Last Tap Dance in Springfield

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The Simpsons episode
"Last Tap Dance in Springfield"
Promotional Artwork for Last Tap Dance in Springfield
Episode no.	246
Prod. code	BABF15
Orig. airdate	May 7, 2000
Show runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	Julie Thacker
Directed by	Nancy Kruse
Chalkboard	"I will not dance on anyone's grave."
Couch gag	The living room is a jungle. Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie swing in on a vine gracefully, like Tarzan. Homer, however, swings past the couch and crashes, like George of the Jungle.
Season 11 September 26, 1999 – May 21, 2000
"Beyond Blunderdome" "Brother's Little Helper" "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" "Treehouse of Horror X" "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)" "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" "Eight Misbehavin'" "Take My Wife, Sleaze" "Grift of the Magi" "Little Big Mom" "Faith Off" "The Mansion Family" "Saddlesore Galactica" "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" "Missionary: Impossible" "Pygmoelian" "Bart to the Future" "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" "Kill the Alligator and Run" "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" "Behind the Laughter"
List of all The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20

"Last Tap Dance in Springfield" is the twentieth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. It aired on May 7, 2000.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Meta-References 3 Cultural references 4 External links

[edit] Plot

On a trip to the mall, Homer sees an optometrist to get his eyes examined, and at the same time, Marge and Lisa find items for a camping trip Bart is going to take. Marge sees a marquee for the film Tango de La Muerte and she and Lisa decide to see it. Lisa identifies with the main female character, a bookworm named "Lisabella" whom the Tango champion asks to be his partner. This interests Lisa, who wants to take dance lessons. She eventually does, but her hopes of being a dancer are crushed when it turns out she can not dance. Worse yet, her teacher, "Little" Vicki Valentine, makes her a curtain puller in an upcoming recital.

Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse sneak out of their camping trip to hide in the mall and spend a week there, stealing toys and filling their stomachs with candy and cookie dough. This prompts Chief Wiggum to do an investigation of the shenanigans at the mall, which Wiggum at first thinks is caused by a giant rat.

Lisa's recital is coming up, and she has a problem. That is, until Professor Frink attaches a device to her shoes, making them automatically tap at any percussive sound. She becomes a star at the show, but when the audience applauds her, her shoes go out of control. She is later exposed, and decides to be a playwright instead. Homer see a Weasel and Said "Hello Mr Weasel" and zaps and Screamed "I'm Down!" The Black and white called "The End!" the old film credits and the gracie lady shush and up the cat "Tappa Tappa Tappa" Gracie films was Up In Asscation With 20th Century Fox Television DA DA DA DA DA DAAAAAAAA!

[edit] Meta-References

• The blackboard gag ("I will not dance on anyone's grave") goes with the main plot about Lisa wanting to take dance lessons.

[edit] Cultural references

• ACME Corporation — Chief Wiggum uses rat traps (to catch whom he thinks is the culprit of the mall vandalism) from the same company Wile E. Coyote patronized.
• The Brady Bunch — Lisa's marginal talent in dancing and being cut from an upcoming recital is inspired by the Brady episode "Try, Try Again" (where Jan longs to be a dancer despite a lack of talent and is not invited to participate in an upcoming recital).
• Dawn of the Dead — The scene with the old people clawing to get into the shopping center is reference to the 1978 film.
• Jaws — Wiggum's remark about being "crazy about the safety of the public" is taken from the 1975 thriller.
• Korg and Moog synthesizer — The "MORG" synthesizer at Stan's Keyboards (a store at Springfield Mall) combines the brand names of the synthesizer and keyboard.
• Last Tango in Paris — The episode title is a play on the movie.
• "The Red Shoes" — The climatic scene, where Lisa dances uncontrollably after putting on a pair of tap shoes, is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
• RoboCop — The "Cyborganizer" show Homer watches is an obvious spoof of the 1980s science fiction-police movie.
• Shirley Temple — Former child actress Lil' Vicki Valentine is based on Temple. Like Temple, Valentine has remained active in her profession since a series of childhood movies. Other Temple references:
  • "On the Good Ship Lollipop" — "Spaceship Lollipop" is a parody.
  • "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" — Lisa watches a Valentine movie where she is inspired to dance.
  • Saturday Night Live — Valentine's line about tap-dancing in Morse code is a reference to a 1970s SNL sketch where a grown-up Shirley Temple (played by Laraine Newman) uses the tap dancing she learned as a child to save a ship from crashing.
• Strictly Ballroom — The movie Lisa and Marge see, "Tango de La Muerte", is a parody of the film.
• That 70's Show — There is a sign in Little Vicki's dance school that says "Little Vicki Vs. Big Rhonda", a reference to a prominent character during season 4 of That 70's Show.

[edit] External links

• "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
• "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" at the Internet Movie Database