Marge Be Not Proud
Encyclopedia
"Marge Be Not Proud" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons
' seventh season
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge
refuses to buy Bart
the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store. Bart ends up being estranged from his mother when he gets caught, and fearing that he has lost her love, he decides he must regain it.
The episode was written by Mike Scully
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
. Scully got the inspiration for it from an experience in his childhood when he shoplifted
. Lawrence Tierney
guest starred in the episode as Don Brodka. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from fans and television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 9.5, and was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
advertising the new fighting game
Bonestorm. It becomes a hit among his friends, a must-have item. He asks Marge
to buy it, but she refuses. Discouraged, Bart visits the local Try-N-Save discount store where Jimbo Jones and friends convince Bart to steal a copy of the game. On his way out of the store, Bart is caught by the store's security guard
, Donald Wilson "Don" Brodka, who tells Bart to leave and never return or else he will be spending Christmas in juvenile hall.
Marge, unaware of Bart's shoplifting
, takes the family to the same store to get their annual Christmas picture taken. Bart tries to avoid detection, but Brodka spots him, and shows a disbelieving Marge and Homer
the security tape of Bart shoplifting.
Marge is disappointed in Bart and becomes distant with him. Bart is left out of family activities, such as decorating the Christmas tree
and making snow statues. Bart fears he has lost his mother's love, and decides he must regain it. He visits the Try-N-Save, and returns home with a bulge in his coat. Marge confronts him, believing he was shoplifting again. She finds Bart has hidden a picture of himself bought as a Christmas present for her. Marge is overjoyed, and in gratitude for receiving her Christmas gift, she gives Bart the new game that a store salesman told her 'all the kids want', Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. Though Bart is profoundly underwhelmed, instead of complaining or being critical, Bart looks into his mother's expectant face and professes to be overjoyed.
, the writer of the episode, based it on experience in his childhood. Scully was twelve years old when he paid a visit to the Bradlees
discount department store in West Springfield, Massachusetts
. A "bunch of guys" were shoplifting at the store and they "pressured" Scully into doing it as well. He ended up getting caught outside, and "had one of the most traumatic moments" of his life. "To this day it still terrifies me", Scully said. He jokingly told Variety
that "It's great to be paid for reliving the horrors of your life."
The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore
. The show runner
of The Simpsons at the time, Bill Oakley
, thinks this is one of the most "beautifully" directed episodes of the show. He called the "hand-coloring" in very "vivid" and "bright". The episode is the first Christmas episode the producers had done since the first episode of the show, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
". Oakley said that nobody in the writing staff wanted to "try on Christmas" because it was "so famous" as being the first episode.
Lawrence Tierney
guest starred in the episode as Don Brodka. Another former show runner
, Josh Weinstein
, called Tierney's appearance "the craziest guest star experience we ever had". In addition to yelling at and intimidating employees of the show, Tierney made unreasonable requests such as abandoning his distinctive voice to do the part in a southern
accent and refusing to perform lines if he did not "get the jokes". Despite this, Oakley and Weinstein thought Tierney did a good job. Weinstein said that "he certainly delivered and he's one of my favorite characters we have had [on the show]". After Tierney's death, the episode "The Old Man and the Key
" was dedicated to him.
"Marge Be Not Proud" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. The episode was selected for release in a 1999 video collection of selected episodes, titled: Bart Wars. Other episodes included in the collection set were "Mayored to the Mob
", "Dog of Death
", and "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
". The episode was again included in the 2005 DVD release of the Bart Wars set. The episode was included in The Simpsons season 7 DVD set, which was released on December 13, 2005. Oakley, Weinstein, Scully, Moore, and Silverman participated in the DVD's audio commentary
.
of 9.5. The episode was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following a boxing match, Fox NFL Sunday, and The X-Files
.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "A Christmas special in all but name, and a touching look at the relationship between Marge and her growing Bart." Dave Foster of DVD Times said that "thanks to the keen eye of the writers and the rarely shown good side of Bart, this episode works very well as both an amusing insight to the way a child’s mind works and as a strong relationship building episode between Bart and Marge." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said that despite being one of the "sappier" episodes at times, it "still packs some terrific laughs". Jacobson commented that he "absolutely lost it when Homer’s drawing of a robot grilling a hot dog was seen - it’s funnier if you see it - and Lawrence Tierney’s guest turn as the store detective
adds hilarious grit to the show." He added that the episode does not "fall into the classic" category, "but it offers more than enough entertainment to satisfy." Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when a depressed Bart makes a snowman from the dirty, leftover snow under the car. She called the scene "amazingly pathetic". The website concluded its review by giving the episode a grade of B.
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 7)
The Simpsons seventh season originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995 and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining...
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
refuses to buy Bart
Bart 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...
the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store. Bart ends up being estranged from his mother when he gets caught, and fearing that he has lost her love, he decides he must regain it.
The episode was written by Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. Scully got the inspiration for it from an experience in his childhood when he shoplifted
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
. Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law....
guest starred in the episode as Don Brodka. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from fans and television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 9.5, and was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
Plot
Bart sees a commercialTelevision advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
advertising the new fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Bonestorm. It becomes a hit among his friends, a must-have item. He asks Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
to buy it, but she refuses. Discouraged, Bart visits the local Try-N-Save discount store where Jimbo Jones and friends convince Bart to steal a copy of the game. On his way out of the store, Bart is caught by the store's security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
, Donald Wilson "Don" Brodka, who tells Bart to leave and never return or else he will be spending Christmas in juvenile hall.
