Flaming Moe's
Encyclopedia
"Flaming Moe's" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons
' third season
. It first aired on the Fox network
in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer
tells Moe Szyslak
of a secret alcoholic cocktail
that includes cough medicine
and fire that he calls "Flaming Homer". Moe steals the recipe from Homer, renames the drink the "Flaming Moe" and begins selling it at his tavern. The drink is a success and boosts business and patronage, but Homer is angry at Moe for his betrayal, and seeks revenge.
The episode was written by Robert Cohen and directed by Rich Moore
, with assistance from Alan Smart
. "Flaming Moe's" was one of the first episodes of the show to feature Moe in a prominent role. The main plot of the episode in which Moe's Tavern becomes famous because of a drink is loosely based on the Los Angeles
establishment Coconut Teaszer
. The episode also parodies the television series Cheers
, including the theme song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
", and a character named Collette is modeled after Shelley Long
's character Diane Chambers
. Catherine O'Hara
originally recorded dialogue for the part of Colette, but the writers felt her voice did not fit the role and instead used a track recorded by regular Jo Ann Harris
.
American rock band Aerosmith
(Steven Tyler
, Joe Perry
, Brad Whitford
, Tom Hamilton
and Joey Kramer
) appears in the episode. They were the first band to make a guest appearance on the show. Their dialogue was recorded in Boston
with Hank Azaria
, the voice of Moe, who flew over to record his part with them and help them with their lines.
The episode has been well-received by critics and has been included in best Simpsons episode lists by IGN
, Entertainment Weekly
, AskMen.com
and AOL
. In its original airing during the November sweeps period, the episode had a 14.4 Nielsen rating and finished the week ranked 29th.
and Lisa
's fighting drives him to distraction at home one night, Homer
visits Moe's Tavern, where he finds Moe
is in serious financial trouble, having been unable to make his beer payment. Homer tells him about a drink recipe that he accidentally invented one night, called the "Flaming Homer". He explains that after Patty and Selma made the Simpson family
watch slides from their latest vacation, he was unable to find a beer. He decided to mix together drops of liquor from near-empty bottles and accidentally included a bottle of Krusty Brand non-narcotic cough syrup. When Patty dropped cigarette ash in the drink and set it on fire, Homer discovered that fire greatly enhanced the taste of the drink.
Moe tries making Homer's drink, and gives it to a customer, who loves it. When the customer asks what the drink is called, Homer starts to respond, but Moe butts in and calls it a "Flaming Moe". Word of mouth spreads, and Moe sees his business boom because of the drink. To help out with the extra customers, he hires a waitress named Colette. Moe's Tavern, renamed "Flaming Moe's", soon becomes one of the trendiest nightspots in Springfield
and Aerosmith
's new hangout. Homer becomes angry with Moe and vows never to return to the tavern. He subsequently becomes obsessed with Moe and his betrayal, even having a hallucination where he sees Moe's face everywhere.
A restaurant chain becomes interested in purchasing the recipe for the drink, of which they have managed to identify all but the secret ingredient (cough syrup). A representative offers Moe $1,000,000, but he refuses. Colette discovers that Moe stole the recipe from Homer and makes him promise to sell the drink and give half of the money to him. Later, as Moe is about to accept the deal — and share half of the money with Homer — Homer, unhinged by resentment, arrives at the tavern. He gets his revenge on Moe by revealing to everyone in the bar that the secret ingredient is "nothing but plain, ordinary, over the-counter children's cough syrup!" The representative quickly retracts the offer and leaves.
Within one week, nearly all restaurants in Springfield are serving "Flaming Moes", and Moe's business has gone back to the way it was before. Homer stops in, and he and Moe reconcile. Moe gives Homer a "Flaming Homer" free of charge.
establishment Coconut Teaszer
. According to IGN, "Flaming Moe's" was "one of the first [episodes] to really give Moe the spotlight." There was originally a joke in the episode in which a gay
couple walked into "Flaming Moe's", assuming that it was a gay bar
because of the name. Matt Groening
feels that it was a good thing the joke was cut because he did not feel the writers should bring attention to the name.
