Brian Sings and Swings
Encyclopedia
"Brian Sings and Swings" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy
. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2006. Brian
meets Frank Sinatra, Jr.
and begins to perform on stage with him, and they are shortly joined by Stewie
. Meanwhile, Meg
pretends to be a lesbian
after being offered a chance to join the Lesbian Alliance Club at her school.
The episode was written by Michael Rowe
and directed by Chuck Klein and Zac Moncrief
. It received mostly positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. The episode featured guest performances by Mark Borchardt
, James Burkholder, Don LaFontaine
, Mike Schank, Stacey Scowley
, Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, Nicole Sullivan
, Fred Tatasciore
, Audrey Wasilewski
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
prepares to leave for work, he backs his car out of the driveway, hitting Brian
, who needs treatment at a hospital. Upon Brian's return, Peter makes too much of an effort to welcome him back into the family. Meanwhile, Meg makes friends with Sarah at her school, unaware that she is about to be offered a place in the Lesbian Alliance Club (LAC). After speaking with Neil Goldman, Meg realizes that she is now considered a lesbian
by the group and prepares to drop out; however, when she realizes the effect of being a member may have on her social status (finding herself more popular as a lesbian), she pretends to be a lesbian.
Meanwhile, Brian becomes depressed
after the accident, but after speaking with Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, he begins to perform with him, changing his outlook on life to that of positivity. After being told of Brian's new lifestyle, the family is impressed and encourage him to continue. However, when he is invited by Sinatra to perform with him again, their duo is interrupted by Stewie
, who joins the performance. Meanwhile, Meg tells the family that she is now a lesbian, but is mocked by Lois
, knowing that she is not being honest. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie continue their performances across Quahog with Sinatra. In a drunken condition following a performance, Brian loses Stewie, which results in Stewie's ear being bitten off by a deer
. Displeased at Brian's behavior, Peter scolds him that he will stop performing with Sinatra and threatens to telephone Mia Farrow
(whom he believes to be Sinatra's mother) to tell her that "her" son is a bad influence on Brian. Angry at Peter's bossiness about his life, Brian bites his arm, which leaves Peter afraid of him; the next day, Brian tries to reconcile with Peter, but Peter, still scared, only pelts him with furniture, dishes and Stewie, forcing Brian to run away.
Brian, regretful of biting Peter, quits performing with Stewie and Sinatra, resorting to drinking wine from a gutter. However, Brian regains his confidence when Stewie finds him, where he tells Brian that there are things in life which are beyond his control, telling him that even though they aren't in his control, they do matter, contrary to Brian's common beliefs. Meanwhile, Meg prepares to tell Sarah that she is not a lesbian and that she only pretended to be in order to make friends; however, Sarah gets undressed, believing Meg to has come to her house to have sex
with her. They are both interrupted by Quagmire
and his production team
filming their antics. The episode ends with Stewie, Brian and Frank Sinatra, Jr. singing once more at a club until Mia Farrow (called in by Peter) intervenes, reprimanding Frank for "hanging out 'till all hours with a baby and a dog", and proceeding to spank him in front of the audience, much to his chagrin.
where Darth Vader
has his helmet placed on his head. The producers acknowledged that John Williams
had forbidden re-recordings of his music so the actual recording of "The Imperial March
" was used with permission by Williams and Lucasfilm
. The synopsis for this episode partially focuses on Meg becoming a lesbian
, this was because Seth MacFarlane
believed the United States loved lesbians, which he describes as "the best kind of love". As Brian and Stewie move back and forth on the stage when performing with Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, the scene originally appeared wrong, as the characters did not match the movement of the background. Brian makes a comment about Stewie's weird laugh when he finds something really funny. This is the only time on Family Guy when MacFarlane has not voiced Stewie; instead, the laughing was performed by Ricky Blitt
, a former writer of Family Guy.
