic"-esque first 5 minutes, and managed to spin a
decent flashback yarn. (Of course, I've enjoyed all of the flashback
shows except "..And Maggie Makes Three", so I'm slightly biased towards
those.) Not the great character depth that Jean and Reiss used to bring
to the series in the early days (I didn't feel Bart's pain the way I did
in "Bart Gets an F"), but at least the characters weren't foils for a
bunch of pop culture gags the way they have been in the other 3G shows.
No huge belly laughs, but enough amusing moments after the opening to
merit a... (Grade: B)
Andrew Gill: I liked this ep. The refs to past occurances were great.
My only complaint is that the previous episode refs were too forced
(there's no need to match tubababa in Beethoven's Fifth). (Grade: B)
Ondre Lombard: The Simpsons have returned after 27 episodes of
abomination and/or mediocrity. We have been returned a Homer who is
halfway sensitive, a Lisa who is smart, the bad Bart who we used to know
and love, and the loving but harried Marge. (Even Maggie has been made
useful for once!) The flashback story was marvelous, especially in
comparison to the last ("And Maggie Makes Three"). Toddler Bart and
Lisa is remarkably cute. The best thing of all, though, I'd have to say
is that this was truly SIMPSONS. Not, The Simpsons help us learn
unwanted secrets about other characters. Not, The Simpsons help a
special guest actor in some way. Not, The Simpsons in a wacky or stupid
adventure. It was a rather genuine outing that was funny without being
contrived. My big complaints would have to be that once again, the
ending is off. The nonsense with Grampa and Apu I didn't care for. Had
they ended off the episode with the wonderful montage of Lisa and her
sax, and Lisa's solo (maybe a pull out shot of Lisa's room), it would've
been absolutely perfect. And a lot of the sequences with Grampa and Apu
in them were unnecessary, and not particularly funny. (I'd suspect they
were thrown in like the longer opening because the episode was too
short). All and all, the strongest showing in months. (Grade: A)
Michael K. Neylon: A very strong outing, and, being the first season 9
episode that we've seen, gives at least some promise to the rest of the
batch (though, reading the synopsis for these worries me...) (Grade: A)
Werner Peeters: There's definitely something about this 3G series of
episodes that makes them way above the rest. Once you disregard the
discontinuity goof (which is almost inevitable since cartoon characters
never age) of putting the scene in 1990 - they even made a nice
allusion to the Simpsons shorts - this is one superb showing. It's
always very cute to see Bart and Lisa as pre-schoolers - I just cracked
up when Bart excitedly shouted out "School will be fun!" And then the
younger versions of Milhouse and Jimbo and Nelson! This episode was
pure bliss! (Grade: A+)
Mark Aaron Richey: Another 3G episode, another winner. The show comes
back from "The Cities of New York, Baltimore, and Cleveland vs. Homer
Simpson (and the rest of Fox's lineup)" with a terrific flashback
episode that deftly chronicles Bart's beginnings as the class clown and
Lisa's musicial development. This episode offers perhaps the best
characterization of Homer in quite some time. A truly delightful
episode. (Grade: A-)
Benjamin Robinson: A slight episode, given the importance of the subject
matter to Lisa's development, but entertaining nonetheless. "Lisa's
Sax" would probably have been stronger if the story hadn't tried to
explore so many different territories. As it is, it's a funny episode
whose plot never quite jells. (Grade: B+)
Donni Saphire-Bernsten: Hmmm. This episode read kind of like the old
Simpsons- old in that they stuck to a plot, made some sort of sense,
and still verged on hilarity. I liked it a lot, but there were a couple
of things I just sort of shook my head at. The Fruitopia bashing, the
WB bashing, etc- what's the point they're trying to make? It's not
satire, just bitter bad-mouthing. Some other things didn't make sense
either. What was the whole "Simpsons is filmed in front of a live
studio audience" supposed to mean? Why were they remeniscing about the
'70s at the start of the show? But I don't want to malign the entire
episode. Grandpa was, without exception, hilarious. So was Homer
watching Twin Peaks and Bart in school. Principal "Sinner"- that just
kept me laughing for a minute straight. And all in all, it could have
been a lot worse. Still, the odd non-sequitirs (sp?) leave me giving
a... (Grade: B-)
Terry Yocham: Without a doubt the BEST episode of the new season. I've
always enjoyed Al Jean's work. The jokes started out kinda slow but
picked up with the "Milhouse is gay" thing. Other points in which I was
ROFLMAF: Bart's picture, Maggie's "Miller Time", and Moe's hypodermic
"parasol." My VCR stopped recording at the very end and I missed
Grandpa's "Where's Maggie" Joke. Was it good? (Grade: B+)
Yours truly: A strong showing. The episode was more audience-warming than
previous episodes in recent seasons. Not only did the episode focus on
the family reminiscing on times past, it made me reminisce on past
Simpsons episodes. It's a really pleasant episode with fantastic
characterization (with a few slips here and there, however), many funny
lines, strong focus on the plot, no unnecessary sidetracks, and a good
ending. It's great to see Homer standing by his daughter by spending the
much needed air conditioning funds on a new saxaphone for Lisa. This is
how we like it. (Grade: A)
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> Comments and other observations
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>> Would you kiss the frog, baby?
