Difference between revisions of "Take My Wife, Sleaze/References"

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Cultural references[edit]

Greaser's Cafe[edit]

Reference to Debbie (the role earned actress Candy Clark an Oscar nomination) in American Graffiti

The 1950s-themed restaurant has a bunch of nostalgic themes, including:

• Commercial — Wolfguy Jack plugs the restaurant with numerous 1950s-era references, including:
  • Coca-Cola — A popular soft drink at 1950s-era teen hangouts.
  • Dick Clark — Host of American Bandstand.
  • Television — Referring to the early days of television.
  • Ford Thunderbird — The 1956 Ford Thunderbird that Wolfguy Jack and his assistant, Debbie Dunham, are riding in during the commercial is one of many seen at the restaurant.
• Headlines plastered on the walls throughout the restaurant include:
  • The Beatles — Even though they didn't arrive until the 1960s, the explosive popularity of the English band is acknowledged.
  • Hula hoops — A popular fad during the late 1950s.
  • Milkshakes — A popular treat at 1950s-era teen hangouts.
  • Vietnam War — Although it didn't reach its peak until the mid- to late-1960s, the war began in 1959 and is so acknowledged.
  • Study: Teens rarely pregnant
• Menu items — The following 1950s references are used for the menu items:
  • Allen Ginsberg — Hamburgers named Allen Ginsbergers, for the beatnik writer.
  • McCarthyism — The grilled cheese sandwiches are named Un-American cheese sandwiches, after Sen. Joe McCarthy's pejorative for people suspected of being Communists.
  • Polio vaccine — The hot dogs are named polio dogs, after Jonas Salk's vaccine that would ultimately wipe out the dread disease.
• Dennis the Menace — Jay North reprises his role as the title character of the 1959-1963 sitcom at Greaser's grand opening. (Bart was originally conceived by Matt Groening to be a more extreme, and truly menacing, version of Dennis.)
• Other restaurant franchises with 1950s-era gimmicks — Among others, Johnny Rockets, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Maid-Rite.
• Pulp Fiction — The dance contest at a 50s-themed restaurant is similar to the one in the 1994 movie.
• Wolfman Jack and Debbie Dunham — Restaurant proprietor Wolfguy Jack and his girlfriend are thinly veiled caricatures of the radio personality and the character from American Graffiti, respectively.

Other references[edit]

• The episode title is a pun on the classic Henny Youngman one-liner, "Take my wife, please."
• The Chalkboard gag, "I can't see dead people", is a play on "I see dead people", a quote from The Sixth Sense.
• American Gothic — The painting featuring Apu and Manjula standing in front of the Kwik-E-Mart is based on Grant Wood's famous painting. (The farmer in Wood's painting is holding a pitchfork, but Apu is holding a broom.)
• Friday the 13th — The Hell's Satans are staying at Camp Crystal Lake, which is named after the campground where Jason Voorhees terrorized teen-agers in the slasher film series.
• Guinness World Records — The TV special the family watches — complete with Lisa echoing criticism about the reliability of the records — is a takeoff of several Fox "Guinness" specials that had recently aired.
• "Jailhouse Rock" — "Mental House Rock", performed by Johnny Bobby is a parody of the Elvis Presley song.
• Rebel Without a Cause — The movie Homer watches, about a rebellious biker named Jimmy, is a parody of the classic 1955 movie.
• There's Something About Mary — The sign in front of the church says "There's something about the Virgin Mary".
• The Hell's Satans dance to the NRBQ song "Me and the Boys".

Goofs[edit]

• When Homer is sitting at the table after the bikers leave the Simpsons' house, he raises his fork behind his head, and when he brings his hand back into view, the fork is on the table again.