Difference between revisions of "The Day the Violence Died/References"

Revision as of 03:37, June 15, 2015

Cultural references

• Roger Meyers Sr. being cryogenically frozen is a reference to the myth that Walt Disney was similarly frozen.
• When Roger Meyers Jr. pleads his case in court, he mentions that several animated television series and characters were plagiarized from other series and characters: "Animation is built on plagiarism! If it weren't for someone plagiarizing The Honeymooners, we wouldn't have The Flintstones. If someone hadn't ripped off Sergeant Bilko, there'd be no Top Cat. Huckleberry Hound, Chief Wiggum, Yogi Bear? Hah! Andy Griffith, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney."
• The Manhattan Madness cartoon in "The Day the Violence Died" is based on very early animated cartoons such as Gertie the Dinosaur.
• The "Amendment To Be" segment is a parody of the educational show Schoolhouse Rock!, and more specifically "I'm Just a Bill", and refers to the Flag Desecration Amendment. Jack Sheldon, who sang the original song in "I'm Just a Bill", voices the song in the "Amendment to Be" segment.
• The cartoon "Itchy and Scratchy Meets Fritz The Cat" is a reference to the 1972 animated film Fritz the Cat that depicts drug use and sexual situations openly. Fritz the Cat was also the first animated movie to be rated X, before the NC-17 rating existed.
• The first Itchy & Scratchy cartoon entitled "Steamboat Itchy", which originally appeared in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie", is a reference to Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, and Joseph P. Kennedy, father of former United States President John F. Kennedy, is listed as one of the cartoon's producers.
• The episode's title alludes to the line "the Day the Music Died" from Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie".
• The relationship between Roger Meyers Sr. and Chester J. Lampwick mirrors the real-life relationship between Walt Disney and his chief animator in the 1920s, Ub Iwerks, who created Mickey Mouse, but never received the credit.
• The tune that Lampwick is whistling as he leaves the Simpsons' house is "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)."
• The Itchy & Scratchy cartoon title "Remembrance of Things Slashed" is a reference to Proust's Remembrance of Things Past.
• Lampwick bites the check he is given--presumably to see if it is genuine--in the same way that people used to bite silver and gold coins as a test to see if they were genuine.

Trivia

• The print of the early Itchy cartoon that burned on the projector is cellulose nitrate stock, which degrades rapidly with time. It's unlikely that a print as old as this would survive at all, much less being carried around outdoors by a bum.

Continuity

• Marge mentions some of Bart and Lisa's accomplishments:
  • Reuniting Krusty with his father. ("Like Father, Like Clown")
  • Getting Principal Skinner his job back. ("Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song")
  • Helped Dr. Nick perform heart surgery on Homer. ("Homer's Triple Bypass")
  • Foiled Sideshow Bob on five separate occasions. ("Krusty Gets Busted", "Black Widower", "Cape Feare", "Sideshow Bob Roberts" and "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming")
• Steamboat Itchy is played as evidence during the trial. ("Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie")
• Blue-haired lawyer shows a picture of Disgruntled Goat. ("Itchy & Scratchy Land")
• Toys of Disgruntled Goat and Uncle Ant are seen on a shelf in The Android's Dungeon. ("Itchy & Scratchy Land")