Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming
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"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. It originally aired on
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
in the United States on November 26, 1995. The episode was written by freelance writer
Spike Feresten Spike Feresten (born ) is an American television writer, screenwriter, comedian and television personality, who is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', writing for David Letterman, and hosting the late night '' Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' ...
, and features the fifth major appearance of Sideshow Bob. Although Feresten received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the finished version. It was the first episode of ''The Simpsons'' to be directed by
Dominic Polcino Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on ''The Simpsons'', ''Mission Hill (TV series), Mission Hill'', ''King of the Hill'', and ''Family Guy''. Polcino worked on the first season of ''Family Guy'', then left to direct for ''Kin ...
, who described it as being very difficult to direct.
R. Lee Ermey Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film ''Full Met ...
, known for his role in ''
Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel '' The Short-Timers''. It stars ...
'', guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap while
Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...
reprises his role as Sideshow Bob. The episode is a parody of "'60s-era
nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...
movies" and contains several references to Cold War films, including ''
Twilight's Last Gleaming ''Twilight's Last Gleaming'' is a 1977 American thriller film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Burt Lancaster and Richard Widmark. The film was a West German/American co-production, shot mainly at the Bavaria Studios. Loosely based on a ...
'', ''
Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'') is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely ...
'', and ''
Fail-Safe In engineering, a fail-safe is a design feature or practice that, in the event of a failure causes, failure of the design feature, inherently responds in a way that will cause minimal or no harm to other equipment, to the environment or to people. ...
''. In its original broadcast, the episode finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience. The episode received generally positive reviews by critics.


Plot

At Springfield Minimum Security Prison,
Sideshow Bob Robert Underdunk "Bob" Terwilliger Jr., Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring antagonist in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The ...
is disturbed when he hears the other inmates laughing at the inane antics of
Krusty the Clown Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ), better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the List of animated television series, animated television series ''The S ...
's television show. Believing that television is a fountain of "mindless drivel" and wanting to rid the world of it, Bob escapes while on work duty at a local Air Force Base. By mimicking one of the base's colonels he gains access to a restricted area of the hangar, where he steals a 10-megaton
nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
. As the Simpsons and other residents of Springfield are attending an
air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are trade fair, exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The ...
held at the base, the signal on the big screen is interrupted by Bob, who threatens to detonate the bomb unless Springfield disables all of its television broadcasts. Upon hearing the announcement, everyone flees the airfield in panic, except for
Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...
and
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
. Unable to locate Bob, Mayor Quimby decides to give in to Bob's ultimatum. Krusty, refusing to submit to Bob's demands, takes refuge in a
civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...
shack in the desert, which he uses to transmit a heavily improvised show. Lisa deduces that the unusually high-pitched voice of Bob in his broadcast was due to inhaling helium, and locates him in the envelope of the Duff blimp. Bob, having lost his patience thanks to Krusty, tries to detonate the bomb, which turns out to be a dud, because it had passed the
expiration date An expiration date or expiry date is a previously determined date after which something should no longer be used, either by operation of law or by exceeding the anticipated shelf life for perishable goods. Expiration dates are applied to some f ...
of November 1959. Lisa alerts the police to Bob's location using the blimp's
variable-message sign A variable- (also changeable-, electronic-, or dynamic-) message sign or message board, often abbreviated VMS, VMB, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign, is an electronic traffic sign often used on roadways to give travelers info ...
, but Bob deflates the blimp and kidnaps Bart, before stealing the original Wright Brothers aircraft, which had been an exhibit at the air show. Holding a knife against Bart's throat, Bob attempts to carry out a deadly
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
attack against the civil defense shack where Krusty is hiding and kill him, Bart, and himself, but the slow-moving plane ends up merely bouncing harmlessly off the shack. The authorities quickly arrest Bob and take him back into custody while Bart is reunited with the rest of the family.


