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Homer's Barbershop Quartet/References
Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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"Homer's Barbershop Quartet"
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Cultural references
- The record that Comic Book Guy had at the swap meet, Melvin and the Squirrels is a spoof of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The "rodent invasion" to which he refers is a parody of the British Invasion.
- Moe is selling oyster shells that resemble Lucille Ball.
- Homer mentions Joe Piscopo leaving Saturday Night Live to conquer Hollywood.
- The song "Baby on Board" was first heard in Ishtar, the flop 1987 motion picture comedy starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty.
- A deleted scene of this episode showed Skinner going back to his mother. She asks him if he was with a woman, he says no, then she asks for a bath, followed by mad laughing and a close-up of their Psycho-parody house. This is the first time Skinner would be involved in a knock-off joke based on the movie Psycho.
- The cover of Bigger Than Jesus, the Be-Sharps' second album, features the group walking on water—a triple parody:
- After Wiggum was replaced by Barney, an angry mob was shouting "Wiggum forever, Barney never." The same thing happened to the Beatles when they replaced Pete Best with Ringo Starr, the fans said "Pete forever, Ringo never".
- The final scene where the Be Sharps sing on top of Moe's Tavern is a parody of an impromptu concert that the Beatles had on top of an office building. Right when the episode blacks out and the credits appear, Homer says: "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group and I hope we passed the audition," an actual quote by John Lennon spoken right after they played "Get Back" on the rooftop.
- The performance at Moe's Tavern is a reference to the Beatles performance at the Cavern Club for 292 performances from 1961 to 1963 and the Moe's Cavern is reference to The Cavern Club.
- The various performances in the beginning are a reference to The Beatles performances in Hamburg and Liverpool.
- There is a picture of Charlie Chaplin on the wall in Homer's hotel room.
- The song Lisa is referring to when she tells Homer "You beat out Dexys Midnight Runners" [for a Grammy] is Come on Eileen. Homer shows an inability to predict the future when he responds "Well, you haven't heard the last of them."
- When Mayor Quimby says "Ich bin ein Springfield Swap Meet patron" it is a parody of what President John F. Kennedy said in Berlin in 1963, "Ich bin ein Berliner".
- The scene where Homer abandons Wiggum in the wild parodies The Howling
Trivia
- This was David Crosby's second appearance on the show, and the second appearance of a Beatle on the show.
- The famous Disneyland barbershop quartet, the Dapper Dans, provided the singing voices for the Be Sharps.
- Apu's new name (de Beaumarchais) is French for 'of the beautiful market', an obscure reference to the Kwik-E-Mart.
- This is the first episode to be dedicated in memory of someone, in this case Michael P. Schoenbrun.
Continuity
- Some bands from previous episodes appear at the Grammy award party in the flashback:
- Leon Kompowsky also appears at the Grammy party.
- In The Simpsons: Hit & Run, one of Apu's 3 costumes is his quartet outfit from this episode.
Goofs
- After the "replacement Homer" malfunctions, the next scene shows Santa's Little Helper burying him in the yard. Santa's Little Helper did not become the Simpsons' pet until the Christmas special (and first episode), "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire".
- He could have been a different dog and either killed or ran away before Santa's Little Helper came around.
- The sign outside the Church in 1985 credits the group as "The Be Sharps" before they even decided on the name.
- M.C. Hammer appeared at the 1985 Grammys but he didn't get famous until the 1990s.
- When the group (with Barney) performs at the Statue of Liberty, Chief Wiggum's voice can clearly be heard.
- Homer refers to Joe Piscopo leaving Saturday Night Live in 1985 when setting the scene for the story, but Piscopo left the show in 1984, before the show underwent a cast overhaul for season 10 (and again in seasons 11 and 12).
- When Homer sends the kids to bed, from one angle, his phone has no numbers.
- While Homer says he had five and a half weeks at the top at the end of the episode, only one scene said it was 1985—and the John F. Kennedy airport scene said it was 1986.
- The five and a half weeks could have taken place from late 1985 to early 1986.
- In the final shot of the episode, Wiggum is drawn off-model, and Lou disappears.
- Homer and Marge's bedroom had photos of Bart and Lisa when they were 10 and 8 years old. However, the story takes place when Bart and Lisa were only three years old and one year old respectively.
- After finding out Marge was pregnant with Lisa he pulled out all but four hairs, but in this episode Homer was seen with his hair before the second pregnancy.
- The replacement Homer dummy looks like modern day bald Homer despite Homer having hair back in 1986.
- When Comic Book Guy shows Bart and Lisa a sample of Melvin and the Squirrels, behind it is another record when Comic Book Guy takes it out, but when Comic Book Guy says, "Melvin and the Squirrels. Part of the rodent invasion in the early 60s", another record of Melvin and the Squirrels appears.
- After winning the Grammy, Lisa tells Homer he beat the Dexy's Midnight Runners. Their hit "Come on Eileen" was released in 1983. They had no notable hits after that and surely shouldn't be a contender for the Grammy Awards after 1984.
- During a bar scene, Skinner can be heard saying, "Me-iii Me-ooo," but he mouths the words the others are singing.
- The 1985 Grammy Awards was the 27th, not the 29th.
- Both Be Sharps album covers show Homer as bald when throughout the episode he has a full head of hair.
- In a shot of the church congregation during the Be Sharps' performance, a woman sitting in a pew above Marge on screen has the bottom half of her body missing.
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