The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace (20 Sep. 1998)

Homer's midlife crisis leads to a disastrous attempt at being an inventor.

Directors:

Mark Kirkland, Jim Reardon

Writers:

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

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Grampa / Bill (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Man on Sidewalk / Frink (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Ned Flanders / Marty / Lenny / Heckle / Jeckle / Thomas Edison / Father at Museum / Kent Brockman (voice)
William Daniels	...	K.I.T.T. (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Operator (voice)
Maggie Roswell	...	Librarian / 'It's True' Woman (voice)

Storyline

Feeling that he has squandered his life,Homer becomes an inventor,inspired by Edison,though his inventions are rubbish. However the family like his reclining chair and,when he sees that Edison already made one but did not patent it,rushes to the museum to destroy the chair in their Edison display. He cannot go through with it,though,and leaves behind the tool with which he was going to break it up - an electric hammer,which is later claimed as an invention of Edison,thus depriving Homer of royalties from his genuine invention.

---

Plot Keywords:

2d animation | rube goldberg machine

---

Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1998 (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?

Quotes

Bart: Hey, dad. Heard you were swearing. Mind if I join in? Crap, boobs, crap!

---

Connections

Referenced in Idiocracy (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Oh Yeah"
Written by Boris Blank and Dieter Meier
Performed by Yello

User Reviews

"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" is one of the best episode in the tenth season. It has a unique plot with an awesome twist.

This is an amazing episode for being in the later seasons. Homer wants to be an inventor and tries to copy Thomas Edison in every way possible. He rants to everyone about how Edison was so wonderful. He annoys everyone constantly with facts about Edison's career. Eventually, Marge tells Homer to stop the ranting because Edison did so much because he didn't go around ranting about it to others. And so, Homer decides to follow in Edison's footsteps. He pretty much tries to make new inventions... such as a toilet in a couch... or an automatic hammer... and he later stumbles upon another creation, hinges that don't allow his chair to tip over when he lays backward in the chair. He later sees an image of Edison to see that he likely invented that, too. So... Homer decides to go to the Edison Museum to destroy the chair and any evidence of Edison's creation. He almost succeeds when he is about to destroy the chair using his automatic electric hammer... when Homer notices that Edison had idolized Leonardo da Vinci. Homer finds newfound respect for Edison because he was also a man who idolized another. And so, Homer leaves the museum and goes home... Only to watch the news and find that he had left the automatic electric hammer at the museum... and it is portrayed as another of Edison's creations along with the extra chair legs... This completely enrages Homer to no end as he sits in his toilet couch in complete annoyance. This is likely one of my favorite episodes of the tenth season as most others just weren't as good. The connective plot and the overall revelation make the episode unique and memorable.