The Call of the Simpsons (18 Feb. 1990)

Ned Flanders shows off his newly purchased (and monstrous) motor home to the Simpsons. In a fit of oneupmanship, Homer decides he needs one too. Homer's credit is very poor, but he wants that motor home, so he buys one whose oil is leaking and appears to be held together by chicken wire and duct tape. With their new motor home, Homer takes the family on an outing in the woods. Homer quickly loses... See full summary »

Director:

Wesley Archer

Writers:

Matt Groening (created by), James L. Brooks (developed by),

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / TV Anchorman (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Todd Flanders / Boy / Scientist #2 (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Ned Flanders / TV Anchorman / Interviewer / Bear Remover / Captor #2 / Dr. Marvin Monroe / Scientist (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Camper #1 / Cameraman / Ranger / Captor #1 / Captor #3 / Scientist #3 (voice)
Albert Brooks	...	Cowboy Bob (voice) (as A. Brooks)
Maggie Roswell	...	Camper #2 / Reporter (voice)

Storyline

Ned Flanders shows off his newly purchased (and monstrous) motor home to the Simpsons. In a fit of oneupmanship, Homer decides he needs one too. Homer's credit is very poor, but he wants that motor home, so he buys one whose oil is leaking and appears to be held together by chicken wire and duct tape. With their new motor home, Homer takes the family on an outing in the woods. Homer quickly loses his way and everyone bails from the motor home just before it tumbles into a large ravine. The family is forced to rough it the rest of the way. Maggie becomes separated from the family and takes refuge with a family of bears. Meanwhile, Homer and Bart lose their clothing and have to wear leaves. Homer quickly falls into a stream and becomes covered with mud. A couple staying in the woods, concluding that what they've seen is Bigfoot, takes a picture of Homer and sends it to a TV station. Soon, the woods are crawling with media representatives, hoping to get their own glimpse. A park ranger ...

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Plot Keywords:

killer rabbit | 2d animation

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 1990 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

First appearance of Rod Flanders.

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Goofs

Bart parks his lawnmower right in front of the window. In the next shot it is not there any more.

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Quotes

Cowboy Bob: [showing Homer an extremely used RV] Mr. Simpson, you'll never own a better RV than this; and I don't mean that in a good way. This is it for you, buddy; this is the best you can afford.

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Connections

Spoofs The Sound of Music (1965)

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Soundtracks

"The Happy Wanderer"
(uncredited)
Composed by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller
Performed by Dan Castellaneta

User Reviews

Best Episode Ever

Well, make that Second Best behind Homers Skateboard jump across the canyon. The Call of the Simpson is hilarious. I still laugh when I think about the rabbit trap scene. It's a classic early Homer trying to do the best he can to his family and naturally everything goes wrong, from wanting to live it up in a Winnebago to impressing his family and trying to showing his son how to survive in the wilderness, which fails miserably. The Bigfoot was a classic idea with subsequent headlines and a character voice that is only in a few episodes. It is one of the few classic episode with Homer asking for his favorite food; Pork Chops and Apple Sauce. The radio dial keeping the family from teetering off the cliff, to the family leaving Homer stranded as he teeters on the edge of a cliff, to Marge arranging the animals in the woods. Maggie taming the bears with her pacifier. Really, what is not to like about this episode.