" Sunday, Cruddy Sunday " is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons ' tenth season. It was first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1999, right after Super Bowl XXXIII and the premiere of Family Guy . In that episode, when buying a new tire for his car, Homer meets a travel agent named Wally Kogen. After becoming friends, Kogen offers Homer a free bus to the Super Bowl, as long as he can find enough people to fill the Kogen bus. Some people, including Bart, participated in what was soon to be a troubled journey. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa set out to find the missing piece of "Vincent Price Egg Egg", a celebrity-supported craft kit.
"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by George Meyer, Brian Scully, Mike Scully and Tom Martin, the first credit Martin received for this series. Mike Scully jokingly remarked that the episode was "thrown together [...] without any thought or structure" by the authors. For the plot child, the authors try to find the "most boring thing" that Lisa and Marge can do to pass the time. The episode featured guest stars, including comedian Fred Willard, country singer Dolly Parton, Fox Rupert Murdoch CEO, sports commentator Pat Summerall and John Madden, and former American footballer Troy Aikman, Rosey Grier and Dan Marino. All guest stars play alone, except Willard who plays Kogen. This episode made fun of folk singers Burl Ives, former US president Bill Clinton and series fans, among other things.
In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by some 11.5 million viewers, making it the most watched program during the week and also the most watched script program on the network that night. The episode was released on home video for the first time in 2004, and in 2007, the episode was re-released as part of the Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD set. After the broadcast, this episode received positive reviews from critics.
However, after the original broadcast, a scene in the episode involving the fictional and sexually fictional Super Bowl commercial for the Catholic Church became controversial. The scene gets the spotlight from anti-defamation organizations Catholic and American civil rights The Catholic League, whose members send hundreds of angry letters to the Fox network, demanded the mention of catholicism in the episode. In September of the same year, when the episode should be repeated, the Catholic League asked Fox whether they can censor the scene, which was approved by the network. Network decisions were criticized by journalists and staff members. The censored episode version is still in syndication.
Video Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
Plot
When Bart, Lisa and the students from Springfield Elementary went on a field trip to the post office, Bart got the coupon book as a souvenir, which he gave to Homer as a birthday present. Homer used one of his coupons in the tire business on the free wheel balance, but was informed that all four of his tires were damaged and needed to be replaced. While waiting for a new tire, Homer meets Wally Kogen, the travel agent. They went to Moe's and watched a special on Super Bowl on TV. Wally says his agency has a charter bus going to the game and suggests to Homer that he can fill the bus and ride for free. Moe agrees to come like the leading people in Springfield.
Homer, Bart and the group arrive at the Miami Pro Player Stadium for a pre-match celebration, but the ticket agent discloses tickets Wally bought fake. Trying to sneak into the stadium, the group is locked up in a detention center and vent their frustration on Homer. They were released when Kogen's friend, Dolly Parton, used a makeup remover of extra power to wet the lock on the door. They run into the skybox suite and see the game until the owner, Rupert Murdoch, arrives and confronts them. Homer troops fled to the field, chased by Murdoch's security, until they got lost in the sea of ​​winning Atlanta Falcons. The group ends up in the dressing room where they share the celebrations, and everyone has a Super Bowl ring in one of their hands at the end of the game.
Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa used 1967 handicraft tools, "Magic Egg Vincent Price" to decorate eggs until they realized that their legs were not included, contrary to what the box said. Marge summoned the helpline and got a voicemail from Vincent Price. When the Homer group returns home, Pat Summerall and John Madden analyze the episode events before departing on the bus driven by Price.
