Two Dozen and One Greyhounds
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" | |
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| Episode no. | 123 |
| Prod. code | 2F18 |
| Orig. Airdate | April 9, 1995 |
| Writer(s) | Mike Scully |
| Director | Bob Anderson |
| Chalkboard | "The Good Humor man can only be pushed so far." |
| Couch gag | Everyone chases the couch as it and the back wall move backward down a long perspective tunnel. |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 6 September 4, 1994 – May 21, 1995 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" is the 20th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The Simpsons' dog, Santa's Little Helper, seems to be getting a little too frisky for the family's comfort, and all attempts to tire him out fail. Santa's Little Helper runs off with the family in pursuit. They follow him to the dog-track and find him pursuing a female greyhound racer. The two quickly fall in love and the dog's owner gives her to the family, noting that once a dog falls in love, they lose their "racing spirit".
Santa's Little Helper and his "girlfriend" share various romantic experiences and one day, to the surprise of the family, she gives birth to 25 puppies. The puppies seem to be very cute and cuddly, but are also very troublesome to the entire family: savaging all of Bart's socks, stealing Homer's snacks, and (apparently) soiling the floor nonstop. Homer and Marge decide find new homes for the puppies, much to the dismay of Bart and Lisa. They convince Marge to give the puppies one more chance, but at the end of a near-perfect dinner party, the puppies pop out of the turkey, horrifying the guests.
The next day, The family sets out to find homes for the puppies. However, the puppies don't like to be separated. Marge wonders how they will find someone who is able to care for 25 puppies when Mr. Burns arrives and offers to let them live in his mansion. The family question his motives, but as they do so Burns and Smithers steal the dogs.
Bart and Lisa manage to track the puppies to Burns' mansion where they spy on him through a window. He seems to be treating the puppies well, giving them a bath as Bart and Lisa arrive. He even picks a puppy who can stand on his hind legs as his favorite, and names him "Little Monty". Just as Bart and Lisa think they might have been wrong about Burns, he walks into the next room and loads a gun, preparing to kill the puppies to make a tuxedo out of them.
Bart and Lisa sneak in the window and attempt to escape with the puppies down the laundry chute by tossing Bart's socks down and letting the puppies follow. However, Burns is waiting for them at the bottom. As Burns is about the kill the dogs, Bart grabs Little Monty from Burns' hands and places him with the other pups, hoping that Burns won't kill the dogs if he can't tell which is Little Monty. However, Burns tells him to stand up and he does. This somehow reminds Mr. Burns of actor Rory Calhoun. As Burns bends down to pick up Little Monty, Bart sees Mr. Burns' socks on a clothesline. As he reels the socks above the dogs, they see the socks and all of them stand up. Burns can't tell which is Little Monty, so he prepares to shoot them all. But the standing dogs are too cute for him to kill, being "like a bunch of little Rory Calhouns". Emotionally touched, he resigns himself never again to wear fur or to kill another animal (that can do an amusing trick). He buys them all and raises them as racing dogs. Later, it is learned that the 25 greyhounds all became world champions, winning millions of dollars in winnings for Burns. The episode ends with Marge reacting to a shadow of what looks like Homer hanging himself over the loss of the dogs, but Homer is actually batting a light bulb in the basement until it smacks him in the head and burns out.
[edit] Trivia
- The scene where Santa's Little Helper is having sex with She's The Fastest was originally supposed to be shown in full, but the networks complained. When it first came on, the sex scene was replaced with a frozen shot of the Simpson family in the stands reacting to it. All reruns, however, reframe the scene to only have Santa's Little Helper shown from the shoulders up as he's mounting She's The Fastest for a few seconds. Some TV broadcasts in New Zealand have shown the scene in full.
- The Family Guy episode, Screwed the Pooch has a similar scene where a family dog (Brian/Santa's Little Helper) has sex with a racing dog (Seabreeze/She's the Fastest) during a race.
[edit] Cultural references
The overreaching plot of this episode, as well as its title, was inspired by the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians which also deals with a large quantity of puppies which are kidnapped. On the DVD commentary, Matt Groening comments that the film helped inspired the show, especially the scene in which the puppies watch TV. This helped inspire the idea of cartoons watching TV, which in turn lead to Itchy and Scratchy, Krusty the Klown, and Kent Brockman.
Less prominent references to Disney animated films are made throughout the episode. The most notable is a parody of the classic Disney production number. Montgomery Burns sings See My Vest, a parody of "Be Our Guest" from the film Beauty and the Beast. The song is sung entirely by Burns except for one line ("Kill two for matching clogs") which is sung by a female maid (in the only shot in which she appears in the episode). She has often been mistaken for a human representation of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast; however, she is actually a parody of Nanny from 101 Dalmatians.
Another reference is in the scene in which Santa's Little Helper courts the female greyhound. The two wander behind Luigi's restaurant and in a scene parodying Lady and the Tramp, are presented with a play of spaghetti. The dogs unknowingly slurp on the same noodle and meet nose to nose. Unlike the Disney film, they instantly begin growling and fighting over the noodle.
[edit] Quotes
- [after seeing SLH and his girlfriend together for the first time]
Homer: So that's what wrong with the little fella, he misses casual sex!"
- Marge [walking into the basement, shadow of Homer hanging]: "Homie, for the love of God, no!!!"
Homer [actually hanging by his hands from a pipe, batting at a lightbulb]: "Marge, you know that batting this lightbulb is the only thing that cheers me up after giving away those million-dollar greyhounds."
[it hits him in the head and breaks. the room goes dark]
Homer: D'oh! AAH! (thud)
- [Wiggum is eating a donut in the Simpson home]
Marge: Chief, you're getting powdered sugar all over my floor.
Wiggum: No I'm not, no I'm not. I'm, um, dusting for prints.
Marge: Oh.
- [Bart and Lisa are rescuing the puppies from Mr. Burns]
Bart: Dogs always land on their feet.
Lisa: That's cats.
Bart: No, it's dogs. I'll prove it.
[drops a puppy to the ground, it lands on its back]
Best two out of three?
- Lisa: But you stole them from us!
Mr Burns: Here's a phone, call somebody who cares.
Lisa takes phone and begins to dial 911
Mr Burns: Eh Wha, give me that!
- Drill Sergeant:SIMPSON!! See you at 0200 hours pronto
- IRS Agent: See you at the IRS
- Rev.Lovejoy: See you in hell...from heaven
Smithers: Are you sure you want to go through with this? You do have a very full wardrobe as it is.
Burns: Yes, but not completely full, for, you see...
[music begins]
Burns: Some men hunt for sport.
Others hunt for food.
The only thing I'm hunting for
Is an outfit that looks good.
[Smithers turns on a spotlight]
Burns: See...my...vest!
See my vest!
Made from real gorilla chest!
Feel this sweater,
There's no better
Than authentic Irish setter!
See this hat?
'Twas my cat!
My evening wear? Vampire bat!
These white slippers are albino
African endangered rhino!
Grizzly bear underwear!
Turtles' necks, I've got my share!
Beret of poodle on my noodle it shall rest!
Try my red robin suit!
It comes on breast or two!
See my vest! See my vest! See my vest!
[Burns begins a one man kickline.]
Burns: Like my loafers?
Former gophers!
It was that, or skin, my chauferres,
But a greyhound fur tuxedo would be best!
So let's prepare these dogs!
[The nanny from 101 Dalmations appears]
Nanny: Kill two for matching clogs!
Burns: See my vest! See my vest!
Oh, please, won't you see...my...vest!
[end of song]
Burns: I really like the vest.
Smithers: I gathered, yeah.
[edit] External links
- "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