Catherine O'Hara
originally agreed to provide the voice of Collette the waitress, and went into the studio and recorded her part for the character. According to Mike Reiss
, "Something about her did not animate correctly. The voice did not work for our purposes." Jo Ann Harris
, a regular voice actor in the show, had recorded a temporary track using an impression of Shelley Long
's character Diane Chambers
from Cheers. The producers thought it fit the role better and used it instead of O'Hara. Sam Simon
had previously written for Cheers, and contributed much of Collette's dialogue, as he was familiar with writing dialogue for Diane. Originally, there was more to the subplot featuring Moe and Colette, but it was cut because the writers felt it did not work. The third act opens with a parody of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
", the theme song from Cheers. The parody was written by Jeff Martin
, and the sequence was designed by future Simpsons director Nancy Kruse
.
American rock band Aerosmith
were the first band to make a guest appearance on the show. The writers had heard that the band had wanted to appear in an episode, so they wrote the guest spot for them. According to Al Jean, they later found out that part of the reason why Aerosmith agreed to appear was the drink being called the "Flaming Moe". The band was recorded in Boston
, and Hank Azaria
, the voice of Moe, flew over to record his part with them and help them with their lines. In the original script, Moe tempted the band to play by offering them free beer, but the band members asked that the joke be changed. The writers changed the line to "free pickled eggs." The band is shown sitting at a table with a bearded man, who is modeled after their A&R man John Kalodner
. One of the stipulations from the band was to include him in the episode. Kalodner also received a "special thanks to" credit at the end of the episode. Aerosmith's song "Young Lust" from the album Pump
plays over the end credits. According to Al Jean, the band recorded a special shortened version of the song just for the episode.
The episode was directed by Rich Moore
and Alan Smart
. Moore's daughter was born during the production of the episode, and he missed several weeks of layout, which Smart oversaw.
. Collette the waitress is a parody of Cheers character Diane Chambers
, and the "theme sequence" for Flaming Moe's, is a direct parody of the famous Cheers theme. Barney Gumble
is given a Norm Peterson
entrance. Aerosmith
sings "Walk This Way
" in Moe's Tavern and "Young Lust" during the closing credits. When Homer reveals the secret of the "Flaming Moe", the scene has many parallels to The Phantom of the Opera
including Homer standing high up in the roof, covering half of his face. The scene in which Professor Frink
analyzes a "Flaming Moe" is an homage to The Nutty Professor
. The scene where Bart runs away from Lisa and her friends references the Alfred Hitchcock
film North by Northwest
. Lionel Hutz
says that a drink can not be copyright
ed, citing the "Frank Wallbanger case of '78". This references the Harvey Wallbanger
cocktail. Near the end of the episode, several bars with names similar to "Flaming Moe's" can be seen. This parodies Ray's Pizza
in New York City
where dozens of individual establishments have similar names.
and was viewed in approximately 13.26 million homes. It finished the week ranked 29th, up from the season's average rank of 32nd. It finished second in its timeslot behind The Cosby Show
, which finished 17th with a 15.9 rating. It was the highest rated show on Fox that week.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "Possibly the best Simpsons episode, with a constant stream of gags, inspired animation (in particular the sequence when Homer begins to see and hear Moe everywhere, from Maggie's gurgles to the leaves on the trees), and a superb plot that twists about in every direction but the one you might expect." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote "From Lisa’s slumber party at the opening through the Cheers spoof at Moe’s, this episode’s another real winner. Homer gets some of his all-time best lines, including a great run where he mocks Marge’s attempts to have him accept his fate. We even find a great twist on Bart’s prank phone calls when he asks for “Hugh Jass”. All in all, “Flaming” provides a terrific show." Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed gave the episode 5/5, calling it "another great chapter in the history of The Simpsons, with tons of laughs throughout." Todd VanDerWerff of Slant Magazine
called it "a very funny episode" and highlighted the plot's focus on Moe as "an example of the show gradually expanding its supporting townspeople into characters in their own right," as "Moe was just an angry bartender before this episode. After this one, he's the sad man who sometimes tastes success but always lets it slip away because of his inability to do the right thing until it's too late." VanDerWerff also interpreted the episode as a metaphor for Simon's relationship with fellow The Simpsons developers Groening and James L. Brooks
and Simon's belief that he was not receiving enough credit for The Simpsons.
