The Principal and the Pauper (28 Sep. 1997)

After holding a surprise tribute to their beloved Elementary school principal Skinner, the town of Springfield is shocked to find out that Seymour Skinner is an impostor...

Director:

Steven Dean Moore

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator), James L. Brooks (developer),

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Groundskeeper Willie / Mayor Quimby / Abe Simpson (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Nelson Muntz / Ralph Wiggum (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Superintendant Chalmers (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Principal Skinner / Armin Tamzarian / Kent Brockman / Judge Snyder (voice)
Martin Sheen	...	Sgt. Seymour Skinner (voice)
Marcia Wallace	...	Mrs. Krabappel (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Agnes Skinner (voice)
Maggie Roswell	...	Miss Hoover (voice)

Storyline

After holding a surprise tribute to their beloved Elementary school principal Skinner, the town of Springfield is shocked to find out that Seymour Skinner is an impostor...

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Plot Keywords:

pet food | critically bashed | human eats dog food | vietnam war veteran | assumed identity | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1997 (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

During his introduction on the season 9 DVD, creator Matt Groening admitted that this is one of his least favorite Simpsons episodes.

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Goofs

At the beginning, Skinner plays a tuning fork, but he should have place the handle onto a resonating surface to hear a sound.

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Quotes

[Bart is preparing a batch of appetizers for Skinner's party]
Lisa: What's with the dog food?
Bart: My theory is - Skinner likes dog food.
[both leave, Homer walks in the room]
Homer: Ooh, a fresh batch of American balls.

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Connections

Featured in The Simpsons: Behind the Laughter (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Flipper Theme"
(uncredited)
Music by Henry Vars

User Reviews

Outrage fades with time, but humor is a constant

This was a pretty contentious episode when it came out, much like Homer's Enemy. And that's exactly what it was supposed to be -- a conspiracy against the fans, a giant screw- you, "in canon," but with a big wipeout at the end so that nothing really changed. This was a bold move that was well executed, and yet somehow fell short of communicating itself to the bulk of the audience.

We've got a story where a minor character in the lives of Springfieldianites is revealed to have a history that's shockingly different than they had understood, though his personality remains unchanged. This leads to outrage and finally a complete rejection of the truth because it's too unsettling.

Hey -- if this episode makes you outraged and uncomfortable, you might be from Springfield!

You see -- it's all a commentary on how easy it is to love a lie. On how constancy is such a necessity in our lives that we'd rather embrace a familiar falsehood than accept the truth.

Maybe that's too meta for TV -- but who gives a spit, this episode is also funny as hell, well paced, well written and highly emotive. And tucked inside is a cogent exploration of complex relationships. It could be the smartest episode in the series' history.

Now let us never speak of it again -- under penalty of torture!