Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery Burns
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Character Information
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Charles Montgomery Burns (usually Mr. Burns or C. Montgomery Burns, even "Monty" Burns), is the sinister owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in The Simpsons animated television series.
Contents
Overview
He is fabulously wealthy, and due to his status as Springfield's leading (and perhaps only) plutocrat, Burns is able to do whatever he wants with little to no consequences. He is attended at almost all times by Waylon Smithers, his loyal aide and confidant. Harry Shearer is the voice behind the character of Mr. Burns, though Christopher Collins voiced him for the first few episodes. With his unapologetic lack of morals, huge wealth and sprawling influence, Burns represents a cynical view of the "true face" of modern Corporate America. Burns' parents' names (as stated in The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album) are Daphne (née Charles) and Clifford; the tree also gives Burns a (rather distant) relationship with Homer. Both of the names "Montgomery" and "Burns" are Scottish; an ethnicity frequently stereotyped for being misers. He is probably Russian, too.
Matt Groening told the Portland Tribune that his inspiration for the character's name came from the very large Montgomery Park sign atop a former Montgomery Ward high-rise in Portland, Oregon's Northwest Industrial District. It is also rumored that he took the name from fellow artist Charles Burns, a classmate at Evergreen University in Olympia, Washington.
It is widely believed that Matt Groening got the inspiration for Mr. Burns' look from Norwegian industry tycoon Fred Olsen] [1]. Fred Olsen appeared in U.S. news media frequently in the late 80s due to owning the Timex Corporation, which at the time was going through labour issues. Picture comparison. Template:Spoiler
Originally, he was called Montgomery Burns, but in "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish," he yelled "You can't do this to me, I'm Charles Montgomery Burns!", which plays on a quotation from Orson Welles' Citizen Kane ("You can't do this to me, I'm Charles Foster Kane!"). His catchphrase is the word "Excellent" muttered in a low, sinister voice as he tents his fingertips.
Burns has a seemingly childlike dependence on Smithers, who performs all his tasks from kidnapping Tom Jones to lying to Congress to serving breakfast.
Burns was originally the real villain of the show. However, his very frail, weak body and Depression-era mind have become some of the show's running gags.
He is fluent in German.
Age
Burns' age is probably one of the most ongoing subjects of discussions amongst viewers of the television show. His birthday is September 15, but the year of his birth is uncertain, and seems to fluctuate at intervals during the course of the show. Oftentimes credited with being "Springfield's oldest resident", he was shown as being younger than Abraham Simpson in several episodes, and sometimes being shown to be older then him. It is frequently alluded to that Mr. Burns was born in the late 19th or early 20th century; often it is alluded to that he is over 100 years old. Although when a flashback occurs with him and his dad or his early childhood his flashbacks seem to be in the style of sepia whilst other characters are shown in color. This could determine how old he is. He has been portrayed as being as young as 81, and as old as 104 years old. In somewhat recent episodes it has been shown as a joke that Mr. Burns is well over 1000 years old. When he is trying to get money from the A.T.M. he forgets his password; when he then asks Smithers his password, Smithers replies "It's your age, sir." Mr. Burns then enters either a four digit number or a three digit number and then the enter button. Mr. Burns is also said to be well over one million years old when he says that his birthplace is Pangaea. Mr. Burns' longevity has been credited to Satan (whom he was photographed giving a $1-billion check to in one episode), a weekly operation meant to stave off death for one more week, blood transfusions using young people's blood, and a state of homeostasis created by his having all diseases known to man (known as the "Three Stooges syndrome). He frequently builds children's hospitals so he can use them as organ banks.
Biography
Early life
Occasional flashbacks show his early life. When he was very young he lived happily with his loving, natural parents, little brother George, and his teddy bear Bobo, which he recovered from Maggie Simpson. Apparently his parents even called him "Happy." He soon chose to live with a twisted billionaire, again reminiscent of Citizen Kane. His mother is still alive, despite her age being 122 (according to Smithers), and is very resentful of her son (he tried to pull the plug on her when she was on her deathbed, but she survived); it is mentioned that she had an affair with US President William Howard Taft, which Burns has never forgiven her for. His memories of his own childhood are generally shown in sepia, in the style of late nineteenth-century cinema. Some time after this Burns was filling out medical papers and under cause of parents' death put: got in my way.
