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Difference between revisions of "Troy McClure"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
(I can't believe that there isn't a list like this here already)
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McClure's most prominent episode, "A Fish Called Selma", is often regarded as one of the best episodes in the show's history, and is one of the top five favorites of the staff.<ref name=fcs/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' placed the episode eighth on their top 25 ''The Simpsons'' episode list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748_2,00.html|title=The Family Dynamic|accessdate=2007-06-09|date=[[2003-01-29]]|publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> IGN.com named the episode the best of the seventh season, stating that it seemed the "obvious pick". They also called the ''Planet of the Apes'' musical, which McClure stars in, the best moment of the episode and "maybe even the whole show".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p2.html|title=The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes|author=Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=[[2006-09-08]]|accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> Associated Content also praised the musical, naming it the ninth best musical number in ''The Simpsons'' history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/30081/top_eleven_simpsons_musical_numbers.html|title=Top Eleven Simpsons Musical Numbers|accessdate=2007-06-09|author=Sexton, Timothy|date=[[2006-05-23]]|publisher=Associated Content}}</ref> McClure was made into an action figure as part of the ''[[World of Springfield]]'' toy line, and was released in the "Celebrity Series 1" wave.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=f0075|title=Troy McClure|accessdate=2007-06-08|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> He also features briefly in the video game ''[[Virtual Springfield]]'', introducing the town of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] to the player.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.7/2.7pages/2.7toledosimpsons.html|date=October 1997|title=Mmmmmm...A Virtual Travel Guide: Virtual Springfield |author=Joe Toledo|accessdate=2007-06-09|publisher=Animation World Network}}</ref>
 
McClure's most prominent episode, "A Fish Called Selma", is often regarded as one of the best episodes in the show's history, and is one of the top five favorites of the staff.<ref name=fcs/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' placed the episode eighth on their top 25 ''The Simpsons'' episode list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748_2,00.html|title=The Family Dynamic|accessdate=2007-06-09|date=[[2003-01-29]]|publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> IGN.com named the episode the best of the seventh season, stating that it seemed the "obvious pick". They also called the ''Planet of the Apes'' musical, which McClure stars in, the best moment of the episode and "maybe even the whole show".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p2.html|title=The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes|author=Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=[[2006-09-08]]|accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> Associated Content also praised the musical, naming it the ninth best musical number in ''The Simpsons'' history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/30081/top_eleven_simpsons_musical_numbers.html|title=Top Eleven Simpsons Musical Numbers|accessdate=2007-06-09|author=Sexton, Timothy|date=[[2006-05-23]]|publisher=Associated Content}}</ref> McClure was made into an action figure as part of the ''[[World of Springfield]]'' toy line, and was released in the "Celebrity Series 1" wave.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=f0075|title=Troy McClure|accessdate=2007-06-08|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> He also features briefly in the video game ''[[Virtual Springfield]]'', introducing the town of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] to the player.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.7/2.7pages/2.7toledosimpsons.html|date=October 1997|title=Mmmmmm...A Virtual Travel Guide: Virtual Springfield |author=Joe Toledo|accessdate=2007-06-09|publisher=Animation World Network}}</ref>
  
==You might remember me from such films as...==
+
==Films==
[[Image:3f15.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Troy marrying Selma.]]
+
{{main|List of Troy McClure Films}}
You might remember Troy McClure from such films as:
 
*''Alice's Adventure through the Windshield Glass'' (ref.  [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Through the Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There]]'')
 
*''The Boatjacking of Supership '79'' (ref. ''[[The Concorde: Airport '79]]'')
 
*''Calling All [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]]'' (with [[Dolores Montenegro]])
 
*''[[Christmas]] Ape''
 
*''Christmas Ape Goes To Summer Camp''
 
*''The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel'' 
 
*''Cry [[Yuma]]'' (ref. ''[http://imdb.com/title/tt0035770/ Cry Havoc], [http://imdb.com/title/tt0092804/ Cry Freedom]'')
 
*''[[David]] versus Super [[Goliath (Bible)|Goliath]]''
 
