73-422: " Homer's Barbershop Quartet " is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson . The band's story roughly parallels that of the Beatles . George Harrison and David Crosby guest star as themselves, and
146-595: A Genesis Award for "Best Television Comedy Series". At the Primetime Emmy Awards , Alf Clausen and Greg Daniels received a nomination in the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" category for the song "Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?" from the episode " Homer and Apu ". Clausen also was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for
219-524: A chicken . Bart and Lisa ask several more questions about Homer's time in the Be Sharps, but he sends them to bed without giving them answers. Feeling nostalgic, Homer calls Skinner, Apu, and Barney. The next day, the Be Sharps perform "Baby on Board" on the roof of Moe's. Pedestrians stop and listen to the performance, including Harrison, who dismissively remarks, " It's been done ," and Wiggum, who prepares to release tear gas on his former bandmates. One of
292-452: A Grammy. Eventually, Homer started missing his family and the group began to lose its popularity, so it broke up. In a parody of Night Gallery , Bart tells three scary stories based on paintings: Bart and Milhouse find $ 20.00 on the street and buy a Squishee made entirely of syrup. After a night of bingeing and carousing, Bart wakes up to discover that he has joined a Boy Scouts-esque troupe called "The Junior Campers". Bart initially hates
365-400: A Successful Marriage ", the season finale, aired during the week of May 16–22, 1994 and finished 43rd with a Nielsen rating of 9.8. In a flashback, Homer recounts his time with a barbershop quartet called The Be Sharps that also featured Principal Skinner , Apu and Chief Wiggum who was later replaced with Barney . The group became music stars with their hit song "Baby on Board" and won
438-490: A barbershop quartet album in 1985, which catapulted them to national fame. He tells his family the story of how the band formed, became famous and successful, and eventually disbanded. In its original American broadcast, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" finished 30th in ratings, with a Nielsen rating of 12.7. Both critics and viewers praised the episode. At the Springfield Swap Meet, Bart and Lisa notice Homer on
511-598: A box with items costing five cents each, including the United States Declaration of Independence , a copy of Action Comics #1 , a complete block of Inverted Jenny misprinted postal stamps, and a Stradivarius violin. Moe sells oyster shells at the swap meet that resemble Lucille Ball . Principal Skinner finds the helmet he wore in a Vietnamese prison camp. It has the number 24601, also Jean Valjean 's prison number in Les Misérables . Homer mentions that 1985
584-632: A common setting in The Simpsons . The Simpsons family are regular customers. In July 2007, eleven 7-Eleven locations in the United States and one in Canada were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts as part of a special promotion for The Simpsons Movie . Also in 2007, gift shops modeled after the "Kwik-E-Marts" were opened in Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood , where they are
657-508: A companion to " The Simpsons Ride ". In The Simpsons , the Kwik-E-Mart is a convenience store that sells the usual fare at extraordinarily high prices, including the always popular Squishee . The backstory is that the Kwik-E-Mart chain was started somewhere in the North Pole . The Springfield Kwik-E-Mart is operated by an Indian American character named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon , who runs
730-407: A female worker named Mindy Simmons in accordance with government policy and Homer is worried that his crush on her will ruin his marriage with Marge. Both Mindy and Homer have feelings for each other, but in the end Homer decides not to cheat on Marge. Meanwhile, Bart becomes a nerd after doctors find several things physically wrong with him and apply treatments that make him look like a nerd. After
803-468: A few days of the start of the promotion. The conversions lasted through early August, when the stores were converted back to 7-Elevens. There was a mild controversy when the promotion offended members of the Indian-American community who felt that Apu is a caricature that plays on too many negative stereotypes. Despite this, 7-Eleven reported that many of its Indian employees have reacted positively to
SECTION 10
#1732863109588876-413: A forest. The band holds auditions for a fourth member but have no luck until they hear Barney singing in a melodious Irish tenor voice in the men's room. After their first show as a foursome, they decide to name themselves "The Be Sharps." Homer has little luck as a songwriter until Marge buys a " Baby on board " bumper sticker, inspiring Homer to write a song called "Baby On Board". The song appears on