Burns graduated from Yale University in 1914 where he studied science and even played on the varsity football team. He was also tapped for the infamous Skull and Bones secret society. He may have had an affair with Countess von Zeppelin. He claims to have personally known President Calvin Coolidge.
In 1939, Burns went to his 25th college reunion and met Lily Bancroft, the daughter of an old flame. Their brief affair resulted in Lily giving birth to Larry Burns. Her family forced her to give up Larry to an orphanage, then, according to Burns, they "bundled her up to a convent in the South Seas." He did not meet his son until an adult Larry's quest to find his biological father brought him to Springfield. When it became obvious that Burns was more than a bit embarrassed by his boorish progeny, Homer hatched a crazy scheme to "kidnap" Larry in an effort to get Burns to love him. However, the plan backfired, and Larry left Springfield.
In "C.E. D'OH," Burns reveals that he had a fiancée named Gertrude. But he was such a workaholic, he not only missed the wedding but their divorce, too: "She died of loneliness. Loneliness and rabies."
Post-WWII
Burns served in the United States Army in World War II, seeing action in Europe under Sergeant Abraham Simpson and then was transfered to the south pacific with part of his squad. (see also: Flying Hellfish squad). However, Burns may also have worked for (or traded with) Nazi Germany, as he remarks, "Schindler and I are like peas in a pod. We're both factory owners, we both made shells for the Nazis; but mine worked, damn it!". Burns's close relations with an anachronistic version of Germany are supported by the fact that an Otto von Bismarck look-alike, complete with handlebar moustache and pickelhaube helmet, was the only guest on his side in his failed attempt to marry Marge Simpson's mother Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier. When Burns meets with a German business consortium to discuss selling the nuclear plant, it is revealed that he speaks fluent German. In the episode Midnight Rx, Mr. Burns describes how he flew the plywood pelican six feet above the ground for four feet until he learnt that rain made it catch fire. After that he said the Fuhrer fired him, further implying a possible link with the Nazis.
At the end of the war he was personally hired by President Harry S. Truman to transport a specially-printed trillion-dollar bill that was the American Government's original contribution to the reconstruction of Europe, but this bill vanished for many years. Though it was discovered to be carried on his person, besides a single failed arrest attempt there was no known investigation or attempt to retrieve the stolen bill. (It is implied he was charged with a crime but acquitted through bribery.) The bill is currently in the hands of Fidel Castro, who stole it when Burns attempted to buy Cuba.
During the 1960s Burns operated a biological weapons laboratory until it was destroyed by peace activists including Mona Simpson (the laboratory's motto was When the Hydrogen bomb isn't enough). Shortly thereafter he built the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. In the 1970s, his major collaborator, Waylon Smithers Sr., died while trying to prevent a nuclear accident, and Burns took responsibility for Smither's son, Waylon Smithers Jr. However, Burns never told him the truth about Smithers Sr's death, saying that he was killed on the Amazon by a tribe of savage women. In a separate episode, Burns is also known to sabotage Greenpeace pro-environmental actions from inside: "You stupid hippies. I wasn't Wavy Gravy at all! And all this time I was smoking harmless tobacco!"
Present day
He has owned the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant for the last 30 or so years, obtaining a monopoly over Springfield's energy resources. Several incidents have occurred where he has lost the plant; briefly when Homer and Lisa staged a hostile takeover, when he found out he was flat broke, when he sold the plant to Germans, and when he lost it all in a bet with the rich Texan (episode 1706). He also owns the water works and the hotel on Baltic Avenue. Burns has been known to use his control over the city's energy to blackmail mayor Joe Quimby, and the town in general. Burns is widely hated by the people of Springfield, and in return he has nothing but contempt for them, dismissing them with such insulting names as "Joe Sixpack", "Sally Housecoat", and "Eddie Punchclock", or "Betsy Bleeding-Heart" and "Maynard G. Muskievote".