Maps Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
Production
"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by former Tom Martin staff writer George Meyer, Brian Scully, and executive producer and former golfer Mike Scully. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1999, right after Super Bowl XXXIII and the premiere of Family Guy . "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" is the first episode that Martin got the credit for writing, and in DVD audio commentary for the episode, he stated that he "likes" writing episodes. The writing process for the episode was "somewhat unusual," because the authors "threw it [episode] together" without, Scully quipped, thinking about "things like thinking and structure". The scene in the episode shows Homer buying a new tire for his car. The scene was written by Brian Scully, who had been tricked by Firestone Tire and a Rubber Company dealer. The episode subplot is the result of the authors of Simpsons that are trying to find activities for Marge and Lisa to participate while Bart and Homer are in the Super Bowl. According to Martin, the authors are trying to find the "most boring" thing Marge and Lisa can do to pass the time. Upon hearing the cast member Dan Castellaneta's impression of Vincent Price, the authors find a very funny impression that they base the subplot on a fictitious craft that sets the "Egg Magic of Vincent Price".
In the scene in the episode, Homer and Kogen are at Moe's tavern, discussing their favorite football team with Moe. When Moe mentions that his favorite team is the Atlanta Falcons, he holds a glass in front of his mouth, covering his lips movements. He then gave the same glass to Homer, who did the same. Initially, the character will say something else, however, because the staff wants the episode to be "current", a new dialog is recorded for that scene. Since there was no time to animate the scene from the start, the staff just made the characters hold the glass in front of their mouths while saying their phrase. This technique is also used to refer to an ongoing impeachment scandal, such as when a character mentions that the President and First Lady will be there, they close their mouths when calling them by name. Songs played during a bus trip to the Super Bowl were conducted by NRBQ. The episode also features the song "Song 2" of the British rock band Blur, played during "races" to the stadium.
This episode features American comedian Fred Willard as Wally Kogen. Scully states that, over the years, the Simpsons staff has wanted Willard to be a guest star in an episode, and that they have been looking for characters for Willard to portray. Scully also stated that Willard "is very fun" to perform on the show. Wally Kogen's name is taken from two former authors at The Simpsons ; the first name of the character, Wally, is taken from Wallace Wolodarsky, and the last name of the character, Kogen, is taken from Jay Kogen. This episode also features former football players Rosey Grier, Troy Aikman and Dan Marino as themselves. Scully states that, when guest athletes are on television, their appearance is "not always the greatest", but, he insists, Aikman, Grier, and Marino are all "really funny" and "doing a great job". Country singer Dolly Parton also starred in herself. Scully states that he was "shocked" by how short Parton was, but he added that he's "very good" and "happy" to be in that episode. Also featured in the episode is Rupert Murdoch, creator of Fox Broadcasting Company. Originally, the authors wanted Murdoch to be described by Castellaneta, Homer's voice among the other characters in the series. However, after a while, the authors decide to ask whether Murdoch will become a guest star as himself. Scully commented that the authors were "impressed" that Murdoch would introduce himself as a "billionaire tyrant" in the episode.
The episode mocks President Bill Clinton's increasing popularity at that time. In their list of 15 Simpsons Moments That Perfectly Arrested Their Eras , Genevieve Koski, Josh Modell, Noel Murray, Sean O'Neal, Kyle Ryan, and Scott Tobias from The A.V. The Club writes "At the time of this episode airing [...], the nation has experienced more than a year Lewinsky scandal.The episode came a month after the House interpreted Clinton, but less than two weeks before the impeach Voice of the Senate, air of uncertainty lingering over a mild episode about Homer that governs the Super Bowl journey. "In the scene in the episode, Clinton calls to congratulate the Super Bowl winners of the Oval Office, but is interrupted by Al Gore measuring windows. As Scully recalled, at the time, the authors of Simpsons believed Gore would win the rather small, and controversial, 2000 presidential election won by George W. Bush.
