The Lastest Gun in the West
Encyclopedia
"The Lastest Gun in the West" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons
’ thirteenth season
. It first aired on the Fox network
on February 24, 2002. In the episode, Bart
, after being chased by a vicious dog, runs into a retired Western
star named Buck McCoy, who soon becomes Bart's idol. After McCoy shows the Simpsons some of the films he starred in, the family decides to help him get back into acting.
The episode was directed by Bob Anderson
and written by John Swartzwelder
, who based the script on a story idea pitched by fellow Simpsons writer Ron Hauge
. The episode features Dennis Weaver
as the retired Western actor Buck McCoy, as well as Frank Welker
as the vicious dog, and Karl Wiedergott
as an alcoholic resembling Walter Brennan
. When it was first broadcast, "The Lastest Gun in the West" was seen by 5.9 % of the American population between ages 18 and 49. It has since been negatively received by fans and has garnered mixed reviews from critics.
, he takes refuge in the garden of a house belonging to former Western actor Buck McCoy. Buck shows Bart a trick to calm the dog down, making it friendly towards him, and Bart begins to hero-worship Buck. Naturally, Homer
learns about Bart's new idol and demands he worship him instead.
To help him out, Bart gets Buck a job on Krusty the Clown's show, but Buck gets drunk and makes a fool of himself on air, crushing Bart. Seeing this, Marge
and Homer decide to help Buck overcome his alcoholism
, so they clean out Buck's house and enroll him in an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Despite making progress, Buck is not restored to hero-status for Bart, but Homer has an idea.
Homer plans a bank robbery, but when he, Buck and Bart arrive at the bank, a robbery led by Snake is already underway. Buck leaps into action, subdues the bank robbers and becomes a hero in Bart's eyes once again. Bart acknowledges everything Homer has done and declares him to be a hero as well. At the end Bart gets chased by the vicious dog again.
and directed by Bob Anderson
. It was first broadcast on the Fox network
in the United States
on February 24, 2002.
, who thought it would be interesting to see an episode in which Bart would run into a retired Western film star in the neighborhood and "think he was the coolest guy in the world", although the actor had seen better days. Hauge suggested that Swartzwelder, who is an avid Western fan, would be the appropriate writer for the episode. Swartzwelder also pitched the plot idea about the angry dog who chases Bart in the episode.
, who portrayed him in the episode, as well as aspects of other western actors such as Roy Rogers
and John Wayne
. McCoy's costume in the fictional television show McTrigger was based on the attire worn by the main character in real-life television series McCloud. The design for the dog went through several different model changes until the Simpsons staff settled on the "very angry bull-terrier design" seen in the episode. A scene in the episode shows McCoy showcasing an array of films he starred in to the Simpson family through a movie projector
. In order to achieve the strobe light
effect done by the projector, the animators painted every other frame white and then blank.
The episode features American actor Dennis Weaver, famous for his role in the television show Gunsmoke
, in a guest role as the Western actor Buck McCoy. Al Jean
, the show runner
for the episode, stated in the DVD commentary that Weaver was very funny, a ”terrific guy”, and that it was an honor to meet him. Karl Wiedergott
, an actor who usually fills in for unavailable male cast members during table reads for The Simpsons episodes, portrayed an alcoholic resembling Walter Brennan
. The dog was played by voice artist Frank Welker
.
, in which Ed Ames
hit a mannequin in the crotch while demonstrating a tomahawk throw. Carson's
quips during the incident are referenced in Krusty's line "Ooh, right in the panhandle." Carson can also be seen in one of the clips before Krusty's show in the episode. The inside of McCoy's house is loosely based on the inside of Will Rogers'
house in Will Rogers State Historic Park
. "McTrigger", the last TV series McCoy starred in, is a parody of the American television police drama McCloud, in which Weaver played the lead; McCoy claims the series was eventually retooled into Room 222
. In one scene, Homer shows Bart a poster of himself dressed as Farrah Fawcett
.
, put Fox in second place for the night among adults between ages 18 and 49. According to Nielsen Media Research
, the episode received a 5.9 rating, meaning it was seen by 5.9% of the population in said demographic. On August 24, 2010, the episode was released as part of The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season DVD and Blu-ray set.