*''Dial M for Murderousness'' (ref. ''[[Dial M for Murder]]'')
 
*''The Electric [[Gigolo]]'' (ref. ''[[The Electric Horseman]]'' and ''[[American Gigolo]]'')
 
*''The Erotic Adventures of [[Hercules]]'' (ref. ''[http://imdb.com/title/tt0068545/ The Erotic Adventures of Zorro]/[http://imdb.com/title/tt0072946/ The Erotic Adventures of Robinson Crusoe]'')
 
*''Give My Remains to Broadway'' (ref. ''[[Give My Regards to Broadway]]'')
 
*''Gladys the Groovy Mule'' (ref. ''[[Francis the Talking Mule]]'')
 
*''Good-Time Slim, Uncle Doobie, and the Great 'Frisco Freak-Out''
 
*''The Greatest Story Ever [[Hula]]ed'' (ref. ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'')
 
*''Here Comes the [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]'' (ref. ''[[Here Comes the Navy]]'')
 
*''[[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (ref. ''[[Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore]]'')
 
*''Hydro, the Man With the [[Hydraulics|Hydraulic]] Arms'' (ref. ''[[X (1963 film)|X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes]]'')
 
*''[[Leprosy|Leper]] in the Backfield'' (ref. ''[[Angels in the Outfield]]'')
 
*''[[Making out|Make-Out]] King of [[Montana]]'' (ref. ''[[Cattle Queen of Montana]]'')
 
*''Meet Joe Blow'' (ref. ''[[Meet Joe Black]]'', ''[[Meet John Doe]]'')
 
*''[[The Muppets]] Go Medieval'' (ref. ''Muppet movie series'')
 
*''"P" is for Psycho'' (ref. ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' and novels by [[Sue Grafton]])
 
*''[[Preacher]] With a Shovel'' (with Dolores Montenegro)     
 
*''The [[President of the United States|President]]'s Neck is Missing'' (ref. ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067608/ The President's Plane is Missing]'')
 
*''The Revenge of [[Abraham Lincoln|Abe Lincoln]]''
 
*''The Seven-Year Old Bitch'' (ref. ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'')
 
*''Sorry, Wrong Closet'' (ref. ''[[Sorry, Wrong Number]]'')
 
*''Suddenly [[Last Supper]]'' (ref. ''[[Suddenly Last Summer]]'')
 
*''They Came to Burgle [[Carnegie Hall]]''
 
*''Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die'' (ref.  US title of [[Dario Argento]]'s Western ''[http://imdb.com/title/tt0063379/ Oggi a me... domani a te!]'')
 
*''The Verdict Was [[Mail fraud|Mail Fraud]]''
 
*''The Wackiest [[Conestoga wagon|Covered Wagon]] in the West'' (ref. ''[http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0054453/ The Wackiest Ship in the Army]'', ''The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West'')
 
 
 
==Educational films and self help videos==
 
You might remember Troy McClure from such educational films and self help videos as:
 
*''60 Minutes of Car Crash Victims''
 
*''Adjusting Your Self-O-Stat'' (with Brad Goodman)
 
*''Alice's Adventure through the Windshield Glass'' (ref.  [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Through the Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There]]'') <!-- repeated from perv section -->
 
*''Alice Doesn't Live Any More'' (ref.  ''[[Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More]]'')
 
*''Birds: Our Fine Feathered Colleagues''
 
*''The Decapitation of Larry Leadfoot''
 
*''[[Designated driver|Designated Drivers]]: The Lifesaving Nerds''
 
*''Dig Your Own Grave and Save''
 
*''[[Earwig]]s, Ew!''
 
*''Firecrackers: The Silent Killer''
 
*''Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-Know-What'' ([[sex education]] film for children, shown in Springfield Elementary, the film shown was loosely based on ''[[Fritz the Cat]]'')
 
*''Get Confident, Stupid!''
 
