Some things don’t work out the way they should and it’s better that way. The evolution of The Simpsons from some crude sketches Matt Groening made as shorts for The Tracy Ullman Show on the fledging upstart Fox Network would eventually go on to be one of the show’s cornerstone programs.
Groening was approached by filmmaker James L. Brooks to make the small skits for the variety show and produced the sketches he drew crudely think the animators would fix them up. But instead they were animated just as crudely. This would be an in-joke on the “138th Spectacular” episode where we’re shown terrible drawings of Grandpa Abe Simpson and Krusty the Clown. Developed by Brooks along with Sam Simon, who had a history in TV series, Groening worked with them to develop a full 13 episodes set to premiere at the start of the 1989 Fall TV season. They didn’t really see eye-to-eye in a lot of things. Simon’s displeasure with the whole concept and how he thought it would be canceled easily caused a permanent riff between Simon and Groening.
And the animation was terrible. The Christmas show titled “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” was never intended to be the first episode. It was supposed to be “Some Enchanted Evening” which was the season finale instead. Snippets of the failed attempt were included on the first season boxed DVD set. Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) comes off as a Fred Flintstone character. And one scene Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner) looks like a frog. It’s terrible.
So, just like that Sonic the Hedgehog movie, there was a delay to redo the animation. This explains why the Christmas special looks a lot better than the subsequent shows that would begin airing in January 1990. Now with what has happened with reports of people not receiving their Christmas holiday bonuses, the plot revolves around Homer learning from Mr. Burns (voiced by Christopher Collins in earlier episodes) that he and others won’t receive their bonuses.
Considering what we later learn more about Mr. Burns, it seems like a typical thing he will do for the rest of the series’ run. Homer hopes that the movie Marge has saved up over the year (which is in a jar she has in her long Eraserhead/Bride of Frankenstein blue hair) will help out. However, she has had to use that to have a “Mother” tattoo revolved from Bart’s right arm.
Not wanting to tell Marge or his children, Homer at first tries to shop at a budget thrift shop where he hilariously buys Marge pantyhose, Bart (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) pads of paper and Maggie a chew toy for dogs. Guess he forgot about Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith). However at Moe’s bar, his friend, Barney (also voiced by Castellaneta) walks in dressed in a Santa suit mentioning how he got a part-time job as a department store Santa.
Homer quickly gets signed up, going through the quick training where he confuses Donna Dixon and Nixon with the reindeer. At the mall, Bart and Millhouse (voiced by Pamela Hayden) mock Homer and Santa with Millhouse beating Bart won’t wank his beard off. When Bart does, he discovers it’s his father.
Homer comes clean and says lets Bart know about not getting the bonus. Bart replies to Homer that “You must really love us to sink this low.” And from there, it was obvious The Simpsons wasn’t the Waltons, the Bradys and definitely not the Huxtables, even though there would be a running rivalry gag against The Cosby Show. And Bart immediately became the favorite of many young children when Homer as Santa ask him his name to which his son replies, “Why I’m Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?”
While it seems tame compared to the likes of Family Guy or South Park, having cartoon characters swear, even with minor language, was still revolutionary. It would be this crude humor that would initially upset many parental groups and even President George H.W. Bush. However, the Simpson clan has always been more typical that other families. Roseanne had premiered the previous year and more modern typical families were being portrayed.
It was nothing new. Norman Lear had done this with his shows in the 1970s. However, by the 1980s, the Moral Majority was making more headway as well as Ronald Reagan’s anti-progressive stance. He wanted to make it the 1950s all over again. So, when The Cosby Show and others like Growing Pains and Family Ties aired, they steered away from shows that tackled real subjects except for the “Very Special Episode” every now and again.
One of the more popular episodes was the “Night and Day” moment on The Cosby Show where the Huxtable kids perform the song for their grandparents’ anniversary. And while it seems sweet and considerate, it’s also kinda patronizing. Cosby didn’t realize it, but it’s borderline minstrel. And money issues was never a concern on that show.
One of the reasons I despise Cosby now is how self-righteous The Cosby Show was. For its first season, the show that aired a few days before Christmas focused on Cliff Huxtable discussing all the Father’s Day gifts he had received. Wow! Narcissistic much? I guess that’s why the show was never called The Huxtables.
Homer only receives $13 with all deductibles taken out which Barney encourages him to bet on a sure thing at the Springfield Downs racetrack. With Bart’s urging, they go to the track where Homer is about to bet on the same dog Barney does when he learns of a late entry named Santa’s Little Helper, which he puts his money on instead. And the dog loses coming in last.
But as Homer and Bart are walking through the parking lot trying to find a winning ticket, Santa’s Little Helper’s owner gets rid of him chasing him away throwing stuff at him. The dog jumps into Homer’s arms and they take him home where Marge and Lisa are happy and excited that they have a dog now. Despite not getting any presents, the Simpsons are together.
While it does seem hokey at times, it does show that with all their faults the Simpsons do love each other and they’ll get through things. There is no perfect family. And it seems a lot of people have fed a lie that money and bigger house make perfect families especially on TV shows. Sadly, that’s the case.
Now The Simpsons has pretty much lost its fan base that made it so popular in the 1990s. I’m one of them. But I understand it’s found new fans. It’s ironic that the same fans who liked the cartoonish aspect of the earlier episodes now don’t like it. I guess it’s because by the second and third seasons, the show was becoming one of the smartest, wittiest series on TV before becoming more cartoonish again in the late 1990s as Groening focused more on Futurama.
Oh, well, nothing last forever…even The Simpsons.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 