Yokel Chords (4 Mar. 2007)

In a "The Sound of Music" parody, Lisa becomes a tutor for Cletus's seven children, until Krusty tries to exploit them as entertainers. Meanwhile, Bart becomes emotionally attached to his school-appointed psychiatrist.

Director:

Susie Dietter

Writers:

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

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Grampa / Barney Gumble / Krusty the Klown / Groundskeeper Willie / Mayor Quimby / Hans Moleman / Sideshow Mel / Others (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier / Others (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Nelson Muntz / Todd Flanders / Ralph Wiggum / Kearney / Others (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Chief Wiggum / Apu / Comic Book Guy / Cletus / Prof. Frink / Others (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Montgomery Burns / Waylon Smithers / Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Rev. Lovejoy / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Rainer Wolfcastle / Others (voice)
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Psychologist (voice)
Andy Dick	...	Himself (voice)
James Patterson	...	Himself (voice)
Meg Ryan	...	Dr. Swanson (voice)
Stephen Sondheim	...	Himself (voice)
Marcia Wallace	...	Edna Krabappel (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	(voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	(voice)
Russi Taylor	...	(voice)

Storyline

In a "The Sound of Music" parody, Lisa becomes a tutor for Cletus's seven children, until Krusty tries to exploit them as entertainers. Meanwhile, Bart becomes emotionally attached to his school-appointed psychiatrist.

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Plot Keywords:

2d animation | home schooling | child star

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 2007 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Lisa Simpson: You haven't heard the last of this.
Superintendent Chalmers: Well, I guess we've heard the last of that.
Lisa Simpson: No you haven't!

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Connections

References The Sopranos (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Oh How Do We?"
Music by Alf Clausen
Lyrics by Michael Price
Performed by Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria, and studio singers

User Reviews

Interesting use of parody

This episode was a very interesting one. It opens with a potential storyline - Homer actually taking care of his kids for once - but then cuts to Bart at school without a lunch. The story he tells to discourage other kids from eating - Dark Stanley - was simple brilliance: the old-fashioned animation, the ghostly music; all of it enraptured me. I was quite sorry when the sequence ended.

Then, after the children have fled the school, we see the first musical number (parodying "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria"). It took me a while to figure out that this was a parody of The Sound of Music, because the actual tunes were different than the original. The episode sags ever so slightly in the middle, but picks right up again when Cletus' kids, the ones Lisa had been tutoring, are signed to Krusty's show and Stephen Sondheim (my all-time favorite composer) makes a cameo. Bart's meeting with a psychiatrist (Meg Ryan) is almost equally memorable, although the two feel almost like separate story lines that require separate episodes to cover.

Overall, I was impressed with this episode. It was hilarious at times, with the wit and wonder of the Simpsons of old creeping back in.