by John Ortved
8 Donnie Radcliffe, “Marge to Barb: Don’t Have a Cow, Ma’am,” Washington Post, October 12, 1990.
9 “Drug Czar Says He Was ‘Just Kidding’ in Chiding Bart Simpson,” Associated Press, May 24, 1990.
10 “Good Night, John Boy; Hello Bart Simpson,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 21, 1992.
11 Matt Roush, “‘Simpsons’ Creator Puts Loony in ‘Toons,’” USA Today, January 12, 1990.
12 John Ortved, “Simpsons Family Values,” Vanity Fair, August 2007.
13 Matthew Grimm, “A Smash Cartoon Hit Called ‘The Simpsons’ Hits Licensing Paydirt,” Adweek, March 5, 1990.
14 “Ullman Suit Charges Fox Cut Her out of ‘Simpsons’ Profits,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 21, 1991.
15 Anita Gates, “Groening’s New World, 1,000 Years from Springfield,” New York Times, January 24, 1999.
16 Late Night with Conan O’Brien, October 7, 1994.
17 Charlie Rose, “A Conversation About The Simpsons Movie,” Charlie Rose, PBS, New York, July 30, 2007.
18 Rod Dreher, “Bart Used by Extremists,” Washington Times, May 13, 1993.
19 Marla Matzer, “Simpsons Sales: Halving a Cow,” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1997.
9: FALLOUT BOYS
1 Quoted in Dennis McDougal and Daniel Cerone, “Ullman Has a Cow over Simpsons,” Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1991.
2 “Jury Rejects Tracey Ullman’s ‘Simpsons’ Lawsuit,” Associated Press, October 21, 1992.
12: INSTITUTIONALIZED
1 Tom Shales, “The Groening of America,” Washington Post, May 13, 1993.
2 Jim Benson, “‘Simpsons’ Surprise Syndicated Success,” Variety, November 28–December 4, 1994.
3 Shales, “The Groening of America.”
4 Benson, “‘Simpsons’ Surprise Syndicated Success.”
5 Cynthia Littleton, “‘Seinfeld’ Set to Earn Record Syndie,” Variety, January 12, 1998.
6 Quoted in James Sterngold, “Bringing an Alien and a Robot to Life: The Gestation of the Simpsons’ Heirs,” New York Times, July 22, 1999.
7 David Bianculli, “Animation King Takes a Swipe at Fox,” New York Daily News, April 8, 1999.
8 Sam Salem, “Futurama Cast Members Ink New Deal with Fox,” Toronto Star, July 31, 2009.
9 Quoted in “Simpsons Just a Cartoon to TV Academy,” USA Today, February 21, 1992.
10 Quoted ibid.
11 Ibid.
13: THE GODFATHERS
1 David Owen, “Taking Humor Seriously: The Funniest Man Behind the Funniest Show on TV,” New Yorker, March 13, 2000.
2 Eric Spitznagel, “George Meyer,” The Believer, September 2004.
3 Owen, “Taking Humor Seriously.”
4 George Meyer, “Welcoming Homer the Tree-Hugger,” BBC News, August 3, 2006, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5237038.stm.
5 “Grade School Confidential,” The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season, Vol. 4, supplementary commentary by Matt Groening.
14: WHO’S THE BOSS?
1 Quoted in Judy Brennan, “Groening Has a Cow Over ‘Critic’ Television,” Los Angeles Times, March 3, 1995.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Quoted in Adam Buckman, “Homer’s Baghdad of Tricks,” New York Post, October 23, 2006.