949-558: A gift shop modeled after a Kwik-E-Mart opened at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . The gift shop is placed at the exit of a 4D ride based on The Simpsons and is housed in a replica of The Aztec theatre from the series, which opened in 2019. The store sells Buzz Cola, Lard Lad Donuts, and Squishees along with merchandise from the show. While no official statement has been made to date, as of late April/early May, 2024,
1022-512: A guest appearance in the episode. The Dapper Dans' singing was intermixed with the normal voice actors' voices, often with a regular voice actor singing the melody and The Dapper Dans providing backup. George Harrison guest stars in the episode as himself. He was the second Beatle after Ringo Starr (in " Brush with Greatness ") to appear on The Simpsons . When Harrison arrived at the recording studio in West Los Angeles to record his lines,
1095-813: A hero. " Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song " was the series' 100th episode. It was chosen because it heavily featured Bart and was promoted as "Bart's biggest prank ever," even though Bart did not actually pull any pranks in the episode; rather, Bart accidentally let his dog loose, eventually resulting in Principal Skinner's firing. Cletus Spuckler and the Rich Texan were the only recurring characters to be introduced this season, first appearing in " Bart Gets an Elephant ", and " $ pringfield " respectively. Other minor characters who first appeared this season were Luigi and Baby Gerald . Two more episodes, " Bart of Darkness " and " Lisa's Rival " were produced as part of
1168-446: A list of ten. Nathan Rabin writes that the episode "is a swooning yet irreverent valentine to Beatles mythology—an inspired, episode-length riff on the rise, fall, and glorious afterlife of what we can all agree was the single greatest rock band of all time." The cocktail Barney's girlfriend orders in this episode—"a single plum, floating in perfume, served in a man's hat"—was recreated by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson as part of
1241-534: A reference to Desilu Studios , run by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz . Homer references Al Capone's Vault by Geraldo Rivera while writing a new song for the group. The Be Sharps beat Dexys Midnight Runners at the Grammys and Homer remarks, "you haven't heard the last of them." At the Grammy ceremony, Spinal Tap , Aerosmith , and Michael Jackson ( Leon Kompowsky ) are in the audience; all had guest-starred on
1314-529: A terrible job, so he decides to go to the casino to get Marge back. After sneaking away from a school trip to a box factory, Bart sneaks onto the set of the Krusty the Clown show. He gets a job as Krusty's production assistant and soon becomes sick of the job. One day, he is close to quitting, but Krusty runs up and says he needs to use Bart in a sketch. Bart becomes an accidental star when he says, "I didn't do it" during
1387-430: A tip to the unimpressed bellhop. In the present, Homer looks through a box of Be Sharps merchandise, including lunch boxes , mugs, and posters, as well as their second album, Bigger than Jesus . Bart and Lisa ask why the band is not popular anymore, and Homer tells the end of the story. Creative disputes arise within the group when Barney begins dating a Japanese conceptual artist who monopolizes his time and drives
1460-442: Is a convenience store in the animated television series The Simpsons . It is a parody of American convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms , and depicts many of the stereotypes about them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality of its merchandise. It is run by an Indian-American named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon . It first appeared in the 1990 episode " The Telltale Head " and has since become
1533-555: Is for sale at the swap meet, the first of many references to the Beatles . The cover of Meet the Be Sharps is based on the cover of Meet the Beatles! In the flashback, Moe's Tavern is named Moe's Cavern, a reference to the Cavern Club in Liverpool , where the Beatles frequently performed in the early 1960s. Chief Wiggum , thrown out of the band, mirrors Pete Best , an early member of
SECTION 20
#17328631095881606-558: Is hired as principal and the school goes to pot. Bart decides that while he enjoys having Skinner as a friend, he needs him as an enemy, but discovers that he returned to the Army to be a sergeant. Bart convinces Skinner to return and they get Flanders fired so that Skinner can get his old job back. The DVD boxset for season five was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on December 21, 2004, ten years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from