Ondre Lombard: The well-deserved slam on the WB Network might be lost on a
moderately large group of viewers. Here is the background on the "Kiss
the Frog!" network.
The WB could be placed as the sixth television network (since it is
always the lowest rated) and it might be a few (decades) before it
changes the term from Big Four to Big Six. In Spring of 1995 (I believe
March), Warner Brothers, in competition with Paramount which created
UPN, created a television network that started off with four sitcoms
(three of which are still on the air): "The Wayans Bros.," "The Parent
'Hood," "Unhappily Ever After" and "Muscle." Naturally, these series
accepted considerably low ratings, always winding up the bottom four
shows. And not much has changed since then, in spite of WB often lying
and saying it's the fastest growing network.
As of 1997, they've expanded to three nights of television and have
their own children's programming (some of which is arguably superior to
most of their primetime fare.) In explanation of the parody, The WB
can't be taken seriously partially because they have a singing and
dancing frog for their mascot. Specifically, the singing frog from the
classic 1955 cartoon short "One Froggy Evening," Michigan J. Frog.
Michigan often dances and sings for "We'll be right back..." bumpers for
the WB, sings parental guidelines for each WB show and even accosts the
helpless viewers of its Los Angeles affiliate, KTLA.
The WB is especially not taken serious because the network's content
is entirely made up of 10 badly-scripted sitcoms and 2 dramas. Unlike
the Fox Network, the WB apparently figured that programming safe sitcoms
with horribly formulatic plots would put them on the map, and obviously
it hasn't. In its fourth season of television, its programs still
dangle in the bottom 20 TV series, and WB often gets a 3.0 (average)
rating for the week.
Why some people might not understand the reference? The WB doesn't
have complete coverage of the U.S., and a lot of its affiliates are so
bad that some cities may not bother to tune in. (They run their shows
on the WGN cable network probably to catch more viewers.)
As for the people who are more easily made aware of the WB, the
explanation stated above explains why this frog sings, "Another bad
show that no one will see." It's too bad the episode wasn't made in
1997, or they could've ripped on that stupid "Dubba Dubba" dance.
Incidentally, the WB has yet to play any movies on any night of
programming which, personally I find rather idiotic considering they
might score some ratings if they would play one of their own recent
feature films on television. At any rate, even Krusty's crappy TV movie
wouldn't have a home on the WB yet.
>> Baldness is hereditary!
Ondre Lombard: Homer apparently went completely bald either during Lisa's
second year of life, or the beginning of her third. In 9F21, we see
that Homer has a head of hair, but Lisa is over 1 and Bart is about 3.
9F21, however, had a flashback that went back seven years. 3G02 goes
back 5 years. So, it was just two years away from being inconsistant
regarding Homer's hair.
>> The reason behind Bart's underachievement
Ondre Lombard: Apparently that unkind kindergarten teacher is responsible
for Bart's underachieving. What is truly sad is that Bart actually
liked the idea of school and learning at one time. But he found himself
using insubordinance and rebellious behavior as his only means of
comfort after being mentally stunted by the teacher. Makes Bart's bad
boy nature seem almost sad in a way.
>> I pity the fool who can't come up with funny headers! (me -- hmw)
Ondre Lombard: Dr. Hibbert must have decided to go 80s-retro. In the last
flashback story, he has the trendy 90s hairstyle for black men.
