"The Front" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

''. It originally aired in the United States on the

Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...

on April 15, 1993. In the episode,

Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...

and

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

decide to write an episode of ''

The Itchy & Scratchy Show ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'' (often shortened as ''Itchy & Scratchy'') is a fictional animated television series featured on ''The Simpsons''. Description The show depicts a blue mouse named Itchy who repeatedly and violently maims or kills a ...

''; after their script is rejected, they resubmit it under the name of their grandfather

Abraham Simpson Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled " Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on ...

, resulting in Grampa being hired as a staff writer. Meanwhile,

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

returns to high school to retake a failed science course. The episode was written by

Adam I. Lapidus Adam I. Lapidus is an American television writer, whose credits include ''Phil of the Future'', ''Full House'', ''Smart Guy'', ''Jessie (2011 TV series), Jessie'', ''Bunk'd'', ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'', ''The Suite Life on Deck'' and the s ...

and directed by

Rich Moore Rich Moore is an American film and television animation director, screenwriter and voice actor. He has directed the films ''Wreck-It Ralph'' (2012) and co-directed ''Zootopia'' (2016) and ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' (2018) for Walt Disney A ...

. It is the only ''Simpsons'' episode written by Lapidus.

Plot

After being disappointed by a new episode of ''Itchy & Scratchy'',

and

decide that they can write a better one themselves. Inspired by the sight of

accidentally slicing

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

's hair off with hedge shears, they write a script titled " Little Barbershop of Horrors", but their episode is rejected by Roger Meyers Jr., head of Itchy & Scratchy International. Correctly guessing that Meyers did not take them seriously because they were children, they resubmit the manuscript under Grampa's name, leading Meyers to hire Grampa as a staff writer. Bart and Lisa inform Grampa of their scheme, and the trio conspire to continue passing off Bart and Lisa's scripts as Grampa's, splitting the money three ways. Bart and Lisa’s cartoons are met with acclaim from audiences, resulting in Meyers firing ''Itchy & Scratchy''’s entire writing staff, with the exception of Grampa. For his work on ''Itchy & Scratchy'', Grampa is nominated for an award for Outstanding Writing in a Cartoon Series. When Grampa sees ''Itchy & Scratchy'' for the first time in a clip show introducing the award, he is appalled at the violent humor, and turns his acceptance speech into an assault on both the cartoon and the audience amused by it. He storms off the stage amidst jeers and thrown vegetables. Grampa gives the award to Bart and Lisa, and Bart swears never to watch an award show again, unless

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...

is featured. In the subplot, Homer and Marge attend their "Class of 1974" high school reunion, where they have a great time and Homer wins a variety of humorous awards. However,

Principal Dondelinger 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 ...

interrupts the ceremony to announce that Homer technically never graduated from high school due to failing a remedial science course and revokes all of Homer's awards. Determined to win back the accolades, Homer retakes the course and passes the final exam, finally graduating. The episode concludes with a self-contained segment, complete with its own theme song, titled ''

The Adventures of Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, chee ...

''. In the sketch, itself titled "Love That God", Ned is upset with his sons for not wanting to go to church, until they inform him that it is Saturday and he laughs at his mistake.

Production

"The Front" was written by

and directed by

. In the early 1990s, Lapidus saw a news report on television about three 13-year-old girls – Renee Carter, Sarah Creef, and Amy Crosby – who had written a script for ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation ...

'', titled " Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian". The show's executive producer,

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

, liked the script so much that he brought the three to Hollywood to work on the episode with the show's writing staff. Upon seeing the report, Lapidus thought, "That would really be a neat idea for Bart and Lisa." He wrote a

spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

, which made its way via executive producer

James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...

to the ''Simpsons'' staff, who hired Lapidus to work with them on the episode. "The Front" is the only ''Simpsons'' episode written by Lapidus, causing some dispute among the show's fans as to whether he actually exists or was perhaps a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

. Lapidus' mother-in-law came upon one such debate on an

Internet forum An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

. The initial running time for "The Front" was "way, ''way'' short", and the writers had to use "every trick in the book" to make the episode reach the minimum length. Even after greatly expanding the original script and adding an extra-long

couch gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...

during the opening sequence, the episode was still one minute too short; ''The Adventures of Ned Flanders'' was added to address the problem. The segment, which plays at the end of the episode, was designed purely as filler and had nothing to do with the other events of the episode. Showrunner

