Lisa the Iconoclast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Lisa the Iconoclast" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons' seventh season, and is probably the most important episode for Jebediah Springfield since "The Telltale Head".
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
As Springfield celebrates its bicentennial, Lisa Simpson makes the shocking discovery that the town's beloved founder, the late Jebediah Springfield, was actually a villainous pirate and enemy of George Washington who kept his dark past hidden. Lisa's revelations do not go over well with the town, of course, but the municipal government is convinced to check Mr. Springfield's body for evidence of a legendary silver tongue by exhuming his body. The skeleton contains no silver tongue, despite Lisa's suspicions that it would. However, Lisa soon figures out that the town historian Hollis Hurlbut stole the tongue before anyone else could see it. The two decide to go public with their discovery, but Lisa then realizes Jebediah Springfield's good image means too much to the town, and she drops the issue.
[edit] Trivia
- Guest star Donald Sutherland played a character named "Homer Simpson" in the film The Day of the Locust.
- Donald Sutherland also worked with Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa) on Heaven Help Us, which was Smith's first film.
- Writer David X. Cohen created the word "cromulent", which was intended to sound like a real word but play on the fact that it and "embiggens" are completely fabricated.
- When Jebediah Springfield's grave is being dug up, the shovel flings dirt onto the grave of Adlai Stevenson. Stevenson was buried in his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois.
- Bart only says three lines in this episode, and Maggie appears only once, in Marge's arms at the parade.
- Donald Sutherland's son and fellow Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland would go on to guest star on The Simpsons in the episode "G.I. D'oh" and the upcoming "24 Minutes".
- In the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail" the house where Jebediah was born is shown, even though "Lisa the Iconoclast" shows the arrival of Jebediah at the place that would become Springfield. However, this could quite easily have been fabricated as a fake landmark by Historians eager to cement a history to Jebediah.
[edit] Cultural references
- Lisa jokingly claims she has "Chester A. Arthritis" in the historical society. This is a reference to the twenty first president of the United States: Chester A. Arthur. Hollis Hurlbut appears to have not understood the joke, as he asks Lisa if she had arthritis.
- The name of Donald Sutherland's character, Hollis Hurlbut, is based on the names of two Harvard freshman dorms, Hollis Hall and Hurlbut Hall. (List of Harvard dormitories) As many fans have probably noted, a large number of Simpsons writers (past and present) are Harvard College alumni.
- Jebediah Springfield and the annual Springfield anniversary parallel Christopher Columbus and the annual national holiday which bears his name. In the episode it is revealed by Lisa that Springfield was not a hero but a pirate - not entirely unlike Columbus' own dubious character.
- Hurlbut's line "Here's Johnny-cakes!" spoofs the line spoken by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 film The Shining, which itself spoofs The Tonight Show.
- Lisa's poster of Jebediah Springfield resembles the "Wanted for Treason" poster circulated around Dallas about John F. Kennedy before he was assassinated.
- The parade scene at the end is a take off on the parade at the end of Animal House, a movie Donald Sutherland starred in.
- The episode's plot bears a striking resemblance to the short story The Washingtonians by Bentley Little.
- The actual reason for the tear in Washington's painting was that First Lady Dolley Madison tore it out of its frame when the Presidential Mansion was on fire during the Burning of Washington in the War of 1812.
[edit] External links
- "Lisa the Iconoclast" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
