k7kbn Reviews

The Simpsons: A Fish Called Selma (1996) Season 7, Episode 19

Little-known fact about this episode

[29 March 2010]

When this episode first aired, there was a scene in the "Springfield Legitimate Businessmen's Club", aka "Fat Tony's". In this scene, one of the "businessmen" is lamenting that he hasn't seen Troy McClure in any movies for a long time.

Another businessman says, "Ain't you heard? Troy McClure sleeps with the fishes." (A reference to The Godfather) First businessman: "I didn't know Troy McClure was dead!" Second businessman: "He ain't." That was it; maybe ten seconds of dialogue. But it was absolutely the funniest ten seconds of the whole Simpsons series, up to and including today. However, comma, that scene was scrubbed after that first showing, and unless you have a videotape of that episode, you'll never see it. SNPP.com confirmed that this scene did appear, but somebody felt it was too controversial and got the change made. Given the content of some other shows, like Family Guy, I think they should restore the "lost" scene. But that's just me.

Big Fish (2003)

Tim Burton and Musicians!

[11 January 2004]

Tim Burton again with the barely-known musicians! First, in "Ed Wood", in the party scene toward the end, after the debut of a movie that didn't close down the first night. The very first thing you see is a pair of gnarled hands pounding away at an electronic piano keyboard. These hands belonged to the redoubtable Korla Pandit, of 1950s "Snader" fame. Being from that era myself, I instinctively knew whose hands they were, and astonished my brother-in-law with this bit of world-class trivia.

Now in Big Fish, who's the "barely-known" musician? In the scene where we first see the town of "Spectre", we see a man sitting in a porch swing, playing "Dueling Banjos" on ... a banjo. In the credits, you'll see "Banjo Man", Billy Redden.

In the 1972 movie "Deliverance", you may remember another character sitting in a porch swing, playing "Dueling Banjos" with Ned Beatty playing the guitar part. In the credits for "Deliverance", you'll see "Banjo Boy", Billy Redden. Same guy. He's NOT an albino; he's NOT retarded...and he DOESN'T play the banjo in real life.