In 2006, IGN
named "Flaming Moe's" the best episode of the third season. They wrote, "This episode has tons of standout moments, from the appearance by Aerosmith (the first time a musical act of that caliber appeared as themselves on the series); a funny payoff for all of Bart's prank calls to Moe's, when a man named Hugh Jass actually does turn out to be a customer; a deftly done Cheers parody at the height of Moe's success; and Homer turning into a Phantom of the Opera type lunatic." In Entertainment Weekly
' s 2003 list of the top 25 The Simpsons episodes ever, it was placed sixteenth. In 2003, Rich Weir of AskMen.com
placed the episode in second on his list of his ten favorite episodes of the show. He wrote, "As one of the early episodes that helped solidify the show's sharp wit and satirical ability, "Flaming Moe's" has everything a classic Simpsons episode should have: gut-busting humor, nifty parody, and some superstar cameos to seal the deal. [...] highlights include a performance by Aerosmith (in a guest-starring role), Bart actually apologizing to Moe for one of his infamous prank calls, and a memorable spoof of Cheers' theme song. In 2003, executive producer Al Jean
listed the episode as one of his favorites. Niel Harvey of The Roanoke Times
called "Flaming Moe's" a "classic bit of Simpsonia." AOL
placed the episode sixth on their list of the top 25 Simpsons episodes. In 2006, the members of Aerosmith were collectively named the 24th best Simpsons guest stars by IGN
.
The song "Flaming Moe's", which parodies "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
" from Cheers, was well received. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
named the song the "Best Theme Song Parody" of 1991. It was later included in the 1997 album Songs in the Key of Springfield
, a compilation of songs from the first seven seasons of the show.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
. It first aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
tells Moe Szyslak
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
of a secret alcoholic cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
that includes cough medicine
Cough medicine
A cough medicine is a medicinal drug used in an attempt to treat coughing and related conditions. For dry coughs, treatment with cough suppressants may be attempted to suppress the body's urge to cough...
and fire that he calls "Flaming Homer". Moe steals the recipe from Homer, renames the drink the "Flaming Moe" and begins selling it at his tavern. The drink is a success and boosts business and patronage, but Homer is angry at Moe for his betrayal, and seeks revenge.
The episode was written by Robert Cohen and directed by Rich Moore
Rich Moore
Rich Moore is an American animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90s redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
, with assistance from Alan Smart
Alan Smart
Alan Smart is an animator and an animation director best known for his work for SpongeBob SquarePants and as a director, assistant director and layout artist with The Simpsons .He also did animation for the Nickelodeon cartoons CatDog, Hey Arnold!, Rocko's Modern Life and...
. "Flaming Moe's" was one of the first episodes of the show to feature Moe in a prominent role. The main plot of the episode in which Moe's Tavern becomes famous because of a drink is loosely based on the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
establishment Coconut Teaszer
Coconut Teaszer
The Coconut Teaszer was a bar and club on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s, formerly located at 8117 Sunset Blvd. .Their downstairs bar was called the Crooked Bar....
. The episode also parodies the television series Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, including the theme song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Theme from Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)
"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is the theme song from the 1980s television sitcom Cheers. The song was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo and performed by Portnoy...
", and a character named Collette is modeled after Shelley Long
Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
's character Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers is a fictional character portrayed by Shelley Long on the American television show Cheers , and on several episodes of the subsequent Cheers spin-off Frasier...
. Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
originally recorded dialogue for the part of Colette, but the writers felt her voice did not fit the role and instead used a track recorded by regular Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, she is known for her role in the film The Beguiled as the sultry 17-year-old Carol who seduces Clint Eastwood's character. Harris had a small singing role in Newsies as "Patrick's mother", the woman searching for her son in the first part...
.