Production

"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the fifth episode of ''The Simpsons'' to feature Sideshow Bob as the main character, after "
Krusty Gets Busted "Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 29, 1990. The episode was written by Jay Koge ...
", "
Black Widower "Black Widower" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 9, 1992. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by ...
", "
Cape Feare "Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox in the United States on 7th October, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer in hi ...
", and "
Sideshow Bob Roberts "Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns in his fourth major appearan ...
". Executive producers
Bill Oakley William Lloyd Oakley (born February 27, 1966) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series ''The Simpsons''. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans Sc ...
and
Josh Weinstein Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series ''The Simpsons''. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weins ...
believed that every season of the show should contain an episode featuring Bob. However, Bob had already been in four episodes and the writers were having a difficult time coming up with new ways to include him.Oakley, Bill (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. The first draft of the episode was written by
Spike Feresten Spike Feresten (born ) is an American television writer, screenwriter, comedian and television personality, who is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', writing for David Letterman, and hosting the late night '' Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' ...
, a freelance writer who later became known for his work on ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''. Although he received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the episode. Oakley describes the episode as "one of the most arduous rewrites in the history of the show" because much of the dialogue had to be re-written. "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the first episode of ''The Simpsons'' to be directed by
Dominic Polcino Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on ''The Simpsons'', ''Mission Hill (TV series), Mission Hill'', ''King of the Hill'', and ''Family Guy''. Polcino worked on the first season of ''Family Guy'', then left to direct for ''Kin ...
. Polcino had worked as an assistant director on the show and had left the show, but was offered a chance to be a director. He describes the episode as a "tough one to start with", especially the scenes with the
Wright Flyer The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown by brothers Wrigh ...
.Polcino, Dominic (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh SeasoreturnVD]. 20th Century Fox. An early version of the script featured a longer scene at the air show that featured
Hans Moleman The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...
flying an early flying machine. The scene where Milhouse is in a jet pretending to fire missiles at his parents because he's upset with them, would later inspire the episode "
A Milhouse Divided "A Milhouse Divided" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on December 1, 1996. In the episode, Milhouse's parents, Ki ...
". In that episode, Milhouse's parents become divorced, and it is also a reference to Dr.
Frasier Crane Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane (born ) is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom ''Cheers'' and the titular protagonist of its spin-off '' Frasier'' and the latter's 2023 sequel. In all three s ...
. A character modeled after
Fox Network Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...
owner
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
briefly appears in a scene set in jail. The censors said that Murdoch could not be shown, but Murdoch gave his permission for his caricature to be used. Murdoch was voiced in that scene by series regular Dan Castellanetta.
R. Lee Ermey Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film ''Full Met ...
, known for his role in ''
Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel '' The Short-Timers''. It stars ...
'', guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap. The role was specifically written for him and much of his dialogue was difficult to write. The line "What is your major malfunction?" is based on dialogue from ''Full Metal Jacket''.


Cultural references

The episode is a parody of "'60s-era
nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...
movies" and contains several references to Cold War films. There were also several references to ''
Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'') is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely ...
'': the underground compound resembles the
War Room A command center (often called a war room) is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose. While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses. ...
from the film; Professor Frink was redesigned to parody the title character; the tune that Sideshow Bob whistles while preparing the bomb is "
We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, resonating with ...
", as sung by
Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...
at the end of the film; and Krusty's acting whilst he defends television is based on
George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex ...
's performance as General Buck Turgidson.Weinstein, Josh (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. An alien appears in Hangar 18, a reference to the film of the same name, and indirectly the
Roswell incident The Roswell Incident started in 1947 with the recovery of debris near Roswell, New Mexico. It later became the basis for conspiracy theories alleging that the United States military recovered a crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft. The debri ...
. Another parodied film is the 1964 thriller ''
Fail-Safe In engineering, a fail-safe is a design feature or practice that, in the event of a failure causes, failure of the design feature, inherently responds in a way that will cause minimal or no harm to other equipment, to the environment or to people. ...
'' by
Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...
: at the beginning of the third act of the episode, scenes of everyday life across Springfield are shown, and one by one, with a 'zooming' sound effect, they all freeze-frame in anticipation of the (supposedly) imminent
nuclear blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...
; such was the ending of ''Fail-Safe''. One of the scenes before the supposed nuclear blast shows Maggie picking flowers in a field, with the camera zooming into her eye, and then the minuscule blast occurs. This is a parody of the innovative and controversial Daisy advertisement used by
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
in the
1964 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1964, less than a year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who won the previous presidential election. The Democratic Party (U ...
. The dud bomb is partially a reference to the film ''The Mouse That Roared'', which also features a nonfunctional nuclear bomb with mice inside. In the episode the bomb is revealed to be a dud after it falls apart and mice run out from it; in the movie, after the mouse leaves the bomb starts working again. Sideshow Bob's bomb also has a note that says "Best before 1959," the year ''The Mouse That Roared'' was made.
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is best known for having played the Fourth Doctor, fourth and longest-serving incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television ...
's
Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...
from ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' makes an appearance. Bob is horrified at hearing
Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...
playing a foul-mouthed grandmother on an American sitcom. Her line, "Let's haul ass to
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
!", is reprised by Grandpa at the end of the episode.


Reception

In its original broadcast, "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience. It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week behind ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'', ''
Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...
'', and ''
Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, ...
''. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, "Probably the least satisfying of Sideshow Bob's gleamings – but there's enough slapstick and satire to keep things ticking along nicely." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote, "Though it doesn't compete with the best Bob shows, it has more than a few nice moments." He added that he enjoyed R. Lee Ermey's guest appearance as well as the jokes about the Fox network. Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when Milhouse was playing in the fighter jet at the air show. Malkowski concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of B−. Dennis Perkins writes "Bob’s a lonely, cultured (if pretentious) soul in a world that venerates the likes of Krusty and, watching our own world’s Krusty simulacra, haven’t we all longed to feel our finger linger over the big red television kill switch?" He praises Grammer's performance, particularly the line “By the way, I’m aware of the irony of appearing on television in order to decry it. So don’t bother pointing that out.”


References


External links

* * {{Portal bar, 1990s, Animation, Comedy, The Simpsons The Simpsons season 7 episodes 1995 American television episodes Television episodes about murder Television episodes about nuclear war and weapons Animated television episodes about revenge Television episodes directed by Dominic Polcino