15: FOXY BOXING
1 Bernard Weinraub, “Negotiations Are Stalled for Voice Actors in ‘The Simpsons,’” New York Times, April 14, 2004.
2 Michael Fleming, “‘Simpsons’ Gang Sees D’Oh,” Variety, April 30, 2001.
3 Weinraub, “Negotiations Are Stalled for Voice Actors in ‘The Simpsons.’”
4 Scott Williams, “Tim Allen: TV’s $1.25 Million Man,” New York Daily News, October 7, 1997.
5 Quoted in Jenny Hontz, “‘Simpsons’: No Dough, New ‘D’Oh,’” Variety, March 19, 1998.
6 Fleming, “‘Simpsons’ Gang Sees D’Oh.”
7 Japan Probe, www.japanprobe.com/?p=2698.
8 Fleming, “‘Simpsons’ Gang Sees ‘D’Oh.’”
9 Weinraub, “Negotiations Are Stalled for Voice Actors in ‘The Simpsons.’”
10 Ibid.
11 Siri Agrell, “No More D’Oh Without Hefty Raise, Says Simpsons Cast,” National Post (Canada), April 2, 2004.
12 Weinraub, “Negotiations Are Stalled for Voice Actors in ‘The Simpsons.’”
13 Ibid.
14 Bernard Weinraub, “‘The Simpsons’ Reach a Deal with Fox,” New York Times, May 1, 2004.
15 Nellie Andreeva, “‘Simpson’ Voice Actors Reach Deal,” Hollywood Reporter, June 2, 2008.
16 Nellie Andreeva, “Dough! Cast Gets a Raise,” Hollywood Reporter, June 3, 2008.
17 Ibid.
18 “Bart the Murderer,” The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season, Vol. 1, supplementary commentary by Al Jean, DVD, 2003.
19 “A Streetcar Named Marge,” The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season, Vol. 1, supplementary commentary by Mike Reiss, DVD, 2004.
20 Quoted in Mike Reiss, “A Backstage Tour of The Simpsons with Mike Reiss,” 92nd Street Y. Tribeca, New York, April 24, 2009.
21 Quoted in Michele Orecklin, “Ay Caramba!” Time, April 22, 2002.
22 Quoted in David Scheff, “Playboy Interview: Matt Groening,” Playboy, June 1, 2007.
16: THE GUEST STARS
1 “Rosebud,” The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season, Vol. 1, supplementary commentary by David Mirkin, DVD, 2004.
2 Andrew Miller, “Homerphobic—The Simpsons Voice-Over Curse,” Spy, December 1993–March 1994.
3 Quoted in “Phil Hartman, Wife Die in Apparent Murder-Suicide,” CNN.com, May 28, 1998, www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9805/28/hartman/.
4 “Stark Raving Dad,” The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season, Vol. 1, supplementary commentary by James L. Brooks, DVD, 2001.
5 Ibid.
6 Quoted in David Sheff, “Playboy Interview: Matt Groening,” Playboy, June 1, 2007.
7 Conan O’Brien, “A Bob Hope Clause Means Without Him, All Bets Are Off,” New York Times, May 24, 1998.
17: ON AND ON
1 “List of Week’s TV Ratings,” Associated Press, September 18, 1995–May 20, 1996.
2 “Prime-time Nielsen Ratings,” Associated Press, November 3, 2000–May 22, 2009.
3 “Prime-time TV Rankings,” Los Angeles Times, October 8, 2008–April 1, 2009.
4 Quoted in Caroline Bellinger, “Simpsons Still Calling the Toon 15 Years On,” Daily Telegraph (Sydney), April 1, 2004.
5 Adam Buckman, “Time to Put ‘The Simpsons’ to Everlasting Rest,” New York Times, September 11, 2005.
6 Ben Wasserstein, “The Last (Great) Season of ‘The Simpsons,’” New York, September 11, 2006.
7 Andrea Chang, “Rolling in D’Oh!,” Daily Northwestern, November 4, 2004.
8 Terry Gross, “Matt Groening Discusses ‘The Simpsons,’” Fresh Air, NPR, December 29, 2004.
9 Lawrence Van Gelder, “China Restricts Mickey and Homer,” New York Times, August 14, 2006.
10 Quoted in “Life in Heaven,” Newsweek.com, January 25, 2001, www.newsweek.com/id/153648?tid=relatedcl.
11 Dan Snierson, “Homer’s Odyssey,” Entertainment Weekly, July 27, 2007.
12 Ibid.
13 Nick Curtis, “The Simpsons’ Big Screen Test,” Evening Standard (London), July 12, 2007.
14 Todd McCarthy, “Spanglish,” Variety, December 9, 2004.
15 Gail Schiller, “Doh! Simpsons Limits Tie-in Partners,” The Hollywood Reporter, July 6, 2007.
16 Quoted in Will Harris, “A Chat with Alf Clausen,” Bullz-Eye.com, September 26, 2007, www.bullz-eye.com/television/interviews/2007/alf_clausen.htm.