1679-409: Is quite often the target of robbers, leading to Apu having been shot on several occasions and as a result having almost missed work. On one occasion, Marge Simpson mentioned that because of the frequency of shootings, it is only a $ 100 fine. In the fifth season episode " Homer and Apu ", Apu loses his job at the Kwik-E-Mart and the two characters visit the corporate CEO (voiced by Harry Shearer ) in
1752-516: The 100th episode, " Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song ". The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program as well as an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award . The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 21, 2004, Region 2 on March 21, 2005, and Region 4 on March 23, 2005. The season was the first to be executive produced by David Mirkin , who would also run
1825-485: The 1978 comedy film Animal House , but the writers felt "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" would be a better choice because of Harrison's involvement. At the swap meet, Mayor Quimby says "Ich bin ein Springfield Swap Meet Patron," a parody of John F. Kennedy's famous Cold War quote . Flanders is selling trading cards of Biblical figures, including Joseph of Arimathea and Methuselah . Homer browses through
1898-557: The 2016 exhibit One More Story at the Reykjavík Art Museum , which was curated by Yoko Ono. The Simpsons season 5 The fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993, and May 19, 1994. The showrunner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes, with
1971-566: The Be Sharps away from their barbershop roots. Eventually, an issue of Us magazine 's "What's Hot and What's Not" notes that the band is "not"; the Be Sharps split up. Skinner resumes his position as principal of Springfield Elementary School , Apu returns to his job at the Kwik-E-Mart , Barney takes his girlfriend to Moe's , and Homer returns to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant , where his job had temporarily been covered by
2044-457: The Beatles gags and enjoyed the barbershop music. After the animators synchronized the audio track, music and animation, they "just fell in love" with it. They also enjoyed working on the choreography of the Be Sharps and trying to match the characters' movements with the music. They were inspired by the 1970 Beatles film Let It Be , including the shots of the band in the recording studio where they decide to break up. Kirkland did not think there
2117-428: The Beatles who was replaced by Starr. Like Starr, Apu is given a stage name: Apu de Beaumarchais . The cover of Bigger Than Jesus , the Be Sharps' second album, is a parody of the cover of Abbey Road . The title is a reference to a controversial quote made by John Lennon in 1966. Bart asks, "What did you do [to lose your popularity]? Screw up like the Beatles and say you were bigger than Jesus?" Homer replies, "All
2190-539: The Dapper Dans partly provide the singing voices of the Be Sharps. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland . It begins with the Simpson family attending a swap meet. There, Bart Simpson and his sister Lisa notice a picture of their father, Homer, on the cover of an old LP album . Homer explains to his family that he, Principal Skinner , Barney Gumble , and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon recorded
2263-469: The Indian Himalayan mountains . In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada ( Coquitlam ) into Kwik-E-Marts to promote The Simpsons Movie . The concept was first visualized in 2006 by Fox's advertising agency, and the approximately 10 million dollar (US) cost of the promotion was borne by 7-Eleven. Another part of the promotion
Homer's Barbershop Quartet - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-498: The Simpsons, and he is replaced by actor James Woods . Homer resolves to help Apu get his old job back, and the two travel to India to talk to the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart, but are unsuccessful. Apu decides to visit his old Kwik-E-Mart and saves James Woods's life. Woods is so grateful that he helps Apu get rehired. Lisa protests against the phrases on her new Talking Malibu Stacy doll, which she finds demeaning to women. She tracks down
2409-499: The Vegetarian "). Giving the episode a score of 5 out of 5, DVD Talk praised the "four-part harmony of hilarity [that] gets a flawless mop top modeling," complimenting the references to pop culture icons as being "right on the money." TV DVD Reviews commented on how the episode "hit all the right notes," and were pleased with Harrison's cameo. The Courier-Mail found "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" an entertaining episode. Asserting that
