Difference between revisions of "The Boy Who Knew Too Much/References"

Revision as of 13:15, January 14, 2024

Trivia

• Matt Groening is the court-appointed artist.
• When Bart is running away from Principal Skinner, one of the scenes is of Bart running down a hill, which was reused from the Season 4 premiere "Kamp Krusty".
• This is the first episode to feature Bart's "Li'l Bastard" prank kit. Here he uses the "Li'l Bastard Clock-Tampering Kit".
• There is "El Barto" graffiti outside the courthouse.
• The sign outside Quimby's house reads: "Thursday Is Ladies' Night"
• The lawyer who represents Freddy is similar to the Blue-haired lawyer.

Cultural references

• The title is a reference to the Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much.
  • The film title was also punned in the episodes "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" and "The Man Who Grew Too Much".
• Bart telling Mayor Quimby he is his nephew Bart-Bart is a reference to John F. Kennedy, Jr. who was known to the public by the nickname John-John.
• More similarities between Rainier Wolfcastle and the man on which he is based, Arnold Schwarzenegger, are revealed in this episode, including:
  • Both have wives named Maria. Arnold Schwarzenegger's then wife Maria Shriver was a member of the Kennedy family which were the real life basis for the Quimby family.
  • Both drive a Humvee.
  • Bart also telling Wolfcastle that despite being a big fan, his last movie "sucked," Wolfcastle himself lamenting, "I know. There were script problems from Day One," while Chief Wiggum admonished him, "magic ticket, my ass," are references to Schwarzenegger's then recently released critically panned and box-office flop Last Action Hero where a "magic ticket" was a major element of the plot.
• The portrait on the wall behind Mayor Quimby in the dining room is based off of George Plunkitt (1842 – 1924) who became well-known for Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, recording of a series of talks he delivered on his success in machine politics.
• The scene featuring Principal Skinner chasing Bart (both the music and animation) is based on the Gunslinger's chase of Peter Martin from the film Westworld.
• When the Quimby trial becomes a topic of conversion at the breakfast table, Bart tries to change the subject by opening the newspaper to the funnies and reading from Peanuts.
• The plot, especially Bart's fantasy, a based on Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. His fantasy also features Abraham Lincoln.
• Skinner picking up the cigar butt in the hotel room with an umbrella references the opening credits of The Odd Couple.
• In the court, Homer sings the jingle for Meow Mix cat food in his head.
• Homer watches the "director's cut" of Free Willy, which features Willy the whale crushing Jesse to death.
• The accident-prone waiter is a parody of Inspector Clouseau, despite his claims to the contrary.
• Bart hides from Skinner under a green blanket in a corvertible, a reference to Back to the Future Part II.

Goofs

• When Bart looks out the classroom window, the sun and a rainbow are both in the sky. But in order to see a rainbow, the sun has to be behind the viewer.
• In the first shot of Bart's classroom, Bart's eyes briefly disappear and Lewis' legs are yellow.
• In the first shot of the dining room inside the Quimby Compound, Freddy Quimby is shown seated in-between the escort he brought as his date on his left and another woman on his right. In the next shot Freddy is now seated in-between his cousin Maria Quimby on his left and a man on his right.