17 Snierson, “Homer’s Odyssey.”
18: UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DUFF
1 Quoted in “Archbishop’s Views Have Often Sparked Controversy,” Agence France-Presse, February 9, 2008.
2 Yasmine El-Rashidi, “D’oh! Bart and Homer Now Badr and Omar,” Globe and Mail, (Toronto), October 17, 2005.
3 Chris A
yres, “Simpsons Producers ‘Have a Cow’ as Bart Lends His Voice to Scientology,” Times (London), January 30, 2009.
Dramatis Personae
JOHN ALBERTI: A professor of English at Northern Kentucky University, Alberti has written on popular music, television, and the movies, including his book Text Messaging: Reading and Writing About Popular Culture. He is the editor of Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture, a book of critical essays on The Simpsons. He also has a band called the Bitter Pills.
GARTH ANCIER: Former president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting, currently president of BBC Worldwide America. Ancier was the top exec at Fox Broadcasting in the mid-1980s, running the network day to day and ultimately in charge of programming and buying shows. Ancier is credited with changing television by placing shows like Married … with Children and The Simpsons on the air.
RICHARD APPEL: A former prosecutor and Lampoon veteran, Appel joined The Simpsons as a story editor (the entry-level writing position) in 1995, under David Mirkin, and was named co–executive producer before he left in 1999. Appel’s credits include The Bernie Mac Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
WESLEY ARCHER: Former Simpsons animator and director. Archer, who studied animation at CalArts, is one of the original directors, hired by Gabor Csupo (along with David Silverman and Bill Kopp), to animate The Simpsons shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show. Archer directed twenty-six episodes of The Simpsons and became the supervising director at King of the Hill in 1996.
HANK AZARIA: A phenomenally talented voice and improv actor, Azaria joined The Simpsons in 1989 to lend his voice to characters like Chief Wiggum, Apu, Moe, and Comic Book Guy (there are more than 160 to date). Azaria’s acting career has placed him on such TV shows as Friends, Mad About You, and Huff, and films including The Birdcage and Quiz Show. He has won four Emmys for his voice-over work on The Simpsons.
DON BARROZO: Current Simpsons film editor. Barrozo has been with The Simpsons from the very first episode. It’s his job to place the sound tracks into the episodes when they come back from Korea, allowing the director of an episode to see it for the first time with both the visuals and sound. “It’s the closest thing to instant gratification that you can get in animation,” he says.
JERRY BELSON: Partnered with Garry Marshall in the 1960s when they wrote for The Dick Van Dyke Show, Belson was part of a crew of writers and producers that included James L. Brooks, Marshall, Allan Burns, and Albert Brooks. He went on to write episodes of The Odd Couple, I Spy, The Tracey Ullman Show, and The Drew Carey Show, as well as the films Fun with Dick and Jane, Barefoot in the Park, Smile, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Belson was James L. Brooks’s best friend until the early nineties. He died of complications from cancer in 2006.
BRAD BIRD: Former Simpsons executive consultant, he was essentially the supervising director at Gracie. When the first Simpsons episode came back as a disaster, Brad Bird was brought in, and he stayed with the show until 1997. Bird has gone on to become one of the predominant names in animation, directing the cult hit The Iron Giant and helping to make Pixar the juggernaut it is with The Incredibles and Ratatouille.
ALBERT BROOKS: Five-time Simpsons guest voice and a giant of comedy. Brooks’s films include Broadcast News (for which he received an Oscar nomination), Finding Nemo, The Simpsons Movie, and the hilarious Taxi Driver. Originally a radio and then stand-up comic, he went on to write and direct short films for the first episodes of Saturday Night Live, later writing and directing Lost in America, Modern Romance, and Defending Your Life, as well as appearing in those films, and the ones above.
JACOB BURCH: An administrator for NoHomers.net, Burch is one of the chief operators of the largest Simpsons discussion site on the web.
KENT BUTTERWORTH: Former Simpsons animator, Butterworth directed the infamous “first episode,” which resulted in the first season being delayed and Butterworth being fired. Butterworth worked in Ralph Bakshi’s studio, animating Mighty Mouse and Dr. Seuss specials before being hired away by Klasky-Csupo.
