"The Lastest Gun in the West" is the twelfth episode of the thirteenth 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 first aired 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 ...

in the United States on February 24, 2002. 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 ''Bartho ...

meets a retired

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

star named Buck McCoy who soon becomes his idol. After McCoy shows the Simpsons some of his films, they help him revive his acting career. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written 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 ad ...

, who based the script on a story idea pitched by fellow ''Simpsons'' writer

Ron Hauge Ron Hauge is an American television writer and executive producer. Early in his career, Hauge was a contributor to '' National Lampoon''. In 1989 he created a graphic for ''Spy Magazine'' captioned "The World Championship," with wars between c ...

. The episode features

Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weave ...

as the retired Western actor Buck McCoy, Frank Welker as the vicious dog, and

Karl Wiedergott Karl Wiedergott (born Karl Aloysious Treaton; February 8, 1969) is a German-born American actor. He is noted for his voice work on the sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1998 to 2010, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Tra ...

as an alcoholic resembling

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

. When it was first broadcast, "The Lastest Gun in the West" was seen by 5.9% of the American population between ages 18 and 49. It has garnered mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

When a vicious dog chases

, he takes refuge in the garden of a house belonging to former

actor Buck McCoy. After Buck shows Bart a trick to calm the dog, Bart starts to hero-worship him. Naturally,

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 ...

learns about Bart's new idol and demands he worship him instead. To help revive Buck's career, Bart lands him a job on

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 animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castel ...

's show. However, Buck gets drunk before the show and makes a fool of himself, culminating in him shooting Krusty live on air. Seeing how crushed Bart is, Marge and Homer help Buck overcome his

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

by cleaning his house and enrolling him in an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Despite making progress, Buck fails to restore Bart's hero-worship. When Homer sees a news report about a robbery at the Bank of Springfield, he convinces Buck to foil the robbery and become a hero. Buck subdues the bank robbers and again becomes a hero in Bart's eyes. After acknowledging everything Homer has done, Bart declares him a hero too. As the episode ends, Bart is again chased by the vicious dog.

Production

”The Lastest Gun in the West” was written by

and directed by Bob Anderson. It was first broadcast on the

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

on February 24, 2002.

Writing

The idea for the episode was pitched by ''Simpsons'' writer

, who thought it would be interesting to see an episode in which Bart would run into a retired Western film star in the neighborhood and "think he was the coolest guy in the world", although the actor had seen better days. Hauge suggested that Swartzwelder, who is an avid Western fan, would be the appropriate writer for the episode. Swartzwelder also pitched the plot idea about the angry dog who chases Bart in the episode.Jean, Al. (2010). Commentary for "The Lastest Gun in the West", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.

Animation

The design for Buck McCoy was primarily based on

, who portrayed him in the episode, as well as aspects of other western actors such as

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

and John Wayne. McCoy's costume in the fictional television show ''McTrigger'' was based on the attire worn by the main character in real-life television series '' McCloud''. The design for the dog went through several different model changes until the ''Simpsons'' staff settled on the "very angry bull-terrier design" seen in the episode. A scene in the episode shows McCoy showcasing an array of films he starred in to the Simpson family through a

movie projector A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Mod ...

. In order to achieve the

strobe light A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope. The word originated from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning ...

effect done by the projector, the animators painted every other frame white and then blank.Silverman, David. (2010). Commentary for "The Lastest Gun in the West", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.

Casting

The episode features American actor Dennis Weaver, famous for his role in the television show '' Gunsmoke'', in a guest role as the Western actor Buck McCoy.

Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...

, the

show runner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

for the episode, stated in the

DVD commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

that Weaver was very funny, a ”terrific guy”, and that it was an honor to meet him.

, an actor who usually fills in for unavailable male cast members during table reads for ''The Simpsons'' episodes, portrayed an alcoholic resembling

. The dog was played by voice artist Frank Welker.

Cultural references

The episode title, which is often wrongfully referred to as "The Latest Gun In the West", is a pun based on the term "the fastest gun in the west". A scene in the episode shows McCoy auditioning for a spot in the

show. To showcase his skills, McCoy shoots a Krusty cardboard cutout in the crotch. The scene is a reference to an incident on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'', in which

Ed Ames Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick; July 9, 1927), who also recorded as Eddie Ames, is an American singer and actor. He is known for playing Mingo in the television series ''Daniel Boone'', and for his pop hits of the mid-to-late 1960s including " ...

hit a mannequin in the crotch while demonstrating a tomahawk throw.

Carson's Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (also known as Carson's) is an American department store that was founded in 1854, which grew to over 50 locations, primarily in the Midwestern United States. Sold to the holding company of Bon-Ton in 2006, but still ope ...

quips during the incident are referenced in Krusty's line "Ooh, right in the panhandle." Carson can also be seen in one of the clips before Krusty's show in the episode, along with poet Robert Frost. The inside of McCoy's house is loosely based on the inside of Will Rogers' house in

Will Rogers State Historic Park Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area. Geography In what is now the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisade ...

. "McTrigger", the last TV series McCoy starred in, is a parody of the American television police drama ''McCloud'', in which Weaver played the lead; McCoy claims the series was eventually retooled into ''

Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969 until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 ( EST) fo ...

''. In one scene, Homer shows Bart a poster of himself dressed as Farrah Fawcett in her iconic red swimsuit poster.

Release

In its original American broadcast on February 24, 2002, "The Lastest Gun In the West", along with a rerun of '' Malcolm in the Middle'', put Fox in second place for the night among adults between ages 18 and 49. According to

Nielsen Media Research 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 ...

, the episode received a 5.9 rating, meaning it was seen by 5.9% of the population in said demographic. On August 24, 2010, the episode was released as part of ''The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season'' DVD and Blu-ray set. Following its television broadcast, "The Lastest Gun in the West" received a lot of negative feedback from ''The Simpsons'' fans. ''The Simpsons'' staff — who, according to Jean, are susceptible to criticism — were surprised by the amount of scorn the fans showed towards the episode. Jean, who thought the episode was "great", stated in the DVD commentary for the episode that he " asnever been able to quite figure hy the fans disliked the episodeout", and speculated that, since Westerns have not been popular since the 1960s, "they 'The Simpsons'' fansjust don't care about them at all." Following the home video release of the thirteenth season of ''The Simpsons'', reviews of "The Lastest Gun in the West" were mixed. On the negative side, describing the episode as a "clunker", Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict stated that the episode is "frightfully thin" and criticized the premise as being "lazy". Nate Boss of Project:Blu criticized the premise as well, writing that the episode was "just a couple jokes thrown together" rather than a complete story. Writing for Blu-ray.com, Casey Broadwater described the episode as being "just plain dull". However, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide praised the episode as "offer nggood laughs" and wrote that, while the episode was not "brilliant", it was overall "an enjoyable experience." Giving the episode a positive review as well, Ron Martin of 411Mania described the episode as being "easily one of the best of the season".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lastest Gun In The West, The The Simpsons (season 13) episodes 2002 American television episodes Television shows written by John Swartzwelder it:Episodi de I Simpson (tredicesima stagione)#L'ultima pistola del west fi:Simpsonit (13. tuotantokausi)#Viimeinen lännensankari (The Lastest Gun in the West)