He has occasionally run other businesses in Springfield, most notably the Monty Burns Casino, which operated for several years after Springfield legalized gambling. He co-owned the "Li'l Lisa" slurry recycling plant and once slant-drilled for oil under Springfield Elementary School. There has also been reference to possible control of an anti-democratic rebel force in South America (he mentions this to the SNPP workers before realizing he's giving the wrong speech).
Burns resides in a vast, ornate mansion on an immense estate called Burns Manor, located at the corner of Croesus and Mammon street in Springfield (his address is 1000 Mammon Street). His estate is also the site of the annual company picnic.
Burns's sprawling estate is protected by a high wall, electrified fence, attack dogs (the source of one of his catchphrases, "Release the hounds"), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz-style guards, and his personal paramilitary force. The estate includes a malfunctioning robotic Richard Simmons (only seen in out-take footage in The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular), a room with a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters, a bottomless pit (for all intents and purposes), a human chessboard (formerly a tennis court), the largest television]in the free world, a Hall of Patriots commemorating his ancestors, and rare historical artifacts including the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, the suit Charlie Chaplin was buried in, King Arthur's mythical sword Excalibur, and a rare first draft of the Constitution with the word "suckers" in it. His home also contains "the playroom" - a theatre showing round-the clock plays (regardless of whether or not anyone is actually watching), a laboratory filled with bizarre equipment, and a safe containing a Beefeater guard. Instead of making his bed, Burns drops the bed through the floor into an incinerator and after the floor closes, a brand new bed comes out of the wall. Various other contraptions in his home include automatic metal restraints on his dining chairs, an elaborate miniature railway (which disappears through a hole in the wall and frequently returns with snow on it) and an automatic dresser. Burns also controls a unit of paramilitary riot police which he uses to intimidate people, including using them to beat up guests at his birthday party.
Burns's office at the nuclear plant contains similarly odd features. One wall can be raised to reveal various things, including his team of highly-trained lawyers, a special microbe-resistant chamber in which he plans to shelter during a flu epidemic, a two-seat escape pod— Smithers assumes the second seat is for him, but in fact Burns likes to put his feet up. The office also contains a ceiling-mounted suction tube which he can use to transport dissident workers to Morocco. A gigantic stuffed polar bear which has a secret tunnel under it that leads to the old quarry can be seen in the corner and the floor of the office opens up to a miniature scale model of Springfield. He uses this model to demonstrate his sun-blocker in "Who Shot Mr. Burns?". He also riddles the office with trap doors and giant metric weights for use against workers. Apparently his entire office can be rotated so that his window has different views. A sliding wall reveals the headquarters of the "League of Evil", a cabal which consisted of a mad scientis (possibly Graeme from the Goodies), a WWI-era German officer, a cowboy, a US Air Force officer, and a samurai. When Burns calls upon them, however, he finds nothing but their skeletal remains sitting at a conference table, having died due to the lack of air behind the wall. Mr. Burns also had a unit of winged monkeys. However, these were little more than live monkeys with what looked like wings. When Burns unleashed them to go after Homer and Mindy, they jumped out the window and fell to their deaths. Burns then looked at Smithers and said "continue the research".
Burns's telephone number is 636-555-0001 in 'Lisa's Date with Density', and 636-555-0113 in 'A Tale of Two Springfields'. His Social Security number is 000-00-0002 ("damn Roosevelt"). The specific number is also intended to imply that Roosevelt himself was the first person to be assigned a social security number and Burns was the second, so Burns is irritated that someone got to the 'first' number ahead of him.
In 1995 Burns built an elaborate contraption to block out the sun in Springfield, thus ensuring that citizens would have to use his electricity 24 hours a day. The move earned him universal animosity from the people of Springfield, and he was ultimately shot, accidentally as it turns out, by Maggie Simpson. Before Maggie was revealed to be the shooter there was a widespread investigation of nearly every citizen in town, as Burns had angered just about everyone with some of his policies over the years and in that episode particularly. (see: "Who Shot Mr. Burns?") There have been subsequent indications that Maggie might have shot him intentionally.