MICHAEL CARRINGTON: A Simpsons spec script written by Carrington and his partner, Gary Apple, eventually got them an episode, “Homer’s Triple Bypass.” Carrington has gone on to write and produce many sitcoms, including The Jamie Foxx Show, Sinbad, Martin, and That’s So Raven.
NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Voice of Bart Simpson, Nelson, Ralph, and others. Cartwright, the Church of Scientology’s largest donor in 2007, came to Los Angeles from Ohio in the early eighties to pursue a career in voice acting, a pursuit she had been involved with since high school and encouraged by her mentor, Daws Butler, the voice of Yogi Bear. After some minor roles in cartoons, she found her place as the voice of Bart, winning a Best Voice-Over Emmy in 1992, and improvising Bart’s catchphrase, “Eat my shorts!” She has appeared in several sitcoms and films, and has authored a book, My Life as a Ten-Year-Old Boy.
DONICK CARY: Cary wrote for Just Shoot Me and the Late Show with David Letterman, coming to The Simpsons in 1996 (under Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein). Cary wrote key episodes, including “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo,” before leaving the series in 1999. He is the creator and executive producer of Lil’ Bush on Comedy Central.
DAN CASTELLANETA: Voice of Homer Simpson, Grandpa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and others. An improv actor from Chicago’s Second City, Castellaneta has provided much more than Homer’s voice; his formidable voice and acting talents have helped create one of the most iconic characters in the American pantheon. He’s taken home three Emmys for his voice work on the Simpsons and has appeared in films and in sitcoms like Arrested Development, Entourage, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friends, and Murphy Brown.
ROB COHEN: A production assistant, Cohen was transferred over to The Simpsons full-time when Ullman was canceled in 1990, eventually writing the episode “Flaming Moe’s.” Cohen’s younger brother, Joel, is now a writer/producer on the show. When I interviewed him during the writers’ strike of 2008, Cohen was looking for his Mr. Spock ears to attend a Star Trek–themed writers’ event.
JENNIFER CRITTENDEN: An intern on Letterman in the early nineties, Crittenden won a spot in the Young Writers Program at Fox in 1993, observing The Simpsons writing team for nearly six months. At the next story conference, she submitted material, was assigned a story, and was put on staff for Seasons 6 and 7.
GABOR CSUPO: Executive animation producer, The Simpsons (1989–92), and co-owner of Klasky-Csupo Animation, which has animated Duckman, Rugrats, and The Wild Thornberrys. Csupo escaped from Hungary in the seventies with several of his animator friends, setting up shop in Los Angeles in 1980. In 1987, his company won the bid to animate The Simpsons shorts on Ullman.
BARRY DILLER: Along with Rupert Murdoch, Diller invented the Fox Network and reinvented television. Starting in the William Morris mailroom, Diller went on to become chairman and CEO of Paramount in 1976, when he was thirty-four. In 1985, he was scooped up by Rupert Murdoch to help with Fox Broadcasting Company. He is currently CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp., the owner of the Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, CollegeHumor.com, and Lavalife.
LARRY DOYLE: Former Simpsons writer/producer (1998–2001). Doyle came to the show from New York magazine, where he was an editor. His work is regularly published in the New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ, and he is the author of the bestselling I Love You, Beth Cooper, which has been adapted for the screen.
CHARLEEN EASTON: A writer and producer of TV shows including What About Joan? and Kim Possible, Easton was David Mirkin’s assistant on The Edge, Get a Life, and The Simpsons. She and her husband, David Richardson—a former Simpsons writer she met on the show—remain close friends with Mirkin.
KEN ESTIN: Estin was a writer on Taxi under Jim Brooks and the show’s creators, Glen Charles, Les Charles, and James Burrows. With Heide Perlman and Jerry Belson, Estin was a cocreator and executive producer of The Tracey Ullman Show in 1986.
HARVEY FIERSTEIN: Brooklyn-born Harvey Fierstein is one of two people (the other is Tommy
Tune) ever to have won four Tony awards in four separate categories. He is internationally recognized as an icon of the stage and film and an important activist and cultural voice on gay issues. Onstage, he has appeared in Torch Song Trilogy and La Cage Aux Folles, both of which he wrote, and A Catered Affair, Fiddler on the Roof, and Hairspray.