*''The Half-Assed Approach to Foundation Repair''
 
*''Here Comes the [[Metric System]]''
 
*''[[Lead Paint]]: Delicious But Deadly''
 
*''Locker Room Towel Fights: The Blinding of Larry Driscoll''
 
*''Man Versus Nature: The Road To Victory''
 
*''Meat and You &ndash; Partners in Freedom'' (a Meat Council film, part of the "Resistance is Useless" series)
 
*''Mommy, What's Wrong With That Man's Face? (ref. ''[[The Man Without a Face]]'')
 
*''Mothballing Your Battleship''
 
*''Phony Tornado Alerts Reduce Readiness''
 
*''Shoplifters BEWARE''
 
*''Smoke Yourself Thin''
 
*''Someone's in the Kitchen with [[DNA]]!'' (ref. children's song "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah")
 
*''Two Minus Three Equals Negative Fun''
 
*''Young [[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons#Jebediah Springfield|Jebediah Springfield]]'' (A Watch-and-Learn Production)
 
*''Welcome to Springfield Airport'' (an information kiosk film)
 
*''Where's [[Nordstrom]]?'' (an information kiosk film)
 
 
 
==Television==
 
===TV specials===
 
*''Alien Nose Job'' (ref. ''[[Alien autopsy]]'')
 
*''Carnival of the Stars'' (ref. ''[[Circus of the Stars]]'')
 
*Five Fabulous Weeks of ''[[The Chevy Chase Show]]''
 
*''Let's Save [[Tony Orlando]]'s House''
 
*''Out With [[Gout]] [[1988|'88]]''
 
*''The Miss American Girl Pageant''
 
*''[[The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]''
 
*''[[The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase]]''
 
 
 
===TV series===
 
*''AfterMannix'' (ref. ''[[AfterMASH]]'' and ''[[Mannix]]'')
 
*''America's Funniest Tornadoes (ref. ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'')
 
*''Buck Henderson, Union Buster''
 
*''Handel with Kare'' (ref. ''[[The Odd Couple (TV series)|The Odd Couple]]'' and ''[[Switch (television)|Switch]]'').
 
*''I Can't Believe They Invented It!'' (an [[infomercial]])
 
*''Shortland Street'' (unlikely to be any relation to the real-life [[New Zealand]] hospital [[Soap Opera]] [[Shortland Street]], however)
 
*''Son of [[Sanford and Son]]'' (ref. ''[[Sanford and Son]]'')
 
*''Troy and Company's Summertime Smile Factory'' (ref. all those short-lived, [[B-movie|B-celebrity]] hosted comedy/variety programs of the 1960s and 1970s, especially ''The Late Summer-Early Fall [[Bert Convy]] Show'').
 
 
 
===Cartoons===
 
*''Christmas Ape'' (ref. [[Grape Ape]] and [[Jim Varney|Ernest]])
 
*''Christmas Ape Goes to Summer Camp'' (ref. ''[[Ernest Goes to Camp]]'', ''[[Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July]]'')
 
 
 
==Other==
 
===Celebrity funerals===
 
*Herschel Shmoikel Krustofsky, aka [[Krusty the Clown]]
 
*[[André the Giant]], We Hardly Knew Ye (ref. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076233/ Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye])
 
*[[Shemp Howard]]: Today We Mourn A Stooge
 
 
 
===Musicals===
 
*''Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!'' (references ''[[Stop the World - I Want to Get Off]]'', a broadway musical from the 60s and ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'')
 
  
 
{{Simpsons characters}}
 
{{Simpsons characters}}

Revision as of 15:46, March 3, 2008

Troy McClure
Troy McClure.png
Character Information
Gender: Male
Status:
Unknown
Age: 40s
Hair: Brown
Occupation: Actor
Relatives: Selma Bouvier (ex-wife)
First appearance: Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment
Voiced by: Phil Hartman


Troy McClure is a cheesy B-movie actor who has fallen on hard times. He is often seen shilling for shoddy products or hosting questionable shows. His catch phrase, "Hi! I'm Troy McClure! You might remember me from such [films, TV shows, dates] as..." are always completed with some wonderfully horrendous titles.