Marge, unaware of Bart's shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
, takes the family to the same store to get their annual Christmas picture taken. Bart tries to avoid detection, but Brodka spots him, and shows a disbelieving Marge and 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...
the security tape of Bart shoplifting.
Marge is disappointed in Bart and becomes distant with him. Bart is left out of family activities, such as decorating the Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
and making snow statues. Bart fears he has lost his mother's love, and decides he must regain it. He visits the Try-N-Save, and returns home with a bulge in his coat. Marge confronts him, believing he was shoplifting again. She finds Bart has hidden a picture of himself bought as a Christmas present for her. Marge is overjoyed, and in gratitude for receiving her Christmas gift, she gives Bart the new game that a store salesman told her 'all the kids want', Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. Though Bart is profoundly underwhelmed, instead of complaining or being critical, Bart looks into his mother's expectant face and professes to be overjoyed.
Production
Mike ScullyMike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
, the writer of the episode, based it on experience in his childhood. Scully was twelve years old when he paid a visit to the Bradlees
Bradlees
Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001.-History:...
discount department store in West Springfield, Massachusetts
West Springfield, Massachusetts
The Town of West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census...
. A "bunch of guys" were shoplifting at the store and they "pressured" Scully into doing it as well. He ended up getting caught outside, and "had one of the most traumatic moments" of his life. "To this day it still terrifies me", Scully said. He jokingly told Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
that "It's great to be paid for reliving the horrors of your life."
The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. The show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
of The Simpsons at the time, Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
, thinks this is one of the most "beautifully" directed episodes of the show. He called the "hand-coloring" in very "vivid" and "bright". The episode is the first Christmas episode the producers had done since the first episode of the show, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
". Oakley said that nobody in the writing staff wanted to "try on Christmas" because it was "so famous" as being the first episode.
Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law....
guest starred in the episode as Don Brodka. Another former show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
, Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
, called Tierney's appearance "the craziest guest star experience we ever had". In addition to yelling at and intimidating employees of the show, Tierney made unreasonable requests such as abandoning his distinctive voice to do the part in a southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
accent and refusing to perform lines if he did not "get the jokes". Despite this, Oakley and Weinstein thought Tierney did a good job. Weinstein said that "he certainly delivered and he's one of my favorite characters we have had [on the show]". After Tierney's death, the episode "The Old Man and the Key
The Old Man and the Key
"The Old Man and the Key" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on March 10, 2002. In the episode, Grampa Simpson falls in love with Zelda, an old woman who has just moved in to the senior home in which Grampa lives...
" was dedicated to him.
"Marge Be Not Proud" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. The episode was selected for release in a 1999 video collection of selected episodes, titled: Bart Wars. Other episodes included in the collection set were "Mayored to the Mob
Mayored to the Mob
"Mayored to the Mob" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons tenth season, which originally broadcast on December 20, 1998. After Homer prevents Mayor Quimby and Mark Hamill from being trampled at a convention, Homer trains to become a bodyguard and is employed by Quimby...
", "Dog of Death
Dog of Death
"Dog of Death" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 12, 1992. In the episode, Santa's Little Helper falls ill and the Simpson family must make budget cuts in order to pay for his operation...
", and "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
"The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" is the season finale of The Simpsons eighth season, first aired by the Fox network on May 18, 1997. Bart gets sent to a military academy as punishment for bad behavior. While visiting the academy, Lisa sees that the school is far more challenging than hers and she...
". The episode was again included in the 2005 DVD release of the Bart Wars set. The episode was included in The Simpsons season 7 DVD set, which was released on December 13, 2005. Oakley, Weinstein, Scully, Moore, and Silverman participated in the DVD's audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Marge Be Not Proud" finished 47th in the ratings for the week of December 11 to December 17, 1995, with a 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...
of 9.5. The episode was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following a boxing match, Fox NFL Sunday, and The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "A Christmas special in all but name, and a touching look at the relationship between Marge and her growing Bart." Dave Foster of DVD Times said that "thanks to the keen eye of the writers and the rarely shown good side of Bart, this episode works very well as both an amusing insight to the way a child’s mind works and as a strong relationship building episode between Bart and Marge." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said that despite being one of the "sappier" episodes at times, it "still packs some terrific laughs". Jacobson commented that he "absolutely lost it when Homer’s drawing of a robot grilling a hot dog was seen - it’s funnier if you see it - and Lawrence Tierney’s guest turn as the store detective
Store detective
A store detective is employed to deter and detect theft in retail outlets . The term is no longer frequently used in the retail industry. More common terms today with major retailers are Loss Prevention Agent, Detective or Investigator and Asset Protection Officer or Investigator...
adds hilarious grit to the show." He added that the episode does not "fall into the classic" category, "but it offers more than enough entertainment to satisfy." Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when a depressed Bart makes a snowman from the dirty, leftover snow under the car. She called the scene "amazingly pathetic". The website concluded its review by giving the episode a grade of B.
External links
- "Marge Be Not Proud" at The Simpsons.com