A Star Is Burns

"A Star Is Burns"
The Simpsons episode
File:SIMPSONS SEASON6 DISC3-4.jpg
Episode no.	Season 6
Directed by	Susie Dietter
Written by	Ken Keeler
Original air dates	March 5, 1995
Episode features
Couch gag	The family reverses size, with Maggie as the biggest and Homer as the smallest.

"A Star is Burns" is the 18th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It involves a crossover with the short-lived animated television series The Critic for which it has been subject to some controversy.

Synopsis

File:SIMPSONS SEASON6 DISC3-3.jpg

Barney's film.

Springfield adopts Marge's proposal to launch a film festival, and she is placed on a panel to judge each short film produced by the townspeople. Also on the panel is the New York City critic Jay Sherman, who is the star of another animated series, The Critic. Sherman's stay at the Simpsons' house proves problematic, as Homer begins to suspect Marge prefers Jay and does not really respect Homer. Thus, Marge gives him a spot on the panel, in place of Martin Scorsese. On the night of the festival, the panel comes into deadlock, between members bribed by the untalented contestant C. Montgomery Burns and those who honestly support Barney's touching film about alcoholism, titled Pukahontas. Homer, originally supporting Hans Moleman's film Man Getting Hit by Football (which he liked because it was funny, even though it was just a clip of Moleman being hit in the groin with a football), is convinced to look into his heart and resolve the deadlock by voting for Barney's film (which he initially missed before the deadlock occurred when getting a beer). Later on, Burns' attempt to buy an Academy Award loses out to another version of Man Getting Hit by Football, starring George C. Scott.

Trivia

• It is revealed Bart has made films called "Homer in the shower" and "Homer on the toilet" before making "The Eternal Struggle".
• This is the first of many episodes which is executive produced by earlier show runners Al Jean and Mike Reiss during another showrunner's term. Other episodes include "'Round Springfield", "Simpson Tide" and "Lisa's Sax".
• Syndication cuts the scene where Bart is selling "maps to movie stars' homes" to Japanese tourists, who find Moe's house and mistake him for Drew Barrymore.
• The films shown at the festival are:
  • Bright Lights, Beef Jerky ("Directed" by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon): Security camera footage from the Kwik-E-Mart featuring Apu, Snake, and Chief Wiggum.
  • Moe Better Booze (Directed by Moe Szyslak): Moe does a musical number, dancing on top of his bar.
  • Man Getting Hit by Football (Directed by Hans Moleman): As the title suggests, the film simply focuses on a football hitting Hans in the groin.
  • Pukahontas (Directed by Barney Gumble): A dramatic movie about Barney and his alcoholism. Contains a cameo by Lisa Simpson in a scene where Barney mistakes a girl scout meeting for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
  • A Burns for All Seasons (Directed by Senor Spielbergo for Montgomery Burns): A movie that clearly rips off other material such as the Creation of Adam painting and the movie Ben-Hur.
  • Four Funerals and a Wedding (An Itchy and Scratchy short): Itchy replaces Scratchy's bride with a dummy bride made of bombs. Scratchy manages to have bomb-children and live to old age before the dummy explodes.

Cultural references

• Jay Sherman reviews an aging Charles Bronson in Death Wish 9.
• On The Critic, Jay Sherman has five fingers and Caucasian coloured flesh, however, in this episode, he has only four fingers and the regular yellow Simpsons complexion.
• When the plane from New York lands it forces its way in front of another plane. The pilot of the New York plane yells out "Hey! I'm landing here!", which is a nod to the film Midnight Cowboy.
• Señor Spielbergo is a Mexican parody of director Steven Spielberg. (He is Spielberg's Non-Union Mexican equivalent.)
• In Burns' film, he says to a young boy, "Remember Elliot, I'll be here [his heart]" before boarding a spaceship. This is a spoof of Steven Spielberg's film E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Later in his film, Burns is seen giving Judah Ben-Hur a big bottle of water. (In the film Ben-Hur, it is Jesus who gives Ben-Hur water.) The title of Burns' film, A Burns for All Seasons, is an obvious parody of the play and film A Man For All Seasons.
• This episode's title is a play on the film A Star Is Born.
• Several parts of Barney's superior film are based on the 1945 classic film The Lost Weekend about an alcoholic writer.
• When we view Burns' office, the music is clearly "The Imperial March" or "Darth Vader's Theme" from The Empire Strikes Back, reprising the theme from "Marge Gets a Job".
• A deleted scene features Lisa and Maggie winning the award for Best Swedish Film Made By an Eight-Year-Old (Lisa utters "Homer aten my Häagen-Dazs"). When it's announced that Lisa and Maggie won, Maggie is dressed as Death from The Seventh Seal.
• Moe's film, Moe Better Booze, is a reference to Mo' Better Blues. In the movie, he dances on his bar similar to how Joel Grey did in Cabaret.
• Todd Flanders yelling "Help mmmeeeee!" is similar to how David Hedison famously yelled it in The Fly.
• The Itchy and Scratchy film is called Four Funerals and a Wedding. This is a pun on Four Weddings and a Funeral.
• Bart is seen watching The Flinstones Meet The Jetsons. He refers to it as "another cheap cartoon crossover." This is a reference to this Simpsons episode itself.
• The scene when Bart tries to escape pulling the screen's cord but he gets wrapped around the screen parodies Garfield.
• When Bart and Lisa are filming The Eternal Struggle, Bart is dressed in a suit when introducing the film is parody of the beginning of The Twilight Zone when the narrator introduces the story.
• At the beginning of the film festival, there is a shot of Dr. Hibbert, who thought that the Rocky Horror Picture Show was being shown that night. He is dressed like Frank-N-Furter, as is the custom at screenings of the cult film.