American rock band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
(Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
, Brad Whitford
Brad Whitford
Bradford Ernest Whitford is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He graduated Reading Memorial High School in 1970.-Career:...
, Tom Hamilton
Tom Hamilton (musician)
Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist of hard rock band Aerosmith. He has co-written two of Aerosmith's hits, "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun". Hamilton occasionally plays guitar and sings backing vocals Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton (born...
and Joey Kramer
Joey Kramer
Joseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
) appears in the episode. They were the first band to make a guest appearance on the show. Their dialogue was recorded in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
with Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
, the voice of Moe, who flew over to record his part with them and help them with their lines.
The episode has been well-received by critics and has been included in best Simpsons episode lists by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, AskMen.com
AskMen.com
AskMen.com is a free online men’s web portal, with international versions in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.-History:...
and AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. In its original airing during the November sweeps period, the episode had a 14.4 Nielsen rating and finished the week ranked 29th.
Plot
After BartBart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
's fighting drives him to distraction at home one night, Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
visits Moe's Tavern, where he finds Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
is in serious financial trouble, having been unable to make his beer payment. Homer tells him about a drink recipe that he accidentally invented one night, called the "Flaming Homer". He explains that after Patty and Selma made the Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
watch slides from their latest vacation, he was unable to find a beer. He decided to mix together drops of liquor from near-empty bottles and accidentally included a bottle of Krusty Brand non-narcotic cough syrup. When Patty dropped cigarette ash in the drink and set it on fire, Homer discovered that fire greatly enhanced the taste of the drink.
Moe tries making Homer's drink, and gives it to a customer, who loves it. When the customer asks what the drink is called, Homer starts to respond, but Moe butts in and calls it a "Flaming Moe". Word of mouth spreads, and Moe sees his business boom because of the drink. To help out with the extra customers, he hires a waitress named Colette. Moe's Tavern, renamed "Flaming Moe's", soon becomes one of the trendiest nightspots in Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's new hangout. Homer becomes angry with Moe and vows never to return to the tavern. He subsequently becomes obsessed with Moe and his betrayal, even having a hallucination where he sees Moe's face everywhere.
A restaurant chain becomes interested in purchasing the recipe for the drink, of which they have managed to identify all but the secret ingredient (cough syrup). A representative offers Moe $1,000,000, but he refuses. Colette discovers that Moe stole the recipe from Homer and makes him promise to sell the drink and give half of the money to him. Later, as Moe is about to accept the deal — and share half of the money with Homer — Homer, unhinged by resentment, arrives at the tavern. He gets his revenge on Moe by revealing to everyone in the bar that the secret ingredient is "nothing but plain, ordinary, over the-counter children's cough syrup!" The representative quickly retracts the offer and leaves.
Within one week, nearly all restaurants in Springfield are serving "Flaming Moes", and Moe's business has gone back to the way it was before. Homer stops in, and he and Moe reconcile. Moe gives Homer a "Flaming Homer" free of charge.
Production
The main plot of the episode, in which Moe's Tavern becomes famous because of a drink, is loosely based on the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
establishment Coconut Teaszer
Coconut Teaszer
The Coconut Teaszer was a bar and club on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s, formerly located at 8117 Sunset Blvd. .Their downstairs bar was called the Crooked Bar....
. According to IGN, "Flaming Moe's" was "one of the first [episodes] to really give Moe the spotlight." There was originally a joke in the episode in which a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
couple walked into "Flaming Moe's", assuming that it was a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
because of the name. Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
feels that it was a good thing the joke was cut because he did not feel the writers should bring attention to the name.
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
originally agreed to provide the voice of Collette the waitress, and went into the studio and recorded her part for the character. According to Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
, "Something about her did not animate correctly. The voice did not work for our purposes." Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, she is known for her role in the film The Beguiled as the sultry 17-year-old Carol who seduces Clint Eastwood's character. Harris had a small singing role in Newsies as "Patrick's mother", the woman searching for her son in the first part...