Mike Reiss Michael L. Reiss ( '; born ) is an American television comedy writer and author. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series ''The Critic''. He created and wrote ...

later commented, "As always, when we try something bold and new the general reaction is, 'What the hell was that? The scene was also an homage to

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Bill Oakley 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 ...

to produce the season seven episode " 22 Short Films About Springfield". The Fox network

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

had two objections to "The Front". The first issue was with a dream sequence in which Bart points a

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

and hijacks his sleigh. The second objection was to a scene not included in the finished episode, in which ''Itchy & Scratchy'' animators are seen observing a cat, and then putting a stick of

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

in the cat's mouth and lighting it. As Meyers, Bart and Lisa continue down the studio's corridor, an explosion emanates from the room. The scene was cut because of the implied

animal abuse Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

, but is included as a deleted scene on the show's ''The Complete Fourth Season'' DVD box set. Marge and Homer's high school classmate

Artie Ziff 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 write ...

makes a brief appearance in the episode; his conversation with Homer inspired the season 13 episode " Half-Decent Proposal". Artie's usual voice artist

Jon Lovitz Jonathan Michael Lovitz (; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in '' The Critic'' and played a baseball scout in '' A League of ...

was not available, so regular cast member

Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...

provided the voice instead. The school principal, Dondelinger, was named after someone Sam Simon knew.

Cultural references

The episode focuses on animation and includes several

in-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...

s about ''The Simpsons'' and the animation industry in general. In a scene depicting the ''Itchy & Scratchy'' writer's lounge, each of the writers shown is a caricature of someone working on ''The Simpsons'' at the time. The joke was conceived by the show's animators. Later in the episode, Roger Meyers fires a Harvard alumnus who resembles ''Simpsons'' writer

Jon Vitti Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series ''The Simpsons''. He has also written for ''King of the Hill'', ''The Critic'' and ''The Office'', and has served as a screenwriter or consultant for several animate ...

. At the awards ceremony, ''The Simpsons'' creator

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...

is shown in the audience. Lisa is also seen reading a book titled ''How to Get Rich Writing Cartoons'' by

John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...

, a ''Simpsons'' writer credited with nearly sixty episodes of the show. The credits at the end of Bart and Lisa's ''Itchy & Scratchy'' episode (shown in very small print) are a copy of the credits at the end of ''The Simpsons''. At the Annual Cartoon Awards, the clip from the nominated ''

The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Decemb ...

'' is merely a black screen with the text "clip not done yet". This was a counterattack against ''Ren & Stimpy'' creator

John Kricfalusi Michael John Kricfalusi ( ; born September 9, 1955), known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, voice actor and former animator. He is the creator of the animated television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', which was ...

, who had attacked ''The Simpsons'' staff by saying that "the show succeeded despite the writing", and similarly derogatory comments. Another industry reference is the "Animation Wing" door at ''Itchy & Scratchy'' studios; the door is identical to a door at the

Disney animation The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

building. Besides copying the ''Simpsons'' credits, the ''Itchy & Scratchy'' credits also parody the sequence seen at the end of the credits of many TV shows produced by Stephen J. Cannell, where Cannell sits at the typewriter in his office and throws a sheet of paper into the air, with it forming of part of his production company's logo. In the episode, Itchy and Scratchy are seen at a desk; Scratchy pulls a sheet from his typewriter and throws it into the air, where it forms an "I & S Productions" logo.

later met Cannell, who was so pleased with the homage that he hugged Reiss. The title of the episode is a reference to ''

The Front ''The Front'' is a 1976 drama film set against the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, when artists, writers, directors, and others were rendered unemployable, having been accused of subversive political activities in support of Communism or of b ...

'', a 1976 film about writers fronting for blacklisted writers in the 1950s. The ''Simpsons'' writers considered trying to make the episode plot resemble that of the film, but in the end decided against it.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "The Front" finished 21st in ratings for the week of April 12–18, 1993, 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 rati ...

of 12.5, equivalent to approximately 11.6 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', praised "The Front" as "an ironic look at the animation industry, with a higher than average ''Itchy and Scratchy'' count. The episode is followed by ''The Adventures of Ned Flanders'' with its own, rather wonderful, theme tune."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Front, The The Simpsons (season 4) episodes 1993 American television episodes Television episodes about television