"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 Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''. 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 a ...
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 ''Barth ...
and
Lisa decide to write an episode of ''
The Itchy & Scratchy Show''; 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 ...
returns to high school to retake a failed science course.
The episode was written by
Adam I. Lapidus 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 Dis ...
. It is the only ''Simpsons'' episode written by Lapidus.
Plot
After being disappointed by a new episode of ''Itchy & Scratchy'',
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 ''Barth ...
and
Lisa decide that they can write a better one themselves. Inspired by the sight of
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 ...
accidentally slicing
Marge'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
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genet ...
'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 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''. 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
Adam I. Lapidus 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 Dis ...
. 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. Spi ...
, 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 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 tempora ...
.
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 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
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 ...]
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
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 1996.. It was written by ...
".
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 rifl ...
at
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
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 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 harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suff ...
, 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 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 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 ...
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.
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), '' F ...
is shown in the audience.
Lisa is also seen reading a book titled ''How to Get Rich Writing Cartoons'' by
John Swartzwelder, 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 Dec ...
'' 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 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
Stephen Joseph Cannell (; February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010) was an American television producer, writer, novelist, occasional actor, and founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
...
, 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.
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 met Cannell, who was so pleased with the homage that he hugged Reiss.
The title of the episode is a reference to ''
The Front'', 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