This episode also commented on the series fanbase. Toward the end of the episode, Madden and Summerall provide the following analysis:
In his book Leaving Springfield , John Alberti writes about the exchange: "This conversation begins with a conventional soccer game game used to comment on the episode, but then takes a sudden turn when Madden realizes, regardless of the humor, that episode did not meet expectations (which he did not initially notice). "
The episode title is a reference to the movie Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), and possibly a U2 song of the same name. The joke sofa is a reference to the 1997 James Cameron film Titanic . The beginning of the episode shows Bart's value visiting the post office. Their tour guides are modeled after American actor and folk singer Burl Ives, who is director Moore. "Vincent's Egg Vincent Price" is a parody of a popular celebrity-supported craft tool in the 1960s and which, according to Meyer, ceases to exist. The decision to have Price supporting the egg craft product is based on Price's role as Egghead in the 1960s Batman series . The sequence featuring a man named Rudy was denied entry to the group bus because he was "too small to go to the Super Bowl" is a reference to Rudy's 1993 film Rudy Ruettiger. Dolly Parton said she would join actors Rob Lowe and Stomp dance group for her performance during the first half Super Bowl show, while the Super Bowl featured a booth named "Take a Leak with NFL Greats"; the featured players are Ricky Watters and Jim Plunkett.
Release and acceptance
Broadcast and re-release
In the original American broadcast on January 31, 1999, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" received an 11.6 rating, which means it was seen by about 11.5 million viewers. It finished in 10th place in the rankings for the week of January 25-31, 1999, making it the second most-watched script program on Fox, after the premiere of Family Guy . On September 14, 2004, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", along with episode 1 of the season "Homer's Night Out", episode 11 season "The Mansion Family" and season 13 episode "Homer the Moe", released on DVD set called The Simpsons - Gone Wild . On August 7, 2007, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" was re-released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set. Matt Groening, Mike Scully, George Meyer, Tom Martin, Matt Selman and Steven Dean Moore participated in audio commentary DVDs of the episode.
Controversy
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The beginning of the third episode shows Marge and Lisa watching Super Bowl ads. In his book Gospel according to Simpsons , Mark I. Pinsky describes commercially:
This scene is inspired by the real life of a Super Bowl ad in which, according to Scully, "you do not know what the product is" because there is "so much going" in the Super Bowl ad. It was also based on the music video for the American rock song ZZ Top 1983 "Legs". Although they have come up with a commercial premise, they are not sure what the tagline is. Finally, Martin, one of the episode writers, suggested "The Catholic Church... we have made some changes." It gets the biggest laughter from other writers and then put in the episode.
The scene was highlighted by members of The Catholic League, a self-appointed organization that is not, regardless of its name, affiliated with the Catholic Church. The league has criticized The Simpsons' previous depictions of Catholicism, in the episode "Lisa Gets" A "", which aired the previous year. The scene included an exchange between Bart and Marge that the League felt was painful for Catholics. William A. Donohue, league president, wrote Fox's letter asking them to explain why the dialogue was in the show. After failing to receive answers several times, Donohue was eventually rewarded by Thomas Chavez, manager for broadcast standards and practice. The League is not satisfied with Chavez's answer. After "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" aired, the Catholic League released an article in their news magazine Catalyst. In it, they mentioned the scene on "Lisa Gets" A "", and writes that The Simpsons has "hit again, big time" with a Super Bowl ad on "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday". They wrote that they had sent a complaint to Chavez about the scene, and encouraged others to do the same; "We write to Mr. Chavez again, but we also tell him that he will also hear from you, so do not disappoint us."
Sensor
After the episode broadcast, Fox's network received several angry letters and emails from concerned Catholics, who were anxious with commercial scenes. According to Scully, the letters have the same word, and it all starts with "My family and I always enjoy The Simpsons, until last night..." Nevertheless, the letters provoke a reaction from < i> The Simpsons staff, and in an interview, Scully said, "We got several hundred letters, and it's very clear from reading most of them that [Catholic letter writers] have not seen the show. third grade students, all saying the same thing: 'Please do not mock my religion.' All of us know the third graders are very insistent. "
A few months later, the Catholic League contacted Fox again, requesting that the word "Catholic" be removed from the voice when the episode was repeated in September 1999 on the network, as well as in subsequent syndication syndication. The network agrees, and Roland MacFarland, vice president of Fox's broadcast standard, ordered Scully to cut the word from the episode or eliminate all religious references. Scully refused, and after a lengthy argument, MacFarland offered to replace the protest denomination with a Protestant substitute - Methodist, Presbyterian or Baptist. Scully then asks MacFarland, "What difference does it make with other religions, and would not that just offend a different group of people?", Who MacFarland replied that Fox had had problems with Catholics earlier in the season.