Troy lost most of his celebrity status due to an "incident" at an aquarium that tarnished his wholesome image. Troy later tries to recapture his fame by dating Marge's sister, Selma, and thereby proving he was as "normal" as anyone else in Hollywood. His plan seems to work; after being spotted around town with Selma, Troy lands the lead role of Taylor, the human astronaut, in an unintentionally hilarious musical version of "Planet of the Apes".

Unfortunately, Troy's relationship with Selma doesn't last (as foreshadowed by the giant fish tanks in Troy's bedroom), and he once again becomes the B-List "star" we know and love.

Troy McClure's character has been retired due to the untimely death of voice actor Phil Hartman.

Role in The Simpsons

McClure is a stereotypical Hollywood has-been, reduced to appearing in low quality films and television presenting jobs. During the early seventies he had a highly successful acting career, but it has since become worse.[1] Throughout his appearances on the show McClure is primarily shown presenting short video clips that other characters watch on television or in a public place. He often is shown presenting educational videos[2][3] and infomercials.[4] When introducing anything that he does, McClure lists projects that he has previously done with the phrase "Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from such [films, educational videos, voiceovers, etc.] as..." and will mention two titles of a similar subject to that of the current performance he is giving.

McClure's career went downhill due to his reported unusual paraphilia, which apparently involved fish, to the point where he had not worked in twelve years. To cover this up, he began a relationship with Selma Bouvier, whom he had met when she gave him an eye test at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This revived his career, leading him to star in Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!, a musical version of the film Planet of the Apes. To further revive his career, McClure's agent suggests that he marry Selma, a proposal which she accepts. At his bachelor party, a drunken McClure tells Homer Simpson that the marriage is just a sham to help his career. At the wedding, an unknowing Selma marries Troy. Selma discovers that their marriage was a sham and although she accepted it, she drew the line when McClure's agent suggested that the pair have a child. As "all the big parts these days are going to family men" having a child would have secured McClure's casting as McBain's sidekick in McBain IV: Fatal Discharge. Having rejected his offer, Selma leaves McClure. As a result McClure stars in his own independent film The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel.[5]

In addition to his appearances within episodes, McClure presented the episodes "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" and "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase". The first is a behind the scenes look at The Simpsons, answering questions and featuring extra "never before seen" material.[6] The second is an episode presenting three possible spin-offs from The Simpsons.[7]

Character

Creation

McClure was based on the typical "washed up" Hollywood actor, with inspiration for his character and name being drawn from B-movie actors Troy Donahue and Doug McClure.[8][9] Mike Reiss later met Doug McClure's daughter who revealed that her father had found the homage funny and McClure's children would call their father Troy McClure when his back was turned.[8] Phil Hartman was cast in the role due to his ability to pull "the maximum amount of humour" out of any line he was given,[9] and McClure's visual appearance is similar to that of Hartman himself.[10] McClure's car is a De Lorean DMC-12, and his house was based on the Chemosphere from the film Body Double.[1]

Development

McClure's character is developed in "A Fish Called Selma", when a more in-depth look into his private life is shown. The episode is the only one in the entire run of the series that shows true emotion from Troy McClure.[1] Show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were big fans of Phil Hartman, and wished to make an episode entirely about McClure in order to give him as much to do as possible. From this came the idea of him marrying Selma Bouvier, as she was "always marrying people".[1] Having Troy McClure as the star of the episode pleased animator Mark Kirkland, as he found McClure's voice great to animate to, allowing him and other animators to "open him up visually as a character".[1] It is hinted throughout the course of the episode that he has strange sexual behaviour. Throughout the production of the episode, the writers did not know what the "unsavoury" sexual preference was. They decided on a fish fetish, an idea James L. Brooks suggested as it was "so perverted and strange, it was over the top".[1] McClure's apparent fish fetish was mentioned by The Guardian in their article about a Swiss scientist's discovery that sticklebacks ejaculate more sperm after they have seen images of fish flirting.[11]