However, in this one (which also takes place in 1990), he looks like Mr.
T, a pop culture icon of the early-to-mid 1980s.
>> Warner Bros.
Jason Hancock: The WB (Warner Brothers) Network was launched in January
1995, and features cartoons (like "Animaniacs"), dramas (like "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer") and some pretty lame comedies (like "Sister Sister" and
"Unhappily Ever After"). Its mascot, Michigan J. Frog, was first seen
in the mid-1950s cartoon "One Froggy Evening." The WB's ratings are the
lowest among the six networks, largely because most people don't receive
it except through cable (thanks to Chicago "superstation" WGN) or
through low-powered UHF affiliates. Incidentally, this leaves UPN as
the only broadcast network that has not been attacked by OFF.
Ben Collins: Let's start this one with a joke:
Q: How is the WB network like the universe 15 billion years ago?
A: Black with no stars.
The WB started in 1995 with a few big-city affiliates, then quickly
snapped up many small, formerly independent UHF outlets across the
country. It's since become a favorite target of ridicule as a last
resort for shows that couldn't make it anywhere else.
>> Un-d'oh-stood!
Jason Hancock: Any arguments over how Homer's "annoyed grunt" is spelled
should be put to rest after this episode -- it's "D'oh!"
>> Simpsons Writing Duos
Ben Collins: The Simpsons' staff has had many writers who generally write
as a duo (Jay Kogen/Wallace Wolodarsky; Bill Oakley/Josh Weinstein; Al
Jean/Mile Reiss). The duo often works as a unit and takes on a character
of its own. This is the first episode ever individually credited to a
duo member (in this case, Al Jean without Mike Reiss).
>> Disco Stu doesn't advertise
Haynes Lee: The Canadian TV Guide said that in 3G02 that Homer Simpsons
had a bad case of "disco fever". But he made only a few references to
disco music in "Those were the days". Could there have been a Disco Stu
outtake?
>> Lisa's ... Tuba?
Benjamin Robinson: During the Simpsons' run on the Tracey Ullman show,
Bart and Lisa were almost the same character. Both siblings had a
cavalier attitude towards authority (their parents in particular) and
a tendency to stir up entertaining trouble. When "The Simpsons" became
a half-hour show, however, that wasn't going to do; Bart and Lisa would
seem redundant. The producers needed something to distinguish the two
characters. Since Bart's rebellious personality was well-established,
the producers focused on finding a good "hook" for Lisa.
The idea of Lisa being musically talented apparently surfaced early.
The Question of the Day was now, "which instrument?" David Silverman,
the show's head honcho for animation, suggested the tuba, an instrument
that he had played in high school. That didn't click, for some reason.
(My suspicion is that the tuba was perceived as too "stodgy" an
instrument. Never mind that the one and only tuba player I know
personally was a popular guy in high school; we are talking purely
about perception here.) The producers brainstormed a bit, and then
James L. Brooks, one of the executive producers, suggested the baritone
sax. She could be, Brooks said, a bright, expressive kid who was
overshadowed by her rambunctious brother. Everyone at the table looked
at each other -- it was one of those moments when you realize that you
have just stumbled upon the perfect answer to a problem -- and the
baritone sax became Lisa's instrument of choice.
(The above information was derived from reports made by Aaron Varhola
and "dls...@aol.com" about David Silverman's lecture to fans in San
Fransisco.)
>> Perhaps it was the baby baritone sax
Benjamin Robinson: When the newsgroup rec.music.makers.saxophone formed, I
subscribed for a short while in the hopes of learning more about Lisa's
favorite instrument. Not too long after I joined, someone asked for
advice on behalf of his nine-year-old daughter. It seems the girl
wanted to play the sax, and her father wanted to know if this was a
practical idea.
The general opinion was that a nine-year-old could learn the
instrument. However, a few people suggested that she start with the
alto sax. This sax would be easier for a child to learn because it was
fairly compact, and the keys would all be within reach for little
hands. Anything much larger that that would be physically impossible
to manage. The baritone sax that Lisa plays is a much bigger
instrument, and would be hard for an eight-year-old to deal with, let
alone a three-year-old. It looks like Lisa is exceptional in more ways
than one.
By the way, the impression that I got from r.m.m.s is that the
saxophone is not the instrument to buy if you're buying on a tight
budget. The price tag on a baritone sax, for example, is closer to
four digits, not $200.
