Moe Szyslak
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Morris "Moe" Szyslak
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Character Information
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Morris "Moe" Szyslak is the proprietor and bartender of "Moe's Tavern", a Springfield bar frequented by Barney Gumble, Homer Simpson, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard, and others. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
Contents
Role in The Simpsons
Moe is the owner, and except for a few instances where temporary help is hired, the only employee of Moe's Tavern. His most loyal customer is Barney Gumble, with other regulars including Homer Simpson, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Sam and Larry. Moe is notoriously cheap with his customers, refusing to give them free drinks, or throwing them out when they are out of money (and in one case, asking who are the designated drivers, then telling them to beat it, claiming to have "no time for cheapskates" on St. Patrick's Day). He also wants his customers to drink as much as possible, as then their tab will grow larger. Once, when Homer asked Moe where the dart board was, Moe said, "we're phasing out the games, people drink less when they're having fun."
Moe generally serves Duff beer on tap, having little knowledge of liquors or wines; the liquor bottles visible behind the bar are said to be "painted on," and in one instance, he unknowingly sells an 1888 bottle of Château Latour for a few dollars. In one case, he wonders if gin and tonic mix. He enthusiastically abandons his bar, its regular customers, and his friends when a better opportunity comes along, such as the drink "The Flaming Moe", the opening of his postmodern bar "M", and the conversion of his bar into a family-themed restaurant called Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag. Moe is often engaged in shady or illegal activities at his tavern, including smuggling pandas and orcas, hosting Russian roulette games, operating an unlicensed casino, serving liquor without a license (his expired in 1973 and it's only good in Rhode Island as well as being signed by Moe himself), running a speakeasy during Springfield's brief flirtation with Prohibition, and performing unlicensed surgery in his bar. Moe and his bar has gained popularty many times however the fad mainly ends. However in some episodes such as in The Homer They Fall and Mommie Beerest Moe's popularty stays and his money sky rockets.
Moe's temperament is characterized by a short, violent temper (particularly aiming a makeshift shotgun at customers), coupled with homicidal and suicidal tendencies and a proclivity towards obsessive behaviors. These traits are exhibited in his behavior, including frequently attempting suicide (including an annual attempt on Christmas and in the episode "Mommie Beerest;" after his bar was closed by the health department, Moe calls the suicide hotline and discovers that they’ve blocked his number), keeping an enemies list nearly identical to that of Richard Nixon, assuming a leading role in many of Springfield's angry mobs, and kidnapping Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne. He has also used his b-boy skills for self-defense, shot at Carl, robbed Homer of expensive pants, kept Hans Moleman under his bar's floorboards in a subterranean torture chamber, perpetrated insurance fraud ("Dumbbell Indemnity"), and stalking various townspeople. This behavior is further exhibited in The Simpsons Movie when he becomes the self-proclaimed "Emperor of Springfield" when the town is destroyed. His leadership is challenged by Barney Gumble who throws a Molotov Cocktail at him, which Moe successfully throws back. He also tries to attempt suicide by sky diving without a parachute but he ends up landing on a Hot Air Balloon which happens to be the Hot Air Balloon Homer and Marge are flying in and then after he lands he says to himself:"I can't believe this happened to me twice". In the episode "Mommie Beerest"; towards the end moe is laying down at the beach by the tide and says:" Come on tide take me with you, I just don't want to feel anymore pain", and the tide comes up to him and a Man Ray ends up on his face smacking him with his tail and after that happens Marge and Homer show up to talk to him. He implies in In Marge We Trust that he probably wouldn't continue to be suicidal if Reverand Lovejoy had told him that he had much to live for. He was also born on June 15 1953.