; however after the film, the song became so popular it was used in a new movie in 1973. Another musical performance performed by Brian and Sinatra was based on a musical composition used in the film Scared Stiff. When Brian is in the hospital after being hit by Peter's car, Stewie says that he will have to hang out with The Rock again. The cutaway shows a trailer with Stewie and the Rock. The narrator (Don LaFontaine
) speculates about the Rock’s race and then that of actress Jessica Alba
. The Rock is part black and part Samoan. Alba is Mexican (from her father’s side) and white French-Canadian and Danish (from her mom’s side). When Meg says that she is a super mega-lesbian, Sarah tells her that she will fit in with the other super-mega-lesbians, who sing "Elvira
" by the Oak Ridge Boys, much to Meg's excitement. In a cutaway mentioned by Stewie, Thomas Edison
hoards electricity
, as he fights with Alexander Graham Bell
. Edison talks about how much more fortunate he is than Bell, since he has hoarded electricity. He says that he watches The Office, and plays Foxy Lady
by Jimi Hendrix
.
, due to the show featuring many music-inspired scenes and for the use of its own orchestra
. Ryan J. Budke of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, writing that it was not the show's "greatest episode this year, but it was still funny".
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2006. Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
meets Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
and begins to perform on stage with him, and they are shortly joined by Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
. Meanwhile, Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
pretends to be a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
after being offered a chance to join the Lesbian Alliance Club at her school.
The episode was written by Michael Rowe
Michael Rowe
Michael "Mike" Rowe is a television writer, producer and comedian. He has written for Becker, The Nanny, Futurama and Family Guy, as well as writing the episode of The PJs, "A Race to His Credit".-Becker episodes:...
and directed by Chuck Klein and Zac Moncrief
Zac Moncrief
Zachary Thomas Moncrief is a director of animated television programs, currently serving as a director for the Disney Channel cartoon Phineas and Ferb...
. It received mostly positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. The episode featured guest performances by Mark Borchardt
Mark Borchardt
Mark Borchardt is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known as the subject of the 1999 film American Movie: The Making of Northwestern, which documented two years he spent writing, shooting and editing his horror short, Coven .-Early life:Borchardt was born and raised in Menomonee Falls,...
, James Burkholder, Don LaFontaine
Don LaFontaine
Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
, Mike Schank, Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley is an American actress. She gained memorable attention from her appearance in a 2002 commercial for Kia Motors called "Boyfriend" which was heavily aired. She has also appeared in numerous television commercials for several companies which include Progressive Auto Insurance,...
, Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...
, Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore
Frederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...
, Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski is an American actress and voice actress.-Life and career:Wasilewski's first role came in the 1994 Japanese animated film Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko, where she was one of the additional voices dubbed in English...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
As PeterPeter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
prepares to leave for work, he backs his car out of the driveway, hitting Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
, who needs treatment at a hospital. Upon Brian's return, Peter makes too much of an effort to welcome him back into the family. Meanwhile, Meg makes friends with Sarah at her school, unaware that she is about to be offered a place in the Lesbian Alliance Club (LAC). After speaking with Neil Goldman, Meg realizes that she is now considered a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
by the group and prepares to drop out; however, when she realizes the effect of being a member may have on her social status (finding herself more popular as a lesbian), she pretends to be a lesbian.
Meanwhile, Brian becomes depressed
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
after the accident, but after speaking with Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, he begins to perform with him, changing his outlook on life to that of positivity. After being told of Brian's new lifestyle, the family is impressed and encourage him to continue. However, when he is invited by Sinatra to perform with him again, their duo is interrupted by Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
, who joins the performance. Meanwhile, Meg tells the family that she is now a lesbian, but is mocked by Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
, knowing that she is not being honest. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie continue their performances across Quahog with Sinatra. In a drunken condition following a performance, Brian loses Stewie, which results in Stewie's ear being bitten off by a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. Displeased at Brian's behavior, Peter scolds him that he will stop performing with Sinatra and threatens to telephone Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
(whom he believes to be Sinatra's mother) to tell her that "her" son is a bad influence on Brian. Angry at Peter's bossiness about his life, Brian bites his arm, which leaves Peter afraid of him; the next day, Brian tries to reconcile with Peter, but Peter, still scared, only pelts him with furniture, dishes and Stewie, forcing Brian to run away.