>> Douglas Wambaugh for the defense!
Dale G. Abersold: Fyvush Finkel is best known for his role as Douglas
Wambaugh, the gonzo defense attorney on the late, lamented "Picket
Fences." He deservedly won an Emmy for the role. Finkel, who has
appeared in other television shows and films (such as "Nixon"), got his
start as a vaudeville performer. He sometimes jokingly claims to be
personally responsible for killing Yiddish vaudeville. Besides "The
Simpsons", he has recently appeared in a pair of Nick cartoons,
"Rugrats" and "Ahh! Real Monsters."
>> Where are they now?
Andrew Gill: Bobby McFerrin is now doing classical. The Artist Formerly
Known as Prince is out. Fruitopia (Distributed by Coca-Cola) is no
longer faddish (I still like it, though). Mr. T hasn't been publicly
seen since 1988.
>> All in the Family
Mark Aaron Richey: One of the most popular and groundbreaking sitcoms
of all time, "All in the Family" focused on the lives of Archie Bunker
(Carroll O'Connor), a blue collar laborer who could politely be called
a bigot (to say the least), wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), his nice but
easily flustered wife), daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and
son-in-law Mike (Rob Reiner), aka "Meathead", who didn't see eye-to-eye
with Archie on anthing.
The show (a remake of the British sitcom "Till Death Us Do Part")
premiered in 1971 and soon became one of CBS's and TV's top hits. It
didn't shy away from dealing with controversial issues (the first season
alone had episodes dealing with racism and homophobia-in 1971!). It
spawned two spinoffs, "Maude" (about Edith's liberal cousin) and "The
Jeffersons" (focusing on the Bunker's newly affluent African-American
neighbors), which spawned spinoffs of their own (the successful "Good
Times" and the forgotten "Checking In" respectivly).
In 1979, Jean Stapleton left the show (Edith died), and the focus
switched to Archie's newly acquired bar, and the show became "Archie
Bunker's Place", where it went on for a few more seasons.
Afer the show finally ended, it had two short-lived sequels, "Glora"
(about Archie's newly divorced daughter) and "704 Hauser" (the
combative, African American family that now lived in Archie's old
house).
The show proved how popular it really was in 1991, when CBS paired
classic reruns of the series with "AITF"'s producer Norman Lear's new
series "Sunday Dinner". "Family" got better raitings.
The opening credits panned from a shot of New York, down the Bunkers'
street, and to their house, as Archie and Edith warbled "Those Were the
Days", while Archie brandished a cigar (More about what Marge and Homer
mentioned in their song later). There is a page on snpp.com that lists
some comparisons between Archie and Homer.
>> Filmed in front of a live studio audience.
Mark Aaron Richey: Since the Fifties, it has been common for almost all
prerecorded comedies to film or tape in front of an audience. Sitcoms
during the seventies and eighties announced this fact either before or
after every show. However, no sitcom today announces who the series is
filmed before (I believe that "Cheers" was the last show to continue
that practice).
>> Mia Farrow
Mark Aaron Richey: This is obviously a ref to the relationship between
Farrow and Woody Allen, which ended badly after she discovered he was
sleeping with her 18-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi, who, as it came
out, was the only one of Farrow's many, many, many adopted children that
he knew the name of.
>> Laugh-In
Mark Aaron Richey: Hit variety show from the late sixties and early
seventies that was chock-full of puns, bad jokes, running gags, phrases,
blackouts, and everything else the writers and performers could fit in.
One of the running gags was a grown man wearing a raincoat falling off a
bicycle.
>> The Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince
Mark Aaron Richey: One of the most revolutionary singers/songwriters/talent
scouts in music history, in 1993, he changed his name from Prince to an
unprononcible symbol that combined the symbols for male and female. His
spoken name became "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".
>> Tracey Ullman
Mark Aaron Richey: British comedians whose variety show was one of the
first Fox programs. Despite good reviews, it never caught on
ratings-wise, and ended in 1990.
>> Crudely drawn filler material
Mark Aaron Richey: The Simpsons (well, duh!). Actually, Homer was wrong.
By 1990, OFF was no longer on "Tracy Ullman"; they had been spun off
into their own show in early 1990; a show that you are currently
reading a discussion of right now (well, duh II: the second insult!)
