Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder
"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on November 14, 1999.
Plot
On a normal day, Homer is very late for work. As punishment, Mr. Burns makes Homer eat toxic waste in a dark room. Lenny and Carl come in and invite Homer to go bowling. Homer lies to Marge on the phone, telling her that he was not able to attend a tea party date with Maggie because there was a breakdown at the plant and Lenny was hospitalized. Homer then goes bowling with Lenny and Carl. Homer bowls a 300 game, and makes the evening news, earning the attention of Springfield. With this accomplishment, Homer becomes a celebrity, appearing on "The Springfield Squares" (which has Ron Howard as a guest). However, he attempts a walk-on during a Penn & Teller special, but that backfires on him as Penn chases him off the stage with a crossbow (and leaving Teller slowly descending into a tub of shark filled water).
Homer's 15 minutes of fame wanes, and he becomes "yesterday's news". Worrying that his life has peaked, he attempts to commit suicide from a tall building, until Otto, who is bungee-jumping, saves him. Thankful for being alive, Homer searches for a more noble life, and dedicates his life to his children. He tries but fails to connect with Bart and Lisa so he decides to spend more time with Maggie. He tries to teach her how to swim, but she does not trust him and therefore, will not go in the water. When Homer takes Maggie to the beach, he nearly drowns, and has to have Maggie pull him to shore. For saving him, Homer treats Maggie to a game of bowling—and she bowls a perfect game, but Homer penalized her for going over the line (the "300 game" balloon, however, was still released, which Homer knocked out of the way).
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is derived from Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, a song parody by Allan Sherman (which was played in an earlier episode). The title is also a reference to gutters in bowling, and the fact that Homer created a fad by bowling a perfect game.
- Krusty Brand Chew Goo Gum-Like Substance was known to contain spider eggs (but not the Hantavirus), referring to a popular urban legend about Bubble Yum (at Snopes).
- While Maggie is saving Homer, the opening music from the television documentary Victory at Sea plays.
- The fast-motion sequence when Homer oversleeps, accompanied by music, references a scene from the 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi.
- Homer plays a Where's Waldo? game on the back of the cereal box he eats his breakfast from.
- Homer dresses up as a Teletubby to entertain Maggie. His line, "...and I'm all man, in case you heard otherwise" is a reference to the Reverend Jerry Falwell accusing Tinky Winky (from the Teletubbies) of promoting homosexuality.
- Homer sings The Doors song The End. And sings Jim Morrison's voice.
- When Homer and Otto descend into the sewers on the bungee rope, they pass three underground societies: the Morlocks (from The Time Machine), the C.H.U.D.s (from C.H.U.D.) and the Mole People (from the 1956 film The Mole People). In this parody, Hans Moleman and his people are actually dressed up like the Albino enslavers from the film, NOT the actual mole creatures.
- Teller, of magic duo Penn & Teller - who is known for never speaking, makes a voice role in this episode.
- Maggie sees Homer as "the creature from the black lagoon" due to being scared of his dive mask & waterwings.
- After Homer bowls his perfect game, he pulls out a "Before I Die I want To-" list and checks off the item "Bowl a Perfect Game." Below that is listed "See Stevie Nicks Naked." It is checked three times.
- The part where Homer bowls the strike that wins him the 300 game has many elements from the Robert Redford film The Natural (the exploding lanes similar to the exploding stadium lights when Redford's character bats the winning hit out of the park, Homer pumping his arms victoriously as debris rains down on him, and the music [which was used in another sports-related Simpsons episode]).