Following the complaint, Fox removed the catholic mention of the scene, so the line "Church..." Scully reportedly was angry with Fox's actions. In an interview at Los Angeles Times, Scully said, "people can say painful things to each other about their weight, their race, their intelligence, their sexual preferences, and that all seems up for grabs, but when you get into a religion, some people get very nervous. "Marisa Guthrie of Boston Herald also criticized the network, describing it as" succumbing "to the Catholic League protest.He writes," Hollywood has always been a weapon of controversy, but a recent censorship of self-censorship on the executive part of the entertainment industry makes us cringe [...] Wants the Catholics, because the group has undergone a lot of bashing, but The Simpsons are offenders of equal opportunity. "Howard Rosenberg, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, criticized Fox's actions as well, arguing that the network has a biased opinion on Catholicism and that, if the scene mentions a different religion, it will be accepted. also wrote, "Given the notorious stupidity and leapfrog of motorcycles, the big news here is that Fox has a standard. His latest production is Censors Who Kill Jokes. "
In the Catalyst issue, the Catholic League responded to Rosenberg's article. They argue that Rosenberg is biased against Catholics, as he is satisfied with the series that denounces Catholics, but not other religions. They have written, "we have been told by Fox that none of our complaints are valid because there is not really offensive material, but now we have executive producer Fox disrespectfully handed over his hands by protesting why it should be okay alludes to another group of people with the same material that was originally said to be offensive to Catholics! And it is not surprising that Rosenberg is furious with the fact that the double standard - which now, for the first time working positively for Catholics - is a real problem. remember Rosenberg protesting against a double standard that allows artists to throw out Catholics while protecting most other segments of society from their attacks. "The League also praised the members' participation, writing," It's just to prove what can be done when Catholics are actively involved. "
Controversy surrounding the scene has been referred to in the next episode of the series. While the censored "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" version is still in syndication, it remains uncensored for its release in The DVDs set.
Critical review
After the broadcast, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" received most of the positive reviews from critics. In his review of The Simpsons - Gone Wild set, David Packard of Verdict DVD wrote: "This episode has always been one of my favorites, and while the next episode [" The Mansion Family "] is a fine inclusion also, this episode is the best on the disc, funny jokes come at slam-bang speeds, and they're sometimes tense. "He especially likes set-pieces in the post office, as well as Super Bowl ads. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood from I Can not Believe This is a Better and Better Better Better Simpsons Guide called episodes "A truly fun game through what happens when a group of youth go for Sunday out in a ball game. " They enjoyed the guest star, writing "both Dolly Parton and, oddly, Rupert Murdoch - spice things up nicely", but they liked Fred Willard most as Wally Kogen. "Honey he did not join our regular customers", they wrote. James Plath from DVD Town wrote that the episode was "funny," and Ian Jane from DVD Talk found the episode "funny". The Orlando Sentinel ' s Gregory Hardy named it the third best episode of the sport-themed event. Phillip Stephenson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette calls the "classic" episode, and Susan Dunne of The Hartford Courant describes it as "moral but funny". The Cincinnati Post 's Greg Paeth notes that this episode is a critical favorite.
On the other hand, Colin Jacobson of the DVD Movie Guide gives episodes of more diverse reviews. He writes: "Like most guest-starred episodes, this one is a bit of a draw for entry in all the brilliant acting." He found that the end of self-referential "fails to be smart and looks silly." However, he writes that the episode "includes some bit items, especially phone calls where Homer convinces Lenny to go to the game." Jake McNeill of Digital Entertainment News wrote that this episode is "so crowded with the sound of guest celebrities that they're running out of space for plots, or humor." Chris Barsanti from Filmcritic.com gave a negative review as well, and wrote that the episode was "lost amidst the frenzy of celebrities and lazy jokes."
References
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- References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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