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November 23, 2005
The Chronic Curmudgeon Pop Culture Influence #1: THE SIMPSONS
If back in 1987 you had told someone that by 2005, the longest-running comedy in TV history -- and one of the most beloved television shows of all time -- would be an animated show, you'd have been laughed at. If you'd have told them it would be a crudely drawn animated show geared toward adults, they probably would have thought you were crazy. But here we are, 18 years after a series of cartoon shorts began appearing during the Tracey Ullman Show, and the Simpsons have become as big an American icon as apple pie, the pickup truck, and the St. Louis Arch all in one. In the roll call of great television comedians, Homer Simpson is right up there with Milton Berle, Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cosby and Jerry Seinfeld. In the roll call of great comic ensemble casts, the citizens of Springfield are on an equal plain with -- if not a higher one than -- the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the cast of Cheers, the cast of Frasier, or the original cast of Saturday Night Live. In fact, I'll say it: The Simpsons is the greatest television comedy of all time.
If I were going to make a list of classic Simpsons quotes and characters, I'd easily be writing for two hours. Beyond the ubiquitous "Doh!" there are hundreds, if not thousands of Simpsons lines that have seeped into our culture. But the brilliance of the Simpsons -- and the reason that I've ranked them above Seinfeld -- is not just that there are so many, but that they're so varied... and while anyone you meet is likely able to rattle off about a dozen of their favorite Simpsons lines, the odds of any two people listing the same top ten are pretty slim. Seinfeld's lines, while ubiquitous, are also universal; most top ten lists from that show would contain at least eight or nine of the same lines. With the Simpsons, any two of us won't have more than about five of the same favorites. We'll all swear by our lists, until we hear someone else's and go, "Oh yeah -- forgot about that one!" and revise ours. (Even knowing that I'm going to miss some -- and when you point out yours, I'll go "oh yeah!" and change my list -- a few of my nominees for the funniest Simpsons lines ever are in the "continue reading" section. For others, check this site.)
Would-be hipsters everywhere pull random Simpsons lines out of their, uh, ears when trying to be funny. Bloggers around the world lift Simpsons quotes as their post or category titles. (Take a look at a few of mine; or, if you really want to see genius with Simpsons references, read Pete's blog -- he makes me look like an amateur Simpsons quoter.) And quite simply, the Fox network may well owe its existence to those yellow folks in Springfield.
17 seasons. Thousands of classic lines. Millions of laughs. Some of the best satire in entertainment history. Stars lining up to do guest spots on the show. Danny Elfman's classic theme music. There's no doubt what the #1 biggest pop culture influence of the last 25 years was. Citizens of Springfield, I salute you!
Vote Quimby.
Marge: Homer, is this how you pictured married life?
Homer: Yeah, pretty much, except we drove around in a van solving mysteries.
Marge: Homer! There's someone here who can help you...
Homer: Is it Batman?
Marge: No, he's a scientist.
Homer: Batman's a scientist?!
Marge: It's not Batman!
Burns: I suggest you leave immediately.
Homer: Or what? You'll release the dogs or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouths and when they bark they shoot bees at you?
Lisa: Do we have any food that wasn't brutally slaughtered?
Homer: Well, I think the veal died of loneliness.
Homer: I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.
Homer: [Looking at a globe map...country being Uruguay] Hee hee! Look at this country! 'You are gay.'
Homer's Brain: Use reverse psychology.
Homer: Oh, that sounds too complicated.
Homer's Brain: Okay, don't use reverse psychology.
Homer: Okay, I will!
Homer: If The Flintstones has taught us anything, it's that pelicans can be used to mix cement.
Billy Corgan: "Billy Corgan, 'Smashing Pumpkins'."
Homer Simpson: "Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
Marge: Homer, you don't have to pray out loud.
Homer: But he's way the hell up there!
Mr. Burns: I don't like being outdoors Smithers. For one thing, there's too many fat children.
Mr. Burns: Do my worst, eh? Smithers, release the robotic Richard Simmons.
Ralph: That's my swingset, and that's my sandbox. I'm not allowed to go in the deep end. And this is where I met the leprechaun.
Bart: Right, the leprechaun.
Ralph: He told me to burn things.
Ralph: I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Ralph: Oh boy! Sleep! That's when I'm a Viking!
Bart: What's Santa's Little Helper doing to that dog? Looks like he's trying to jump over, but he can't quite make it.
Grandpa: Dear Mr. President, There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot.
Grandpa: Well, whenever I'm confused, I just check my underwear. It holds the answer to all the important questions.
Mr. Burns: So do you have a way to get rid of the protesters?
Grandpa: One way to get rid of them is to tell 'em stories that dont go anywhere. Like the time we went over to Shelbyville during the war, I wore an onion on my belt -- which was the style at the time. You couldn't get those white ones, you could only get those big yellow ones... now where was I... Oh yeah, the important thing was I was wearing an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time, you couldnt get those... (trails off)
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Comments
Oh my, where to begin? How about just Sideshow Bob (my favorite):
Sideshow Bob: I'm presently incarcerated. Convicted of a crime I didn't even commit. Hah! "Attempted murder"? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry? Do they?
Bob: You do know I used to have a... problem with trying to kill people.
Cecil: Goodness! I had no idea! For you see, I have been on Mars for the past decade, in a cave with my eyes shut, and my fingers in my ears.
Bob: Touché, Cecil.
Cecil: I have the '82 Chateau Latour and a rather indifferent Rausan-Segle.
Bob: I've been in prison, Cecil. I'll be happy just as long it doesn't taste like orange drink fermented under a radiator.
Cecil: That would be the Latour, then.
Sideshow Bob: My young friends, for years I have been silent, save for the crude glissandos of this primitive wind instrument. But now, destiny has thrust me in the center ring! In the coming weeks, you will notice some rather sweeping changes in our program. Please do not be alarmed, Itchy and Scratchy will still have a home here. But we will also learn about nutrition, self-esteem, etiquette, and all the mindly arts.
Bart: Guess who?
Cecil: Maris?
Yeah, that was a slight stretch. But it had to be said. ;) There are just so many, it makes my brain hurt to think about them.
I for one welcome our new curmudgeonly overlords!
Posted by: eden at November 23, 2005 10:54 AM