Moe has a strained love life due to his vulgarity towards women and his ugly appearance. Despite this, Moe has had a number of romantic experiences, including sleeping with his bartender Collette, dating a woman named Renee, and enjoying the company of many women after he had plastic surgery to correct his ugly appearance.He has long been infatuated with Marge Simpson (whom he often refers to as Midge) and has on occasion professed his love for her and tried to win her away from Homer. Moe's romantic attractions have resulted in criminal behavior and run-ins with the law; he has stalked Maude Flanders and other townspeople, he must register as a sex offender, and he had a restraining order placed upon him. At one point he is seen on his way to a "V.D. clinic".Moe has also proposed marriage to a WNBA mascot, even knowing that the character inside the mascot is Gil Gunderson. In the Simpson spin-off "the Love Matic Grampa" Moe dates a girl with the help of Abe Simpson.
Despite his faults, Moe has been shown to express genuine love and sentimentality, which suggests that he may not be as gruff as he appears. He has a cat named Mr. Snookums, of whom he is very fond. Moe is also kind towards the rats that live in his bar. On Wednesday nights, he reads to the homeless in a local soup kitchen and he also reads to sick children at the hospital. Until it was destroyed, Moe had a fondness for a jar of pickled eggs. He saved the owner of King Toot's music store and his wife from a flaming car. He saved the life of Maggie Simpson and took efforts to protect her. Moe engaged in charity work in South America or Africa, using a flying fan to fight forest fires and deliver medical supplies to people devastated by floods. Moe has knowledge of automobiles and dancing. In (The Simpsons Video games) He Says Newsflash You Suck
Moe either immigrated to the United States from Holland or was born in Indiana. As a child, he played the part of "Smelly", a tough kid, on The Little Rascals until he killed Alfalfa for stealing his bit and was fired. At some unspecified time during his childhood, his parents dropped him off at summer camp, never to return and pick him up. In that same episode, it shows the beginning of Moe becoming a victim of prank calls when young Marge calls the boys' camp and young Moe answers it. Marge asks to talk to Elvis Jagger Abdul-Jabbar, which is what Homer introduced himself as to her. Moe, thinking that she is trying to trick him, becomes angry and hangs up. Then he turns to the camera and says, "And, uh, that's the origin of that." As a young man, Moe became a professional boxer, going by the names "Kid Gorgeous", "Kid Presentable", "Kid Gruesome", and "Kid Moe." Moe blames his boxing career for making him ugly. According to Moe, his boxing career ended because of politics, and because he was knocked out 40 times in a row. Moe's ugliness caused him to audition unsuccessfully for a part in "It Never Ends", a soap opera. His current appearance has been described as consisting of "cauliflower ear, lizard lips, little rat eyes, caveman brow and fish snout" in the episode "Pygmoelian". After attending bartending school at Swigmore University (a play on Swarthmore College), Moe opened up his own drinking establishment, "Moe's Tavern."
Bart's prank calls
In the early years of The Simpsons, Moe was the frequent target of Bart Simpson's prank phone calls. Bart would call Moe's Tavern and ask for an individual by his or her name. Unbeknownst to Moe, the name was a double entendre. When Moe would call aloud the individual's name (always in the context that makes the double entendree funny, for example:
- Amanda Hugginkiss (A man to hug and kiss) (New Kid on the Block)
- Hugh Jass (Huge ass) (Flaming Moe's) (Backfired due to the coincidence of there actually being a person named "Hugh Jass" in the bar at the time)
- Anita Bath (I need a Bath) (The PTA Disbands)
- I.P. Freely (I pee freely)(Homer's Odyssey)
- Jacques Strap (Jock Strap) (Moaning Lisa)
- Al Koholic (Alcoholic) (Some Enchanted Evening)
- Oliver Clothsoff (All of her clothes off) (Some Enchanted Evening)
- Seymour Butz (See more butts) (One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish)
- Homer Sexual(Homosexual) (Principal Charming)
- Mike Rotch (My Crotch) (Blood Feud)
- Bea O'Problem (BO Problem) (Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk)
- Ivana Tinkle (I wanna tinkle) (New Kid on the Block)
- Haywood U. Cuddleme (Hey, would you cuddle me) - This prank was made by a telegram (Helter Shelter)
- I'm a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt and my butt smells and I like to kiss my own butt (Treehouse of Horror II)
- Eura Snotball (You're a Snotball) (Bart on the Road) (Note, this was actually attempted by Homer Simpson)
- Ollie Tabooger (I'll eat a Booger) (Homer the Moe)
- Ahmed Adoudi (I made a doodie) (24 Minutes)
- Maya Normousbutt (My Enormous Butt) (Lost Verizon) (Note, this was with Bart's cell phone call to Hawaii)
- Drew P. Wiener (Droopy Weiner)(Lost Verizon) (Note, this was with Bart's cell phone call to Australia)
- Olav Myfriendsaregay (All of my friends are gay) (Lost Verizon) (Note, this was with Bart's cell phone call to Sweden.)
