Bart the General (4 Feb. 1990)

School bully Nelson Muntz has been terrorizing his classmates, particularly Bart. Bart and one of Nelson's goons get into a fight at school (when Bart was sticking up for Lisa), and in the ... See full summary »

Director:

David Silverman

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Grampa Simpson (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / Receptionist (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Nelson Muntz / Lewis (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Otto / Principal Seymour Skinner / Jasper / Herman (voice)
Susan Blu	...	Weasel #1 (voice)
Jo Ann Harris	...	Weasel #2 / Richard / Lewis (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	Milhouse Van Houten / Boy (voice)

Storyline

School bully Nelson Muntz has been terrorizing his classmates, particularly Bart. Bart and one of Nelson's goons get into a fight at school (when Bart was sticking up for Lisa), and in the aftermath Nelson accidentally gets a bloody nose. Nelson makes good on his threats to beat up Bart. Bart winds up having nightmares about Nelson stalking him, and later envisions his funeral. Finally, Grampa takes Bart to Herman, a Vietnam veteran who has had one of his arms amputated, to plan a strategy for getting back at Nelson. Bart commissions all his schoolmates whom Nelson has bullied and - in a classic parody of war movies such as Patton - trains them for their revenge. One afternoon after school, Bart and his army enact their operative, pelting Nelson and his goons with water balloons until he surrenders. The revenge is successful, and Bart and Nelson begin a grudging friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

2d animation | bully comeuppance | peace treaty | stuffed in trashcan

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 1990 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening title sequence was edited down to a bare minimum due to the episode running long; only the title and the first aerial shot of Springfield are shown. Most of the usual opening credits are missing, including the creator, developers, producers and writer.

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Goofs

Lisa's school friend Janey Powell makes her first appearance in the series in this episode, but looks completely different - especially that her race seems to have been changed - to her subsequent appearances.

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Quotes

Bart: You know, there are names for people like you.
Lisa: No there aren't.
Bart: Teacher's pet. Apple polisher. Butt kisser.
Homer: Bart. You're saying butt kisser like it's a bad thing.

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Crazy Credits

The opening title sequence was edited down to a bare minimum due to the episode running long; only the title and the first aerial shot of Springfield are shown. The chalkboard and sofa gags are sacrificed. Most of the usual opening credits are missing, including the creator, developers, producers and writer.

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Connections

Spoofs Patton (1970)

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Soundtracks

"Theme from Patton"
by Jerry Goldsmith

User Reviews

Patton!

This was one of the first "Simpsons" episodes, in which Bart decides to take a stand against school bullies and transforms himself into a type of modern-day Patton, armed with an artillery of angry, vengeful elementary schoolers and a scarred Vietnam War enthusiast (who suspiciously sounds very much like Ned Flanders).

Humor-wise, this is one of the few early episodes to display some of the cunning wit of later episodes (mainly 4th/5th season stuff). The whole riff on Patton is fantastic if you're a movie buff.

Homer isn't given much to do, but it's Bart's show, and one of the first episodes to really display the character's attitude.