It is not known who presently stands to inherit his wealth (his manservant and sole confidante, Waylon Smithers, is to be buried alive in Burns' coffin). He chose Bart Simpson as his heir for a period — Burns attempted to isolate Bart from his family and mold him into his own image, but this failed when Bart still displayed loyalty to his family by refusing to fire Homer, and Burns disowned him. Burns may leave his money to the Egg Advisory Council, as he stated he would do this when he felt he had failed to find a suitable heir. He has been engaged at least twice in recent years, to Jacqueline Bouvier and a policewoman named Gloria, but both women left him before the marriage actually took place. It is possible Larry Burns would inherit it (though Burns would later indicate he knew of Larry's existence,in the episode where he adopts Bart he claims to have never fathered a child.)
In an attempt to lure people away from the growing cult of the "Movementarians", Burns attempted to start his own religion, with himself as its god. After Smithers advised him not to adopt the K from the logo of Special K cereal or a Mickey Mouse-style symbol as its motif, the religion's symbol was decided as a Christmas Tree with a giant "B" on the front. At the grand opening of his new religion, Burns used special effects and his riot police to try and awe the crowd. However, a spark from a Catherine wheel ignited his fake beard and body suit, resulting in him falling from his balcony after Smithers tried to extinguish the flames.
Burns is apparently an important figure in an obscure Latin American state. When addressing his workers at the power plant, he mixes up his speeches and tells the crowd "Compadres, it is imperative that we crush the freedom fighters before the start of the rainy season. And remember, a shiny new donkey for whoever brings me the head of Colonel Montoya".
Organizations
- A staunchly conservative Republican
- The head of Springfield's local Republican Party (other members have included Sideshow Bob, the Rich Texan, Rainer Wolfcastle, Dr. Hibbert, Krusty the Clown, Bob Dole, Ralph Nader, and Count Dracula). In a parody of Rupert Murdoch, he once attempted to buy every media outlet in Springfield but his plans failed after Lisa started her own newspaper.
- A member of the "Excluders Club" (episode 1706).
- Member of Skull and Bones
- Member of the Stonecutters (was ranked below Lenny, quit later with everyone but Homer)
- Member of No-Homers, the organization formed by the former members of the Stonecutters based in an ice cream shop upon their rage at their former messiah (Homer).
- Flying Hellfish squad (former member, part of a pact regarding the ownership of fine artwork)
- Head of the Burns Religion founded against the Movementarians.
Health
Because of his age, Burns is very physically weak, often to the point where he seems to straddle the line between life and death. In fact, in one episode, he is told by a doctor that he has every disease known to man, but in perfect equilibrium. He often has great difficulty performing the most basic physical tasks, such as giving a thumbs-up or stepping on an ant. A single high-five is capable of knocking Burns off his feet, while in another episode, he tries to bunt a baseball but instead gets knocked back with incredible force. Though he often gets hurt, in one episode it was shown that he undergoes a lengthy weekly procedure, which in the words of Smithers allows Burns to "cheat death for another week." His organs have grown immensely weak over the years: his heart is black, desiccated, barely beats at all, and shrunken to the size of a cherry, and on one occasion, Burns' brain fell out through his ear. Another time, his lungs came out through his mouth and acted like an airbag. Burns' skin can also glow a healthy green, due to his constant exposure to nuclear energy and waste. It has been hinted that Burns can survive without his heart - he stated that when some paper money struck his chest, "had my heart been inside at the time, it could have been fatal". This seems to be a reference to the Russian tale of Koschei, who hid his heart (or soul) to achieve immortality. He is also light enough to be pushed over by an ant. Once, accidentally, Smithers let a bathing sponge fall atop Burns' head, leading him to sink in his bathtub (this time, to the point his life flashed before his eyes). He is so old he bleeds smoke if his finger is pricked. He wears dentures (that replace themselves with a cash register bell "cha-ching"), as evidenced in "Homer the Smithers" ("Hmm... I think I'll have fangs today"). Another time, he tells Smithers he must have his brain flushed out with vinegar and his eyes "re-balled". Smithers then tells Burns his knees will be "back from the shop tomorrow". Years of working in a nuclear plant have made Burns "as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner", rendering his sperm lethargic and infertile.