>> Twin Peaks
Mark Aaron Richey: Bizarre ABC series from David Lynch obstintaly about the
investagation of FBI agent Dale Cooper into the murder of high school
student Laura Palmer, who turned out to be into a lot of dark stuff.
However, Lynch filled the series with bizarre characters and images that
made very little sense. Still, the series became a cult hit in the
spring of 1990, but anger began to grow when the series went into the
summer without revealing who killed Laura. The anger mounted the
following fall, and ratings fell off dramatically. There were very few
people still around when it was revealed that Laura's murderer was her
father, who was possessed by an evil spirit. The series was canceled in
1991. That didn't stop Lynch from making one more visit to Twin Peaks.
"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me", a prequel chronicling the last seven
days of Laura's life, opened in August 1992 to horrible reviews and,
after the first weekend, no business.
>> The Divine Miss Sarah Bernhardt
Mark Aaron Richey: One of the greatest actresses of the Victorian era,
Bernhardt rose to the top in her hometown of Paris, and became one of
the most famous women in the world. She seemed to specialize in playing
men's roles, like Hamlet. Even after she lost a leg to an injury, she
kept performing.
>> Balzac
Mark Aaron Richey: A great French writer, he wrote realist novels during
the first half of the nineteenth century. He grew up without air
conditioning.
>> Those were the (Simpsons) days!
Mark Aaron Richey:
BeeGees - Three brother singing group that rose to superstardom with the
disco hit "Stayin' Alive" in 1977. Unfortunally for them, they became
synonymous, and when disco's popularity took a sudden nosedive, so did
theirs. They are still around, insisting that they are not a disco
band, though they no longer sell many records.
John Travolta - Late 70's star of two of the biggest hits of the
decade-"Grease" and "Saturday Night Fever", which featured "Stayin'
Alive". Unfortunately, his career also nosedived at the end of the
disco era, and with a few exceptions, it took him nearly 20 years to
Face/Off with his image and become a Phenomenon again.
Elvis's weight - Throughout the 1970's until his death in 1977, many
people followed with amusement the King's ever incresing weight.
Gentle Ben - Late 60's drama starring Clint Howard (Ron's brother) as a
little boy with a big bear friend (Ben). The two were always getting
into misadventures.
Sheriff Lobo - Started out as a minor character (played by Claude Akins)
on the lame late seventies action comedy "BJ and the Bear" (a knockoff
of the Clint Eastwood movie "Every Which Way You Can"), but got so
popular (somehow) that he got his own show. Programming decisions like
that is why NBC was about where the WB is now in 1980.
Disco Duck - Roller disco move
Fleetwood Mac - Great seventies band that produced one of the biggest hits
of all time with their album "Rumours". Their songs are (often)
autobiographical works on the love and pain they inflict on themselves
and others. They are currently on a triumphant comeback tour and have
released a brilliant new live album, "The Dance", that I encourage
everyone to go and buy (yes, I'm a Fleetwood Mac fan)
>> Miscellaneous, Etc.
Benjamin Robinson: Various odds'n'ends from this show.
- As Marge preps Bart for his first school day, Bobby McFerrin's
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" plays in the background.
- Doris Grau, as Lunch Lady Doris, makes what I think is the first
posthumous appearance on the show.
- Curious George is a series of children's stories about an
inquisitive monkey. The Ebola Virus is one of the world's
deadliest viruses, capable of literally liquidating its victims'
internal organs. Monkeys sometimes carry the virus, so
juxtaposing the two makes some sort of sense.
- "Twin Peaks" was a creepy but nearly incomprehensible but TV
series airing around 1990. It was the brainchild of David Lynch,
who is now known for a series of creepy but nearly
incomprehensible movies.
- Please, let's not have any "Milhouse is Gay" threads. I think his
crush on Lisa (in "Lisa's Wedding (2F15)" and "Lisa's Date with
Density (4F01)") and his brief romance with Samantha ("Bart's
Friend Falls in Love (8F22)") prove that Dr. Pryor was mistaken.
- Balzac (1799 - 1850; well before the age of air conditioning) was
a French novelist and playwright. I think he once wrote, "All
great fortunes are founded on a crime," which I thought was a cool
quote.
