Difference between revisions of "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment/References"

Latest revision as of 15:25, June 16, 2024

Cultural references[edit]

• The title of the episode references the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. This Amendment, which was later derogated, held that a ban on the sale of alcohol would alleviate poverty and other societal problems.
• The episode is a parody of the TV show The Untouchables, with Rex Banner based on Prohibition agent Eliot Ness, portrayed in the series by Robert Stack.
  • The episode's narrator (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is based on Walter Winchell, also from The Untouchables TV show.
• During Saint Patrick's Day:
  • Bart gets pinched for not wearing green. This is a modern custom of Saint Patrick's Day in the United States.
  • The popular Irish jig "The Irish Washerwoman" is heard on the parade.
  • Bart makes his way through the people on the parade. One character wears a University of Notre Dame jacket. This university is strongly associated with Irish culture, as the early university's administration and faculty included a significant number of Irish immigrants and priests.
  • One man asks Kent Brockman if he has seen "Sully". This is short for the surname Sullivan, of Irish origin. An approximate 78 percent of Sullivans are located in the United States.
  • A man is wearing a Boston Red Sox T-shirt. People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in Massachusetts, and one of the largest in Boston.
  • The restaurant John Bull's Fish & Chips is blown up. This is a reference to John Bull, the national personification of the United Kingdom, and a hint to the rivalry between the UK and Ireland, most notably between England and Ireland in football.
  • Banners with the phrases "Erin go bragh" (usually translated to "Ireland Forever") and "Kiss me, I'm Irish" are seen at Moe's.
• John Law is mentioned by the narrator.

The shot of Eddie, Lou and Rex Banner in the Nighthawk Diner parodies Edward Hopper's famous painting Nighthawks

• The shot of Eddie, Lou and Rex Banner in the Nighthawk Diner is a parody of Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks.
• Homer resemblances Al Capone, the gang leader who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era.
• Moe offers his clients some "bathtub mint julep". Mint julep is a cocktail usually associated with the American South and the Kentucky Derby. Three stereotypical Southern US gentlemen dressed like Colonel Sanders raise their hands.

Continuity[edit]

• In Marge Simpson Living, Marge reminds Homer that he has tried snowplowing ("Mr. Plow"), webhosting ("The Computer Wore Menace Shoes"), trucking ("Maximum Homerdrive"), fortune cookie writing ("A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love"), cartoon voiceovers ("The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"), food critic ("Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"), screen writer ("Beyond Blunderdome"), mixologoist ("Flaming Moe's"), bootlegger ("Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment") and astronaut ("Deep Space Homer") when he was searching for a new job.

Goofs[edit]

• When Nelson Muntz makes fun of Bart at the beginning, one of the shamrocks on his bowtie briefly disappears.
• Lenny is shown to be both at Moe's Tavern and at the parade (pointing out the free beer at the latter event).
• In the crowd scene, Ms. Hoover is missing her glasses.
• When Moe is putting the bar scenery back up, one of the bottles is not colored in for a frame.
• When the crowd cheers after Rex Banner announces to have succeeded, some of the people's hair in the background flashes yellow for a few frames.