2482-436: The audition," paraphrasing Lennon's line at the end of the concert. In its original American broadcast, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" finished 30th in the ratings for the week of September 27 to October 3, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 12.7, translating to 11,963,400 households. Despite being a "leftover from last season," Tom Shales of The Washington Post applauded the episode: "Who cares? It's funny." DVD Verdict gave
2555-439: The botched sketch. He becomes famous but soon becomes tired of being known for one line. Marge convinces him that the main thing is to make people happy, so Bart decides to continue, but the audience soon becomes tired of Bart's act and forget about him. After twice getting food poisoning from expired food sold at the Kwik-E-Mart , Homer teams up with Kent Brockman to report Apu. Apu is fired from his job and comes to stay with
2628-460: The casting director told the episode's show runners , Al Jean and Mike Reiss , that Harrison was coming and that they were not allowed to tell anybody about it because it was intended to be a secret. Jean, Reiss, and the show's creator, Matt Groening went to see Harrison in the studio, and when they returned to the writer's room, Groening, unaware that it was supposed to be a secret, said, "Guess who I just met! George Harrison!" Harrison arrived at
2701-461: The cover of an LP album . Homer tells the story of how he, Principal Skinner , Barney , and Apu recorded a barbershop quartet album in 1985, which catapulted them to national fame. In 1985, Homer, Skinner, Apu and Chief Wiggum entertain nightly at Moe's Tavern , which was then called Moe's Cavern . An agent named Nigel offers to represent the group, but only on the condition that they replace Wiggum ; Homer does this by abandoning Wiggum in
2774-401: The creation of the rake sequence, became a memorable moment for this episode. "Cape Feare" and " Rosebud " were both broadcast early in the season and are amongst the series' most acclaimed episodes, both having placed highly on Entertainment Weekly 's list of the top 25 episodes. The episode " Deep Space Homer " was the only episode to be written by David Mirkin and was controversial amongst
2847-520: The episode " Cape Feare ". The producers submitted episodes for " Outstanding Comedy Series " category rather than the " Outstanding Animated Program " as they had previously done and were not nominated. The series was also nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series". At the 10th annual Television Critics Association Awards, the fifth season of the show was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Comedy", but lost to Frasier . Like
2920-552: The episode a Grade A score. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson felt that the episode "kicks off [the season] with a terrific bang." He appreciated the episode's parodies of a mix of subjects, and its ability to bring them together into a coherent story. Noting that the episode focused on spoofing Beatlemania , Jacobson praised George Harrison's cameo as "probably the best" Beatles cameo in the series. ( Ringo Starr had starred in " Brush with Greatness " and Paul McCartney would star in " Lisa
2993-606: The following season . Several of the show's original writers who had worked on The Simpsons since the first season had left following the completion of season four. " Cape Feare ", which was the final episode to be produced by the "original team", aired during this season as a hold over. Jay Kogen , Wallace Wolodarsky , Sam Simon and Jeff Martin wrote their final episodes for the season four production run. Show runners Al Jean and Mike Reiss left to produce their own series The Critic , but returned in subsequent seasons to produce more Simpsons episodes, and Jean again became
Homer's Barbershop Quartet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-647: The group's first album, Meet the Be Sharps , and becomes a hit. The Be Sharps perform at the Statue of Liberty 's centennial in 1986 and win a Grammy Award for Outstanding Soul, Spoken Word, or Barbershop Album of the Year. At the ceremony, Barney meets his hero David Crosby and Homer meets George Harrison of the Beatles , though Homer is more interested in the brownie that Harrison is eating. That night, Homer calls home to talk to Lisa and Marge and realizes how much they miss him. Disillusioned, he gives his award statuette away as