Following its television broadcast, The Lastest Gun in the West received a lot of negative feedback from The Simpsons fans. The Simpsons staff, who, according to Jean, are susceptible to criticism, were surprised by the amount of scorn the fans showed towards the episode. Jean, who thought the episode was "great", stated in the DVD commentary for the episode that he "[has] never been able to quite figure [why the fans disliked the episode] out", and speculated that, since Westerns have not been popular since the 1960s, "they [The Simpsons fans] just don't care about them at all."
Following the home video release of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons, reviews of "The Lastest Gun in the West" were mixed. On the negative side, describing the episode as a "clunker", Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict stated that the episode is "frightfully thin" and criticized the premise as being "lazy." Nate Boss of Project:Blu criticized the premise as well, writing that the episode was "just a couple jokes thrown together" rather than a complete story. Writing for Blu-ray.com, Casey Broadwater described the episode as being "just plain dull." On the other hand, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide praised the episode as "offer[ing] good laughs" and wrote that, while the episode was not "brilliant", it was overall "an enjoyable experience." Giving the episode a positive review as well, Ron Martin of 411Mania described the episode as being "easily one of the best of the season."
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...
’ thirteenth season
The Simpsons (season 13)
The Simpsons thirteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between November 6, 2001 and May 22, 2002 and consists of 22 episodes. The show runner for the thirteenth production season was Al Jean who executive-produced 17 episodes...
. 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...
on February 24, 2002. In the episode, 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...
, after being chased by a vicious dog, runs into a retired Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
star named Buck McCoy, who soon becomes Bart's idol. After McCoy shows the Simpsons some of the films he starred in, the family decides to help him get back into acting.
The episode was directed by Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (director)
Bob Anderson is an animation director on The Simpsons. He also contributed additional sequence direction on The Simpsons Movie....
and written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
, who based the script on a story idea pitched by fellow Simpsons writer Ron Hauge
Ron Hauge
Ron Hauge is an American television writer and executive producer. In his earlier career Hauge was a contributor to National Lampoon. After this he wrote for Seinfeld, In Living Color, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and a short lived reincarnation of The Carol Burnett Show...
. The episode features Dennis Weaver
Dennis Weaver
William Dennis Weaver was an American actor, best known for his work in television, including roles on Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel....
as the retired Western actor Buck McCoy, as well as Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as the vicious dog, and Karl Wiedergott
Karl Wiedergott
Karl Wiedergott, born Karl Aloysious Treaton is a German actor. He is noted for his voice work on the long-running Fox sitcom The Simpsons since 1998, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Travolta and Bill Clinton...
as an alcoholic resembling Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
. When it was first broadcast, "The Lastest Gun in the West" was seen by 5.9 % of the American population between ages 18 and 49. It has since been negatively received by fans and has garnered mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
When a vicious dog chases 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...
, he takes refuge in the garden of a house belonging to former Western actor Buck McCoy. Buck shows Bart a trick to calm the dog down, making it friendly towards him, and Bart begins to hero-worship Buck. Naturally, 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...
learns about Bart's new idol and demands he worship him instead.
To help him out, Bart gets Buck a job on Krusty the Clown's show, but Buck gets drunk and makes a fool of himself on air, crushing Bart. Seeing this, 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...
and Homer decide to help Buck overcome his alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, so they clean out Buck's house and enroll him in an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Despite making progress, Buck is not restored to hero-status for Bart, but Homer has an idea.
Homer plans a bank robbery, but when he, Buck and Bart arrive at the bank, a robbery led by Snake is already underway. Buck leaps into action, subdues the bank robbers and becomes a hero in Bart's eyes once again. Bart acknowledges everything Homer has done and declares him to be a hero as well. At the end Bart gets chased by the vicious dog again.
Production
”The Lastest Gun in the West” was written by John SwartzwelderJohn Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (director)
Bob Anderson is an animation director on The Simpsons. He also contributed additional sequence direction on The Simpsons Movie....
. It was first broadcast 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on February 24, 2002.
Writing
The idea for the episode was pitched by Simpsons writer Ron HaugeRon Hauge
Ron Hauge is an American television writer and executive producer. In his earlier career Hauge was a contributor to National Lampoon. After this he wrote for Seinfeld, In Living Color, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and a short lived reincarnation of The Carol Burnett Show...
, who thought it would be interesting to see an episode in which Bart would run into a retired Western film star in the neighborhood and "think he was the coolest guy in the world", although the actor had seen better days. Hauge suggested that Swartzwelder, who is an avid Western fan, would be the appropriate writer for the episode. Swartzwelder also pitched the plot idea about the angry dog who chases Bart in the episode.