Brian, regretful of biting Peter, quits performing with Stewie and Sinatra, resorting to drinking wine from a gutter. However, Brian regains his confidence when Stewie finds him, where he tells Brian that there are things in life which are beyond his control, telling him that even though they aren't in his control, they do matter, contrary to Brian's common beliefs. Meanwhile, Meg prepares to tell Sarah that she is not a lesbian and that she only pretended to be in order to make friends; however, Sarah gets undressed, believing Meg to has come to her house to have sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with her. They are both interrupted by Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
and his production team
American Movie
American Movie: The Making of Northwestern is a 1999 documentary directed by Chris Smith. The film chronicles the real 1996-1997 making of Coven, an independent horror film directed by an independent filmmaker named Mark Borchardt...
filming their antics. The episode ends with Stewie, Brian and Frank Sinatra, Jr. singing once more at a club until Mia Farrow (called in by Peter) intervenes, reprimanding Frank for "hanging out 'till all hours with a baby and a dog", and proceeding to spank him in front of the audience, much to his chagrin.
Production
Scripts and other production materials were altered and modified extensively. The rhythm and pacing of the show required frequent rewrites due to the inclusion of musical performances. MacFarlane comments that "having Frank Sinatra, Jr. on board was a pleasure to the team." The scene where Meg sees Chris in the bathroom parodies the scene from The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
where Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
has his helmet placed on his head. The producers acknowledged that John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
had forbidden re-recordings of his music so the actual recording of "The Imperial March
The Imperial March
"The Imperial March " is a musical theme present in the Star Wars franchise. It was composed by John Williams for the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
" was used with permission by Williams and Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
. The synopsis for this episode partially focuses on Meg becoming a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, this was because Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
believed the United States loved lesbians, which he describes as "the best kind of love". As Brian and Stewie move back and forth on the stage when performing with Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, the scene originally appeared wrong, as the characters did not match the movement of the background. Brian makes a comment about Stewie's weird laugh when he finds something really funny. This is the only time on Family Guy when MacFarlane has not voiced Stewie; instead, the laughing was performed by Ricky Blitt
Ricky Blitt
Ricky Blitt is a screenwriter, executive producer, show creator, and voice actor based in West Hollywood, California. Early in his career, Blitt was a writer on The Parent Hood, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, The Jon Stewart Show, On the Record with Bob Costas, Costas Now, and Brotherly Love...
, a former writer of Family Guy.
Cultural references
As Brian and Sinatra, Jr. are performing on stage, the song they are singing was originally composed for the 1960 film, High TimeHigh Time (film)
High Time is a 1960 collegiate comedic film, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bing Crosby. The film is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man who enters the world of a new generation of postwar youth...
; however after the film, the song became so popular it was used in a new movie in 1973. Another musical performance performed by Brian and Sinatra was based on a musical composition used in the film Scared Stiff. When Brian is in the hospital after being hit by Peter's car, Stewie says that he will have to hang out with The Rock again. The cutaway shows a trailer with Stewie and the Rock. The narrator (Don LaFontaine
Don LaFontaine
Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
) speculates about the Rock’s race and then that of actress Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
. The Rock is part black and part Samoan. Alba is Mexican (from her father’s side) and white French-Canadian and Danish (from her mom’s side). When Meg says that she is a super mega-lesbian, Sarah tells her that she will fit in with the other super-mega-lesbians, who sing "Elvira
Elvira (song)
"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
" by the Oak Ridge Boys, much to Meg's excitement. In a cutaway mentioned by Stewie, Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
hoards electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, as he fights with Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
. Edison talks about how much more fortunate he is than Bell, since he has hoarded electricity. He says that he watches The Office, and plays Foxy Lady
Foxy Lady
"Foxy Lady" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience from their 1967 album Are You Experienced. It can also be found on a number of Hendrix's greatest hits compilations, including Smash Hits and Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix...
by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
.
Reception
Family Guy and this episode are highly regarded in the music community of Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, due to the show featuring many music-inspired scenes and for the use of its own orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. Ryan J. Budke of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, writing that it was not the show's "greatest episode this year, but it was still funny".