- Maya Buttreeks(My Butt reeks) (The PTA Disbands)
After each prank has been done moe realizes that it's a prank and ends up giving the caller threats for example: "It's you isn't you cowardly little runt when I get a hold of you I'm gonna gut you like a fish and drink your blood", "I'll shove a sausage down your throat and stick starving dogs in your butt", "Listen to me you when I catch you I'm gonna pull out your eye's and shove'em down your pants so you can watch me kick the crap out of you ok, then I'm gonna use your tounge to paint my boat", "When I get a hold of you I'm gonna use your head for a bucket and paint my house with your brains", "Listen to me you little scum sucking puss bucket when I get my hands on you I'm gonna pull out your eye's with a cork screw", "You rotten little punk If I ever get a hold of you I'll stick my teeth in to your cheek and rip your face off" and more. On Spring Break, Homer does a Moe impression after his attempt at pranking Moe backfired when Moe repeated the name back to him. "If I find out who this is, I'll stick an American Flag up your butt, and mail you to Iran."
Behind the scenes
Creation
Moe's character was based partly on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch, who was made famous in the popular Tube Bar prank calls when he was repeatedly prank called by two Jersey City residents. These calls were the inspiration for Bart's repeated prank calls to Moe, and Deutch's often profane responses made Moe's violent side.Homer Simpson Further inspiration was drawn from comedian Rich Hall, an acquaintance of The Simpsons writer George Meyer. Hall considered being the basis for Moe "an honour." Moe's surname "Szyslak" was revealed in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)", the writers found the name in a phonebook and gave it to Moe so that he would have the initials M.S., and hence could be a suspect in the Burns shooting. He was designed by Dan Haskett.Sam
Moe was the first voice Hank Azaria performed for the show, replacing Christopher Collins who had voiced the character in several previous episodes. At the time of his audition, Azaria was doing a play in which he had the part of a drug dealer, basing his voice on Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. He used the same voice in the audition, and was told by Matt Groening and Sam Simon to make it more gravelly, with it becoming the voice of Moe. Groening and Simon thought it was perfect and took Azaria over to the Fox recording studio. Before he had even seen a script, he recorded several lines of dialogue as Moe for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening".LarryMoe's Tavern. Also in earlier seasons he was seen with black hair instead of his current grey hair. After the episode were Ned Flanders opened the Leftorium, it is revealed that Moe is Left Handed.
Real name
In Flaming Moe's, his hired waitress Collette calls him "Morris". Yet, in The Springfield Connection, Homer discretely hints that Moe's official name is "Momar" and Moe cringes with humiliation. It can be suggested that Momar is his real name and he just simply told Collette to call him Morris, because he figured she'd think it was a stupid name or he was being arrogant. It is implied in Eeny Teeny Maya Moe that he changed his name to Moe so he could keep the sign and the bar's name.
In Video Games
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The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened or existed. |
In The Simpsons Road Rage, Moe is a character that you can unlock later in the game and drive him. In the brief video when you select his car you can see that he is smuggling a panda, which can be seen in an episode. You can also pick him up as a passenger while driving as another character. In the Entertainment District, (the second location), you start off right next to his bar. Also, he reveals car crashes turn him on after a collision with another car.In The Simpsons Game, he is Homer's coach in the the level Around the World in 80 Bites, but not a playable character.
Appearances
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This article or section is incomplete.
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External links