Animation
The design for Buck McCoy was primarily based on Dennis WeaverDennis Weaver
William Dennis Weaver was an American actor, best known for his work in television, including roles on Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel....
, who portrayed him in the episode, as well as aspects of other western actors such as Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. McCoy's costume in the fictional television show McTrigger was based on the attire worn by the main character in real-life television series McCloud. The design for the dog went through several different model changes until the Simpsons staff settled on the "very angry bull-terrier design" seen in the episode. A scene in the episode shows McCoy showcasing an array of films he starred in to the Simpson family through a movie projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
. In order to achieve the strobe light
Strobe light
A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope...
effect done by the projector, the animators painted every other frame white and then blank.
Casting
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, in a guest role as the Western actor Buck McCoy. 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...
, 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...
for the episode, stated in the DVD commentary that Weaver was very funny, a ”terrific guy”, and that it was an honor to meet him. Karl Wiedergott
Karl Wiedergott
Karl Wiedergott, born Karl Aloysious Treaton is a German actor. He is noted for his voice work on the long-running Fox sitcom The Simpsons since 1998, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Travolta and Bill Clinton...
, an actor who usually fills in for unavailable male cast members during table reads for The Simpsons episodes, portrayed an alcoholic resembling Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
. The dog was played by voice artist Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
.
Cultural references
The episode title, which is often wrongfully referred to as "The Latest Gun In the West", is a pun based on the term "the fastest gun in the west." A scene in the episode shows McCoy auditioning for a spot in the Krusty the Clown show. To showcase his skills, McCoy shoots a Krusty cardboard cutout in the crotch. The scene is a reference to an incident on The Johnny Carson ShowThe Johnny Carson Show
The Johnny Carson Show is a 1955-56 half hour prime time television variety show starring Johnny Carson.While working as a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show , local Los Angeles television comedian Johnny Carson filled in as host when Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal...
, in which Ed Ames
Ed Ames
Ed Ames is an American popular singer and actor. He is best known for his pop and adult contemporary hits of the 1960s like "When the Snow is on the Roses" and the perennial "My Cup Runneth Over." He was part of a popular 1950s singing group called The Ames Brothers.-Early life:Born in Malden,...
hit a mannequin in the crotch while demonstrating a tomahawk throw. Carson's
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
quips during the incident are referenced in Krusty's line "Ooh, right in the panhandle." Carson can also be seen in one of the clips before Krusty's show in the episode. The inside of McCoy's house is loosely based on the inside of Will Rogers'
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
house in Will Rogers State Historic Park
Will Rogers State Historic Park
Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area.-Geography:...
. "McTrigger", the last TV series McCoy starred in, is a parody of the American television police drama McCloud, in which Weaver played the lead; McCoy claims the series was eventually retooled into Room 222
Room 222
Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes...
. In one scene, Homer shows Bart a poster of himself dressed as Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
.
Release and reception
In its original American broadcast on February 24, 2002, "The Lastest Gun In the West", along with a rerun of Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, put Fox in second place for the night among adults between ages 18 and 49. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the episode received a 5.9 rating, meaning it was seen by 5.9% of the population in said demographic. On August 24, 2010, the episode was released as part of The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season DVD and Blu-ray set.
Following its television broadcast, The Lastest Gun in the West received a lot of negative feedback from The Simpsons fans. The Simpsons staff, who, according to Jean, are susceptible to criticism, were surprised by the amount of scorn the fans showed towards the episode. Jean, who thought the episode was "great", stated in the DVD commentary for the episode that he "[has] never been able to quite figure [why the fans disliked the episode] out", and speculated that, since Westerns have not been popular since the 1960s, "they [The Simpsons fans] just don't care about them at all."
Following the home video release of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons, reviews of "The Lastest Gun in the West" were mixed. On the negative side, describing the episode as a "clunker", Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict stated that the episode is "frightfully thin" and criticized the premise as being "lazy." Nate Boss of Project:Blu criticized the premise as well, writing that the episode was "just a couple jokes thrown together" rather than a complete story. Writing for Blu-ray.com, Casey Broadwater described the episode as being "just plain dull." On the other hand, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide praised the episode as "offer[ing] good laughs" and wrote that, while the episode was not "brilliant", it was overall "an enjoyable experience." Giving the episode a positive review as well, Ron Martin of 411Mania described the episode as being "easily one of the best of the season."
External links
- "The Lastest Gun in the West" at The Simpsons.com