, a regular voice actor in the show, had recorded a temporary track using an impression of Shelley Long
Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
's character Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers is a fictional character portrayed by Shelley Long on the American television show Cheers , and on several episodes of the subsequent Cheers spin-off Frasier...
from Cheers. The producers thought it fit the role better and used it instead of O'Hara. Sam Simon
Sam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
had previously written for Cheers, and contributed much of Collette's dialogue, as he was familiar with writing dialogue for Diane. Originally, there was more to the subplot featuring Moe and Colette, but it was cut because the writers felt it did not work. The third act opens with a parody of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Theme from Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)
"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is the theme song from the 1980s television sitcom Cheers. The song was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo and performed by Portnoy...
", the theme song from Cheers. The parody was written by Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
, and the sequence was designed by future Simpsons director Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She started working on the show during the first season as a background clean-up artist. After that she did background layout and character layout for several years on the show before becoming an assistant director...
.
American rock band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
were the first band to make a guest appearance on the show. The writers had heard that the band had wanted to appear in an episode, so they wrote the guest spot for them. According to Al Jean, they later found out that part of the reason why Aerosmith agreed to appear was the drink being called the "Flaming Moe". The band was recorded in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
, the voice of Moe, flew over to record his part with them and help them with their lines. In the original script, Moe tempted the band to play by offering them free beer, but the band members asked that the joke be changed. The writers changed the line to "free pickled eggs." The band is shown sitting at a table with a bearded man, who is modeled after their A&R man John Kalodner
John Kalodner
John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive. His achievements included signing Foreigner, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins to Atlantic Records in the seventies....
. One of the stipulations from the band was to include him in the episode. Kalodner also received a "special thanks to" credit at the end of the episode. Aerosmith's song "Young Lust" from the album Pump
Pump (album)
*After the end of "What It Takes" there is a brief, untitled, instrumental hidden track composed and performed by Randy Raine-Reusch. This was not included on all the releases in all countries.-Bonus track :-Lawsuit:...
plays over the end credits. According to Al Jean, the band recorded a special shortened version of the song just for the episode.
The episode was directed by Rich Moore
Rich Moore
Rich Moore is an American animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90s redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
and Alan Smart
Alan Smart
Alan Smart is an animator and an animation director best known for his work for SpongeBob SquarePants and as a director, assistant director and layout artist with The Simpsons .He also did animation for the Nickelodeon cartoons CatDog, Hey Arnold!, Rocko's Modern Life and...
. Moore's daughter was born during the production of the episode, and he missed several weeks of layout, which Smart oversaw.
Cultural references
The basic premise of the episode is similar to the film Cocktail. Several references are made to the sitcom CheersCheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
. Collette the waitress is a parody of Cheers character Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers is a fictional character portrayed by Shelley Long on the American television show Cheers , and on several episodes of the subsequent Cheers spin-off Frasier...
, and the "theme sequence" for Flaming Moe's, is a direct parody of the famous Cheers theme. Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
is given a Norm Peterson
Norm Peterson
Hillary Norman "Norm" Peterson is a character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by George Wendt. Norm's real first name was revealed to be Hillary, named after his grandfather....
entrance. Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
sings "Walk This Way
Walk This Way
"Walk This Way" is a song by American hard rock group Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the 1975 album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit...
" in Moe's Tavern and "Young Lust" during the closing credits. When Homer reveals the secret of the "Flaming Moe", the scene has many parallels to The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
including Homer standing high up in the roof, covering half of his face. The scene in which Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
analyzes a "Flaming Moe" is an homage to The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...
. The scene where Bart runs away from Lisa and her friends references the Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
. Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and his first appearance was in the season two episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car". Due to the death of Hartman, his final speaking role was in the episode "Realty Bites"...
says that a drink can not be copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ed, citing the "Frank Wallbanger case of '78". This references the Harvey Wallbanger
Harvey Wallbanger
The Harvey Wallbanger is an alcoholic beverage or cocktail made with vodka, Galliano, and orange juice.-History:The Harvey Wallbanger is reported to have been invented in 1952 by three-time world champion mixologist Donato 'Duke' Antone , the brother-in-law of New York state Senator Carlo Lanzillotti...
cocktail. Near the end of the episode, several bars with names similar to "Flaming Moe's" can be seen. This parodies Ray's Pizza
Ray's Pizza
Ray's Pizza, and its many variations such as "Ray's Original Pizza", "Famous Ray's Pizza", "World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza", etc, are the names of dozens of pizzerias in the New York City area that are generally completely independent but that may have similar menus, signs and...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where dozens of individual establishments have similar names.