3139-458: The group, then enjoys it, until Homer agrees to participate in their river-rafting trip. In a boat with Ned and Rod Flanders , Homer loses their map and the boat gets lost in the ocean. After being stuck out at sea for a week, they discover an offshore oil rig with a Krusty Burger and are saved. At the end of the episode, the rest of the campers including Ernest Borgnine are attacked by an unknown monster at an abandoned campsite. Mr. Burns hires
3212-601: The idea, although it was noted that it was "not a 100 percent endorsement." On October 17, 2007, a gift shop that was modeled after a Kwik-E-Mart was opened at Universal Studios Florida . One also opened at Universal Studios Hollywood at a later time. They replaced the old Back to the Future gift shop and supplement The Simpsons Ride , which opened in Spring 2008. The stores sell Simpsons -related merchandise like Flaming Moe's Energy Drinks and Squishees. On August 17, 2018,
3285-411: The local economy stalls, everyone in town votes for gambling to be legalized, prompting Mr. Burns to open a casino. Homer becomes a blackjack dealer, and Marge becomes so addicted to gambling that she forgets about her family life. Meanwhile, Bart opens up his own casino after being kicked out of Mr. Burns's and Lisa struggles to have her costume done for a school pageant. Homer agrees to help her, but does
3358-529: The majority of other North American 7-Elevens, sold products found in The Simpsons , such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's", "Squishees", pink frosted "Sprinklicious doughnuts" and other Simpsons -themed merchandise. The Squishees were Slurpees that are sold in special collector cups and the Krusty-O's were made by Malt-O-Meal . Several other 7-Eleven items, such as sandwiches, were sold in Simpsons -themed packaging. It
3431-555: The phrase "Number 8" and a burp by Barney, a reference to the Beatles' " Revolution 9 ". While Barney plays this song to the group, the members are seen standing in such a way to resemble a photograph of the Beatles in their studio with Ono while recording The White Album . The group performing atop Moe's Tavern at the end of the episode is a parody of the Beatles' impromptu performance on the Apple Corps rooftop during their Get Back recording sessions in 1969. The Be Sharps are wearing
3504-513: The previous three seasons, The Simpsons aired Thursday at 8:00 pm in the United States and was coupled with the series The Sinbad Show . " Homer's Barbershop Quartet ", the season premiere, finished 30th in the ratings with a Nielsen rating of 12.7. " Treehouse of Horror IV ", which was broadcast on October 28, was the highest rated episode of the season, finishing 17th with a Nielsen rating of 14.5 and finishing ninth in terms of viewers, being seen by approximately 24 million. " Secrets of
3577-461: The producers ignored it and the joke appeared in the episode when it aired. The Be Sharps' singing voices were partly provided by The Dapper Dans , a barbershop quartet that performs at Disneyland in Anaheim, California . Before working on the episode, Martin had seen one of the quartet's performances and enjoyed it. When the episode's production began, he contacted the quartet, and they agreed to make
3650-528: The radio; Harvey tells listeners "And that little boy nobody liked grew up to be... Roy Cohn !" Homer buys Grampa a pink Cadillac , as Elvis Presley did for his mother. One of the late night television shows Wiggum watches is Johnny Carson doing his Carnac the Magnificent routine, wearing a fez instead of the Classic turban. The name of the recording studio Homer and his group records at is called Desilu Studios,
3723-577: The reclusive creator Stacy to make a more politically correct doll. Meanwhile, Grampa is worried that he is getting old, so he takes a job at Krusty Burger. Lisa and Stacy create "Lisa Lionheart" which gets a lot of positive buzz, but is a flop when the Malibu Stacy executives release a new doll that comes with a hat. Bart accidentally gets Principal Skinner fired after he brings Santa's Little Helper to school for show and tell. Bart feels guilty for what he did, and befriends Skinner. Meanwhile, Ned Flanders
SECTION 50
#17328631095883796-404: The same outfits as the Beatles during the rooftop concert scene: Barney in a brown fur coat (Lennon), Homer in a bright red coat (Starr), Skinner in a black suit (McCartney), and Apu in a black Mongolian lamb coat with green trousers (Harrison). Harrison, seeing the concert, notes "It's been done." After the performance, Homer says, "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group and I hope we passed
3869-432: The season being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television . Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs that were produced for the previous season . The season contains some of the series' most acclaimed and popular episodes, including " Cape Feare ", " Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy ", " Homer Goes to College ", " Deep Space Homer ", and " Rosebud ". It also includes