Burns appears to be 5' 8" - 5' 10".
State of mind
Mr. Burns perpetually forgetting Homer Simpsons' name is a running gag on the show.
Generally, Mr. Burns' "out of touch" state of mind is illustrated when he:
- Uses archaic words and phrases that are no longer in popular usage.
- Conducts himself in accordance with antiquated norms of behavior.
- Refers to deceased persons as if they were still alive.
- Refers to defunct organizations, countries, institutions, etc. as though they were still in existence.
- Refers to long out-of-date technology and machinery (e.g. the autogyro) as if they were still in use.
Real life models
The character of C. M. Burns was originally modeled after Fox Broadcasting Company executive Barry Diller, with notable similarities to Howard Hughes (for example, during a particular bout of eccentricity, he became paranoid about germs, wore tissue boxes on his feet, collected his urine in jars, and built a model plane which he dubbed the Spruce Moose), William Randolph Hearst (indirectly through Citizen Kane), Andrew Carnegie, George Burns, and others. He bears a striking physical resemblance to Fred Olsen, (see comparison: [2]) a Norwegian shipping magnate and owner of the Timex watch brand. Harry Shearer originally based Mr. Burns' voice on President of the United States Ronald Reagan. A popular sea story in the U.S. Navy nuclear community is that the character was based on Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, for many years the head of the Navy's nuclear program and famous for his eccentricities. Another popular theory is that Burns' physiology resembles that of the late actor Julian Beck. Students of Harvard University (many Simpsons' writers are alumni) claim that Mr. Burns' economics and überconservative nature are based upon Marty Feldstein, an economics professor there, or Michael Sandel, a philosopher. Some have also proposed that he is based on John D. Rockefeller, citing Mr. Burns's brutally monopolistic nature and the fact that both worked in the energy industry. Another theory proposes that Mr. Burns is in fact based on Matt Groening's high school civics teacher, David Bailey, whose physical appearance is very similar to that of Burns. Legend has it that Matt Groening did not do well in David Bailey's class, and the two did not get along well.Fictional Models
- Ebenezer Scrooge/Scrooge McDuck
His Scottish ancestry (stated above) may be a reference not only to the common stereotype of Scots, but to the Disney character Scrooge McDuck, himself a reference to A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge. Burns also reenacts elements of A Christmas Carol in the episode "Grift of the Magi", especially the scene where he brings the Simpson family Christmas dinner, as Scrooge did with the Cratchet family. In addition, he once said to a Mary Poppins parody Scrooge's catchphrase "Bah humbug".
- Charles Foster Kane (see above)
Burns is also a conglomeration of villain archetypes. Among the many inspirations are:
- The Wicked Witch of the West: At one point, he owned a number of winged monkeys. He also has a number of guards outside his mansion who chant ("O-ee-o! Ee-O-O!") and perform ritual dances like those outside the Witch's castle in the The Wizard of Oz
- Emperor Palpatine: Burns carries himself in a similar way, and the Imperial March from Star Wars often accompanies him.
- The Grinch: When Burns turned off Springfield's electricity, he was surprised to find the townspeople unbowed and singing. As he put it:
- "Look at them all, through the darkness I'm bringing
- They're not sad at all. They're actually singing!
- They sing without juicers
- They sing without blenders
- They sing without flungers, capdabblers and smendlers!"
Further, he is said to have stolen Christmas between 1981 and 1985, and manages to do it again in the future ("I miss Christmas," Lisa says sadly).
- Cruella DeVil: in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", his motivation is the same as Deville's--to make a fur coat out of puppies.
Episodes Starring Mr. Burns
This is a list of Simpsons episodes in which Mr. Burns plays a substantial role in driving the plot, not simply a supporting role.
- Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (Season 2, Episode 4) Burns runs for governor.
- Brush with Greatness (Season 2, Episode 18) Burns asks Marge to paint a portrait of him.
- Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk (Season 3, Episode 11) Burns sells the power plant to a German company.
- Rosebud (Season 5, Episode 4) Burns wants his childhood teddy bear back.
- $pringfield (Season 5, Episode 10) Burns opens his own casino.
- Burns' Heir (Season 5, Episode 18) Burns chooses Bart to be his heir.
- Lady Bouvier's Lover (Season 5, Episode 21) Burns woos Marge's mother away from Grandpa.
- Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Season 6, Episode 25 & Season 7, Episode 1) Burns is shot after enraging the whole town.
- Mountain of Madness (Season 8, Episode 12) Burns and Homer become buried in a cabin.
- The Old Man and the Lisa (Season 8, Episode 21) After losing his fortune, Burns turns to Lisa for help.
- The Trouble with Trillions (Season 9, Episode 20) Homer is hired by the FBI to find a 1 trillion dollar bill stolen by Burns.
- Homer vs. Dignity (Season 12, Episode 5) Burns forces Homer to make a fool of himself for his own amusement.
- A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love (Season 13, Episode 4) Burns falls for a meter maid who tickets his car.
- Fraudcast News (Season 15, Episode 22) Burns acquires all media outlets in Springfield, except Lisa's newspaper.
Video game appearances
- The Simpsons: The Arcade Game, where Mr. Burns is the main villain and the final boss of the Simpsons arcade game. In the eighth and last stage, he attempts to destroy the Simpsons using a large mechanical walker, which changes forms as it takes damage.
- Bart vs The World, where Mr. Burns is the main villain in the "Bart vs The World" video game. In it Bart wins a drawing contest on the Krusty the Clown show with a really poor drawing. The prize is a tour of the world. However, it transpires that Mr.Burns has bribed the judges of the drawing contest and wants to kill off the Simpsons once and for all. He enlists his relatives who live in each country Bart visits. At the end of each country Bart has to battle the relative of Mr.Burns, (who look very similar to Springfield's Mr.Burns). Upon defeating each Burns scion , Bart manages to advance to the next level.
- The Simpsons Road Rage, where Mr. Burns appears as a villain in The Simpsons Road Rage video game. He appears in the opening and ending cutscenes. In the opening cutscene, Burns is at City Hall, saying that he controls the transportation system. Burns also appears in Road Rage and Mission modes (only in three missions). At Road Rage mode, Burns just said: Gettim, Smithers. After that, he runs off. In Mission 2 in Mission mode, Mr. Burns found out that Homer sneaks out of work to watch the game, and plans to sneak back to work. In this mission, put Homer back to work without bumping to Mr. Burns, otherwise, you fail the mission ( Mr. Burns appears at anywhere on this mission). In Mission 7, Mr. Burns attempted to destroy the invention did Professor Frink created for solving Springfield pollution and vehicle problems, after he hears the invention. In this mission, as Professor Frink, drop Mayor Quimby off City Hall, but watch out for Mr. Burns. In Mission 10, defeat Mr. Burns by smashing the statues in his garden, otherwise, you fail this mission when Mr. Burns bumps you. In the closing cutscene, after the million dollars is at Mr. Burns' door, Mr. Burns returns the buses, and washes his hands.
- The Simpson: Bart's Nightmare, where, in the 'Bartman' stage, missiles fire at Bart from the Nuclear Plant, and clouds of radiation bar the way. Burns is the stage boss, piloting a WWII bi-plane. Smithers makes two appearances beforehand, piloting a blimp that fires large rockets. Burns also appears as statues on the Springfield Empire State Building.
- The Simpsons: Hit and Run, where, in mission 7 in level 1, Mr. Burns fired Homer Simpson, after he harassed him. In mission 5 in level 7, Mr. Burns gives Homer the map of where the nuclear waste is. Although he doesn't drive any of the cars, two of his cars are available - his limo (driven by Smithers) and the Stutz Bearcrat. You can also enter his mansion on level 4 (and on level 1 if you use a glitch and the Jumping-Car cheat code in-game, but there is nothing in it).File:Dance.gif