Reception
In its original airing on the Fox Network during November sweeps, the episode had a 14.4 Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and was viewed in approximately 13.26 million homes. It finished the week ranked 29th, up from the season's average rank of 32nd. It finished second in its timeslot behind The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, which finished 17th with a 15.9 rating. It was the highest rated show on Fox that week.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "Possibly the best Simpsons episode, with a constant stream of gags, inspired animation (in particular the sequence when Homer begins to see and hear Moe everywhere, from Maggie's gurgles to the leaves on the trees), and a superb plot that twists about in every direction but the one you might expect." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote "From Lisa’s slumber party at the opening through the Cheers spoof at Moe’s, this episode’s another real winner. Homer gets some of his all-time best lines, including a great run where he mocks Marge’s attempts to have him accept his fate. We even find a great twist on Bart’s prank phone calls when he asks for “Hugh Jass”. All in all, “Flaming” provides a terrific show." Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed gave the episode 5/5, calling it "another great chapter in the history of The Simpsons, with tons of laughs throughout." Todd VanDerWerff of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
called it "a very funny episode" and highlighted the plot's focus on Moe as "an example of the show gradually expanding its supporting townspeople into characters in their own right," as "Moe was just an angry bartender before this episode. After this one, he's the sad man who sometimes tastes success but always lets it slip away because of his inability to do the right thing until it's too late." VanDerWerff also interpreted the episode as a metaphor for Simon's relationship with fellow The Simpsons developers Groening and James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
and Simon's belief that he was not receiving enough credit for The Simpsons.
In 2006, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
named "Flaming Moe's" the best episode of the third season. They wrote, "This episode has tons of standout moments, from the appearance by Aerosmith (the first time a musical act of that caliber appeared as themselves on the series); a funny payoff for all of Bart's prank calls to Moe's, when a man named Hugh Jass actually does turn out to be a customer; a deftly done Cheers parody at the height of Moe's success; and Homer turning into a Phantom of the Opera type lunatic." In Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
AskMen.com
AskMen.com is a free online men’s web portal, with international versions in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.-History:...
placed the episode in second on his list of his ten favorite episodes of the show. He wrote, "As one of the early episodes that helped solidify the show's sharp wit and satirical ability, "Flaming Moe's" has everything a classic Simpsons episode should have: gut-busting humor, nifty parody, and some superstar cameos to seal the deal. [...] highlights include a performance by Aerosmith (in a guest-starring role), Bart actually apologizing to Moe for one of his infamous prank calls, and a memorable spoof of Cheers' theme song. In 2003, executive producer Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
listed the episode as one of his favorites. Niel Harvey of The Roanoke Times
The Roanoke Times
The Roanoke Times is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia and is based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It is published by Landmark Media Enterprises...
called "Flaming Moe's" a "classic bit of Simpsonia." AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
placed the episode sixth on their list of the top 25 Simpsons episodes. In 2006, the members of Aerosmith were collectively named the 24th best Simpsons guest stars by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.
The song "Flaming Moe's", which parodies "Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Theme from Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)
"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is the theme song from the 1980s television sitcom Cheers. The song was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo and performed by Portnoy...
" from Cheers, was well received. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
named the song the "Best Theme Song Parody" of 1991. It was later included in the 1997 album Songs in the Key of Springfield
Songs in the Key of Springfield
Songs in the Key of Springfield is a soundtrack/novelty album from The Simpsons compiling many of the musical numbers from the series. The album was released in the United States on March 18, 1997, and in the United Kingdom in June 1997...
, a compilation of songs from the first seven seasons of the show.
External links
- "Flaming Moe's" at The Simpsons.com
- "Flaming Moe's" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...