3942-561: The season five (1F) production run, but both aired the following season . On Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season of The Simpsons has a 100% approval rating based on 5 critical reviews. The Simpsons won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production , while David Silverman received a nomination for "Best Individual Achievement for Creative Supervision in the Field of Animation". " Bart Gets an Elephant " won both an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" and
4015-504: The season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes , animatics , and commentaries for every episode. The menus are a different format than the previous seasons, and that format would be used in every set after. It is the last box set that features the Simpson family on television. Kwik-E-Mart The Kwik-E-Mart (spelled " Quick-E-Mart " in " Bart the General ")
4088-496: The series hit its peak with season five episodes such as "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", the Sunday Tasmanian called the episode a "first-class offering." Although it appreciated the story and use of the main characters, Current Film was not enthused about the episode, claiming that it was not consistently funny. The Age called "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" an awful episode, with a "weak, unfunny parody of The Beatles," blaming
4161-548: The series' change of writers before the episode was written. IGN ranked the Beatles' appearances (in "Lisa the Vegetarian", "Brush with Greatness", and "Homer's Barbershop Quartet") 10th on their list of the Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances, and the Toronto Star ranked the band fifth on a list of the 11 best cameos on The Simpsons . Andrew Martin of Prefix Mag named Harrison his fourth-favorite musical guest on The Simpsons out of
4234-446: The show runner starting with season thirteen . George Meyer and John Swartzwelder , Conan O'Brien , Frank Mula and future show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein all stayed with the show following the previous season. O'Brien would leave the series halfway through the production of the season to host his own show on NBC , Late Night with Conan O'Brien . He had been working on " Homer Goes to College " when he found out he
4307-411: The show's writing staff when the episode was in production. Some of the writers felt that having Homer go into space was too "large" an idea. Matt Groening felt that the idea was so big that it gave the writers "nowhere to go". As a result, every aspect of the show was worked on to make the concept work. The writers focused more upon the relationship between Homer and his family and Homer's attempts to be
4380-651: The show. The award is presented by David Crosby , who was in " Marge in Chains ". While Bart and Lisa browse through LP albums at the swap meet, they find a recording of " Yankee Doodle " by Melvin and the Squirrels, a spoof of Alvin and the Chipmunks . When the Be Sharps perform " Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby " for the Statue of Liberty centennial , President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy are in attendance. Marge's painting of Ringo Starr , seen in " Brush with Greatness ",
4453-412: The store with his brother Sanjay and is a caricature of the stereotypical "foreign born" convenience store clerk. Apu proudly gouges customers and sells tainted merchandise, such as rotten meat, expired milk, or tins with the label missing. The Kwik-E-Mart rarely closes; at one point Apu shuts the store for five minutes to attend a party and inadvertently locks Hans Moleman inside. The Kwik-E-Mart
SECTION 60
#17328631095884526-485: The studio by himself, without entourage or bodyguards. Groening recalls that Harrison was "pretty glum," and he was unenthusiastic when the staff asked him questions about the Beatles. However, when Groening asked Harrison about the Wonderwall Music album, he suddenly "perked up" because it was one of his solo albums that he was rarely questioned on. Harrison's guest appearance was one of Groening's favorites because he
4599-529: The time. That was the title of our second album." Near the end of the episode, the album's back cover is revealed, on which Homer is seen turned away from the camera. This is a parody of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band LP reverse, in which Paul McCartney is in the same pose. Homer meets George Harrison at the Grammy party. Barney's Japanese conceptual artist girlfriend is a parody of Yoko Ono . Their song repeats
