Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington/References
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037
"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"
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Cultural references[edit]
- The plot (and title) of this episode is a play on Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
- The boy berated by his father for his "We The Purple" essay is dressed up as Paul Revere.
- Among the Washington landmarks visited are Dulles Airport (which is actually located in Chantilly, Virginia), the Watergate Hotel (where the family stays), the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the IRS Building, the National Air and Space Museum, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.
- Truong Van Dinh had already won both the Westinghouse Talent Search and the NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick competition.
- The piano-playing satirist at the end of the episode is a reference to Mark Russell and Tom Lehrer. The song "The Deficit Rag" is very similar to Lehrer's "The Vatican Rag".
- The monument to Winifred Beecher Howe Lisa visits is likely a parody of Susan B. Anthony who had no major public memorial in Washington. When Lisa mentions that "she later appeared on the highly unpopular 75¢ piece", this is likely a reference to the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, which proved to be very unpopular due to its being easily mistaken for a quarter.
- It may also be a reference to the twenty-cent piece, which was issued in the mid-1870s and, like the Susan B. Anthony dollar, was very unpopular due to its too-close resemblance to a quarter.
- The banner that reads "Brevity is... wit" is a reference "brevity is the soul of wit" spoken by Polonius in Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet. The joke is that the banner is applying greater wit by increasing the brevity of the original Shakespeare line.
- Bob Arnold tells Lisa that there are quite a few women senators, but Lisa asserts that there are only two. At the time of airing there were indeed only two female senators: Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.
- During the White House tour, the Simpsons see a sign reading "On this spot, Richard Nixon bowled back-to-back 300 games," which Homer scoffs at. In real life, Nixon was an avid bowler; he even frequently bowled while he was President, finding that bowling fit well into his work schedule. However, it's unlikely that he ever bowled back-to-back 300 games.
- Then-President George H.W. Bush is featured briefly in this episode, and is portrayed in a positive, albeit hokey, light.
- In keeping with the mystery of which state Springfield is in, this episode gives misleading clues. The map shown during the essay reading montage shows Springfield's state as being NT. The junk mail Homer receives shows the state as TA, and an enigmatic 6-digit zip code of 192005.
- In the office of the congressman from Springfield's state, there is a State Seal. It depicts an ear of corn, a star, a beaver and a nuclear power symbol.
- Barbara Bush wears a pearl necklace in the bathtub.
- In Dulles Airport, there is a sign reading "Bus Info" and then a phone number. This was the real phone number of the Simpsons' Art Director, and was drawn there without his knowledge.
- The first time we see all three children staring at the TV, the interior of the Simpson house seems different.
- When the lady is asking questions to Homer before Lisa wins the trip to Washington, what she says doesn't match her mouth.
- When Lisa is reading her speech for the essay contest, what she says does not match her mouth movements.
- When Lisa approaches the Abe Lincoln statue, there is an old person near her. In the next shot, there are three people suddenly surrounding her.
- When the piano keys are shown when it is played at the end of the episode, it is shown having one black key each time. Real pianos start off with three black keys, then two, then three and so on.
- In the first shot where she appears, Faith Crowley's lipstick repeatedly changes color between pink and red.
- When the Simpsons clap after the winner of the contest is announced, Maggie's bow disappears for a few frames.