Controversy

The episode has been subject to some controversy, as some viewers saw it as a mere thirty-minute advertisement for The Critic. Indeed, James L. Brooks was involved in the production of both shows. Among the fiercest critics of the Simpsons episode was creator Matt Groening himself, who promptly removed his name from the credits. In response, Brooks labelled Groening a "gifted, adorable, cuddly ingrate." On the sixth season DVD, Groening is conspicuously absent from the cast and crew commentary on this episode.

Quotes

• Burns: Listen, Señor Spielbergo, I want you to do for me what Spielberg did for Oskar Schindler.
  Spielbergo: Er, Schindler es bueno, Señor Burns es el diablo.
  Burns: Listen, Spielbergo, Schindler and I are like peas in a pod: we're both factory owners, we both made shells for the Nazis, but mine worked, dammit! Now go out there and win me that festival!
• The Rappin' Rabbis: Don't eat pork, not even with a fork, Can't touch this!
  Homer: Marge, are we Jewish?
  Marge: No, Homer.
  Homer: Woohoo! (cuts a slice of a sucking pig for himself)
• Jay Sherman: Now we review an aging Charles Bronson in Death Wish 9.
  Bronson: I wish I was dead...oy.
• Clancy Wiggum: At last, an excuse to wear makeup!
• (in Barney Gumble's film):
  Barney Gumble: My name is Barney and I'm an alcoholic.
  (cut to reveal Barney sitting around Girl Scouts instead of Alcoholics Anonymous members)
  Lisa: Mr. Gumble, this is a Girl Scout meeting.
  Barney: Is it? Or is it you girls can't admit you have a problem?
• TV announcer: Coming up next, The Flintstones Meet the Jetsons!"
  Bart: Uh-oh, I smell another cheap cartoon crossover.
• Mr. Burns: Smithers, are they booing me?
  Smithers: Uh, no! They're saying "Boo-urns". Boo-urns!
  Mr. Burns: Are you saying "Boo" or "Boo-urns"? (crowd boos him and throws their drink and snacks on him)
  Hans Moleman: I was saying "Boo-urns".
• Homer: (watching Barney's film; thinking) Hmm...Barney's movie had heart, but "Football in the Groin" had a football in the groin.
• Homer: (after seeing Barney's film) Wow. I'll never drink beer again.
  Vendor: Beer here.
  Homer: I'll take ten.
• (In his movie, Burns tries to ride a donkey but it drags him on the ground.)
  Burns: We did twenty takes, and that was the best one.
• (Auditions for the role of Mr. Burns in "A Star Is Burns")
  Anthony Hopkins: (as Hannibal Lecter) Excellent. (hisses)
  William Shatner: (as Captain Kirk) Ex...cel-lent.
  Homer: Exaactly. Heh, heh. (does a double-take) D'oh!
  Bumblebee Man: Excelente!
• Rainier Wolfcastle: Here is a clip from my new movie, it's a mixture of action und comedy, it's called 'McBain: Let's Get Silly.'
  Clip from film
  McBain: Have you ever noticed how men always leave the toilet seat up? (no reaction from audience) That's the joke.
  Audience Member: You suck, McBain!
  McBain pulls out machine gun and fires upon the audience; screams of pain are heard
  McBain: Now here is my Woody Allen impression. I am a neurotic nerd who likes to sleep with little girls.
  Surviving audience members: Hey, McBain, that really sucked!
  McBain pulls out a grenade and throws it at the audience, it explodes, killing many.
  End clip
  Rainier Wolfcastle: My new movie is me, standing in front of a brick wall for an hour and a half. It cost 80 million dollars.
  Jay Sherman: How do you sleep at night?
  Rainier Wolfcastle: On top of a pile of money, with many beautiful ladies.
  Jay Sherman: Just asking. Yeesh!
• Jay Sherman (to himself after reading Marge's letter): Do I really want to leave Manhattan?
  Rainier Wolfcastle: (walks up to Sherman) Sherman! I just realized you insulted me! Now you will die! (gets out a machine gun)
  Jay: Hey nudnik, your shoe's untied.
  Rainier Wolfcastle: From here, they appear to be tied, but I will go in for a closer look.
  (Rainier bends over as Jay hails a taxi)