4672-565: The writers for The Simpsons suggested that they should create an episode that focuses on Homer in a barbershop quartet and is "a big parody of the Beatles." The episode was written by Jeff Martin , who was an "obsessive" Beatles fan, making him "a natural to write [the episode]." Mark Kirkland , a "huge" Beatles fan, directed it and ensured that the Beatles references were accurate. Kirkland enjoyed directing "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," and unlike other episodes he directed, he did not experience any trouble animating it. The animators liked creating
4745-552: Was "super nice" and "very sweet" to the staff. Jean said it was a "huge thrill" to have him appear. David Crosby also makes a guest appearance in the episode as himself, in the scene where he presents a Grammy Award to the Be Sharps. "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" was a hold-over episode from the season four production line. It was chosen to air as the fifth season's premiere episode because it guest starred Harrison. The Fox network executives wanted to premiere with Conan O'Brien 's episode " Homer Goes to College " because of its parody of
4818-460: Was a contest where customers who purchased a slurpee or sandwich also received a coded game piece that could be entered into a website. The grand prize of the contest was to be animated into an episode of The Simpsons . Prior to July, the promotion had long been known but the locations were kept a secret until the morning of July 1, when the 12 stores were made over with industrial foam, vinyl and Kwik-E-Mart signs. These 12 locations, as well as
4891-465: Was anything "spectacular" in the episode's animation, but he and his animation team "just loved" working on it. Lisa sees a man selling an original Malibu Stacy doll from 1958 that has big, pointed breasts. The man, nicknamed "Wiseguy" by the show's staff, tells Lisa that "they took [the doll] off the market after some kid put both his eyes out." The joke received a censor note from the Fox network's censors, but
4964-408: Was chosen as the season premiere because it guest starred George Harrison . The Fox executives had wanted to premiere with "Homer Goes to College" because it was a National Lampoon's Animal House parody, but the writers felt "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" would be a better episode because of Harrison's involvement. Even though the episode aired during the beginning of the fifth season, " Cape Feare "
5037-523: Was chosen to host Late Night and was forced to walk out on his contract. He later had a cameo appearance in " Bart Gets Famous ". He recorded his part while Late Night was on the air, but O'Brien thought that his show might be canceled by the time the episode aired. A whole new group of writers were brought in for this season. Jace Richdale was the first to be hired by Mirkin and others to receive their first writing credits were Greg Daniels and Dan McGrath . Mike Scully wrote " Lisa's Rival ", which
5110-474: Was decided that Duff Beer would not be sold due to the movie being rated PG-13, and the promoters wanted to have "good, responsible fun," though it was noted that it was a tough decision. However, a Duff Energy Drink was released in place of the Duff Beer. The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the changed 7-Eleven stores. Many of the stores sold out of their special Simpsons products within
5183-399: Was produced for this season, but aired the next. Two freelance writers wrote episodes: David Richardson wrote " Homer Loves Flanders " while Bill Canterbury received two writing credits. Bob Anderson and Susie Dietter , who had previously worked on the show as part of the animation staff, would direct their first episodes. The season started off with " Homer's Barbershop Quartet " which
5256-412: Was the last episode written by the original team of writers and guest starred Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob . Compared to previously produced episodes, the episode featured several elements that could be described as cartoonish. This was a result of the staff's careless attitude towards the end of season four as the majority of them were leaving which, combined with the shortness of the episode, led to
5329-460: Was the year that Joe Piscopo left Saturday Night Live . He begins telling the story of the Be Sharps by saying, "Rock and roll had become stagnant. ' Achy Breaky Heart ' was seven years away; something had to fill the void. That something was barbershop." In the audition for Wiggum's replacement, Jasper Beardley sings the "Theme From A Summer Place " and Wiggum, in disguise, sings a song from Doctor Dolittle . Grampa listens to Paul Harvey on
#587412