- When Fruitopia was first rolled out, it was promoted with an
aggressively New Age-y campaign that suggested drinking it would
bring about universal brotherhood and good karma. Not only was
this neo-Hippie posturing annoying, but it was hypocritical, as
well. Fruitopia is the product of Coca-Cola, one of the largest
corporate entities on the Earth.
===========================================================================
Segment 2 next
Nicolás Di Candia
> Ah, a great episode we got here, and a decent capsule to go with
> it. One of everyone's favorites.
>
> Part one. Part two coming soon.
>
> Hari Michael Wierny
> "Tuba-ma-ba? Oba-ma-bo? Hmmmm, saxa-ma-phone..." [3G02]
>
>
>
===========================================================================
> Lisa's Sax Written by Al Jean & Mike
Reiss
This was the first episode written by Al Jean alone, as shown by the
following DYN by Benjamin Robinson:
> ... this is Al Jean's first "Simpsons" writing credit without partner
> Mike Reiss?
> Characters appear without explanation or unexpectedly in the Simpson house
> {ol}:
>
> [9F22] Nelson pops up when everyone laughs at "Wide Load" on Homer's butt.
> [1F10] When everyone says their catch phrase in the living room.
Bart Gets Famous is 1F11, not 1F10 (commence flaming).
Cheers,
--
Nicolás Di Candia
[ webm...@tvcentral.com.com.ar (remove the extra ".com" to reply) ]
[ TV Central: http://www.tvcentral.com.ar ]
Alan Hamilton
<ha...@snpp.com> wrote:
>===========================================================================
>> Animation, continuity, and other goofs
>===========================================================================
>* Jimbo has always been portrayed as being teen-aged (obviously to denote
> failing in school). Yet, he is portrayed as being the same age as Bart
> and the other kids in kindergarten. {ol}
Kearney has been the one depicted as old -- he had the son ("I sleep
in a drawer!") and remembered the US Bicentenial ("Those tall ships
really lifted the nation's spirits after Watergate."). He also drives
a Hyundai. I don't remember if Kearney was in "Lisa's Sax".
===========================================================================
> Comments and other observations
===========================================================================
>> Would you kiss the frog, baby?
Oooh, way harsh. As of 2000, they're doing considerably better,
particularly with their hour-long dramas.
>>> Laugh-In
>
>Mark Aaron Richey: Hit variety show from the late sixties and early
> seventies that was chock-full of puns, bad jokes, running gags, phrases,
> blackouts, and everything else the writers and performers could fit in.
> One of the running gags was a grown man wearing a raincoat falling off a
> bicycle.
That was Arte Johnson on a tricycle. Elsewhere it said it was Hans
Moleman in the episode, but it looked like Arte to me.
>Disco Duck - Roller disco move
Huh? "Disco Duck" was a novelty hit by Rick Dees and his Cast of
Idiots. Have a listen at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/eras/B00000AFXQ001004/104-7637620-3761213
--
/
/ * / Alan Hamilton
* * al...@primenet.com
Hari Michael Wierny
> >* Jimbo has always been portrayed as being teen-aged (obviously to denote
> > failing in school). Yet, he is portrayed as being the same age as Bart
> > and the other kids in kindergarten. {ol}
>
> Kearney has been the one depicted as old -- he had the son ("I sleep
> in a drawer!") and remembered the US Bicentenial ("Those tall ships
> really lifted the nation's spirits after Watergate."). He also drives
> a Hyundai. I don't remember if Kearney was in "Lisa's Sax".
Kearney wasn't in 3G02, but we know that Jimbo is older than Bart at
least. In 9F06, Laura tells Bart, ``You know, if you were only old enough
to grow a bad teen-aged moustache, I'd go out with you in a second.''
She goes out with Jimbo in the episode, meaning Bart isn't old enough to
go out with her, but Jimbo is.
Hari Michael Wierny
``Ivana Tinkle! Ivana Tinkle! Hey, everybody, put down your glasses.
Ivana Tinkle!'' [9F06]
Old Uncle Tweeter
>That was Arte Johnson on a tricycle. Elsewhere it said it was Hans
>Moleman in the episode, but it looked like Arte to me.
Hans Moleman was driving the truck that ran over Lisa's sax before the tricycle
came along, so he couldn't have been on the tricycle, too. Unless a wizard did
it.
Nathan
Dinne...@tmbg.org
http://www.geocities.com/fablesto/
"I drink the blood of virgins!" --Weird Al