Retirement

Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife Brynn on May 28 1998.[12] Rather than replace Hartman with a new voice actor, the production staff retired McClure, along with Hartman's other character Lionel Hutz, from the show.[9] He last appeared in the season ten episode "Bart the Mother". Before his death, Phil Hartman had often expressed an interest in starring in a live action film about McClure, with several of the show's writers wanting to help make it.[13] Josh Weinstein stated that the plot of "A Fish Called Selma" could have worked well as a live action film.[1] Matt Groening later told Empire that the idea never "got further than enthusiasm" but that "it would have been really fun."[14] Hartman was cast before his death as Zapp Brannigan in Matt Groening's Futurama. Billy West took over the role, and based his vocal performance on Hartman's characterizations, particularly McClure.[15]

Cultural influence and legacy

In a 2006 article IGN.com ranked McClure in first position on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters", citing that he is "a wonderfully bizarre and entertaining character that showcases the best of what small roles on The Simpsons can be."[16] In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner describes McClure in detail citing that he, along with Lionel Hutz, "represent the most significant contribution to the show outside its permanent cast" and that "the show's Golden Age is hard to imagine without them". McClure became the perfect portrayal of a media stereotype and a "gut-achingly funny reinterpretation" of a character type that had been "done to death".[17] Adam Finley named Phil Hartman one of the five best guest stars on The Simpsons, saying that McClure was "responsible for some of the funniest moments in Simpsons history."[18] Star News Online named Hartman as one of the four hundred reasons why they loved The Simpsons, adding that they missed McClure.[19] The Observer listed McClure educational films Smoke Yourself Thin; Get Confident, Stupid!; Firecrackers: the Silent Killer and Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-know-what as part of their list of the three hundred reasons why they loved the show.[20]

McClure's most prominent episode, "A Fish Called Selma", is often regarded as one of the best episodes in the show's history, and is one of the top five favorites of the staff.[1] Entertainment Weekly placed the episode eighth on their top 25 The Simpsons episode list.[21] IGN.com named the episode the best of the seventh season, stating that it seemed the "obvious pick". They also called the Planet of the Apes musical, which McClure stars in, the best moment of the episode and "maybe even the whole show".[22] Associated Content also praised the musical, naming it the ninth best musical number in The Simpsons history.[23] McClure was made into an action figure as part of the World of Springfield toy line, and was released in the "Celebrity Series 1" wave.[24] He also features briefly in the video game Virtual Springfield, introducing the town of Springfield to the player.[25]

Films


Template:Film Personalities
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Silverman, David; Goldblum, Jeff. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Fish Called Selma" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  2. Template:Cite episode
  3. Template:Cite episode
  4. Template:Cite episode
  5. Template:Cite episode
  6. Template:Cite episode
  7. Template:Cite episode
  8. 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named first
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Template:Cite interview
  10. Weinstein, Josh. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  11. Simon Jeffery. "Fish porn"The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. 
  12. "Phil Hartman, wife die in apparent murder-suicide"CNN. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. 
  13. Oakley, Bill. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homerpalooza" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  14. Olly Richards. "Life In Development Hell"Empire, pp. 76. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. 
  15. Joel Keller (2006-06-15). Billy West: The TV Squad Interview. TV Squad.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
  16. Eric Goldman, Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (2006-09-06). Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  17. Template:Cite book
  18. Adam Finley (2006-06-20). The Five: Great Simpsons guest stars. TV Squad. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
  19. Jeff Hidek. "400 reasons we love 'The Simpsons'"Star News Online{{{date}}}. Retrieved on 2007-08-03. 
  20. Euan Ferguson. "300 reasons why we love The Simpsons". Retrieved on 2007-08-03. 
  21. The Family Dynamic. Entertainment Weekly (2003-01-29). Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
  22. Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (2006-09-08). The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
  23. Sexton, Timothy (2006-05-23). Top Eleven Simpsons Musical Numbers. Associated Content. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
  24. Troy McClure. Simpsons Collectors. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  25. Joe Toledo. "Mmmmmm...A Virtual Travel Guide: Virtual Springfield"Animation World Network. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.