  Jay: Taxi! To the airport!
  (the cab drives off. The scene dissolves to nighttime with Rainier still looking at his shoes)
  Rainier Wolfcastle: On closer inspection, these are loafers.
• Ned Flanders: Flanders to God, Flanders to God. Get off your cloud and save my Todd! (Dark clouds gather and a lightning bolt hits a tree, saving Todd from a raging river) Thanks God.
  God: (gives the OK sign through the clouds) Okilly-dokilly.
• (Jay is reading Marge's letter)
  Marge (through voice over): You can stay with us, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the country.
  Homer (through voice over): Marge, is this a pimple or a boil?
  Marge (through voice over): Just a minute, Homer! Oh, look what you made me write.
  (Later on, Jay meets up with Marge and Homer at the airport)
  Marge: Hello, I'm Marge Simpson, and this is my husband, Homer.
  Jay: Oh, nice to meet you, Marge. I saw your hair from the plane. And you must be the man who didn't know if he had a pimple or a boil.
  Homer: It was a gummy bear.
• Homer: I have every right to be on that jury, even though I got there because I'm sleeping with the head of the festival.
  Jay: How many times have I heard Rex Reed say that?
  Homer: Oh, great, now you're going to make fun of me!
  Jay: No, Homer, I won't make fun of you. But I will suggest there may be better things in life than seeing a man get hit in the groin with a football.
  Nelson: (throws a football at Jay's groin) Ha ha!
• Homer: Bart Simpson, meet Jay Sherman, the critic.
  Jay: Hello.
  Bart: Hey, man. I really love your show. I think all kids should watch it!
  (Bart turns away from Jay)
  Bart: Ew, I suddenly feel so dirty.
• Lisa: Goodbye, Mr. Sherman. If I ever play Carnegie Hall, I'll give you a call.
  Jay: And if you ever want to visit my show—
  Bart: Nah, we're not going to be doing that.
• Bart: Maps to movie stars' homes! (Repeats the sentence in different languages until some Japanese tourists take one)
  (The tourists are later seen at Moe's house, knocking on his door. Moe answers in his underwear)
  Man: Excuse me, are you Drew Barrymore?
  Moe: What? Get out of here, I'm hung over!
  Woman: Sorry, Miss Barrymore.
  Moe: What?
• Bart: I may be just a boy, but I have an idea. If I may, I'd like to show you a few slides. (puts up a slide showing his butt up close) Here's Springfield as it appears from space. Somewhere in this windy valley is the Lost Dutchman's Mine.
  Mayor Quimby: Young man, that appears to be a picture of your rear end.
  Bart: So long, suckers!
  (Bart attempts to escape by pulling the screen cord, but he gets yanked up with it, getting himself stuck inside the screen)
  Bart: Aw, this is the last time I use an escape plan devised by Milhouse.
  Milhouse: (stuck with Bart) Uh, sorry Bart.
• Ned: Lights, camera, ac-diddely-doddely-doodely-action Jackson!
• Mayor Quimby: All in favor of Marge Simpson's film festival idea?
  Everyone: Film festival! Film festival!
  Marge: You like my idea? Actually, I have several others—
  Everyone: Don't push your luck! Don't push your luck!
• Homer: My ears are burning.
  Lisa: Uh, I wasn't talking about you, Dad.
  Homer: No, my ears are really burning. I wanted to see inside so I lit a Q-Tip.
• (the doorbell rings)
  Marge: Oh, I invited my sisters over.
  Jay: Ooh, sisters. Allow me. (walks off to answer door; screams)
• Burns: I don't know what's happening. It seems our profits have dropped 37%.
  Smithers: I'm afraid we have a bad image, Sir. Market research shows people see you as something of an ogre.
  Burns: I ought to club them and eat their bones!
• Marge: Homer, the guest should get the last pork chop.
  Homer: But I'm still hungry!
  (Under the table, Jay's and Homer's stomachs growl at each other like dogs. Homer's frightens Jay's into whimpering)

External links

• "A Star Is Burns episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.