"Radioactive Man"is the second episode of theseventh seasonof the American animated television seriesThe Simpsons.It originally aired onFoxin the United States on September 24, 1995.[2]In the episode, the film version of the comic book seriesRadioactive Manis shot inSpringfield.Much toBart's disappointment, the part of the hero's sidekick,Fallout Boy,goes toMilhouse.When he tires of the long hours required to shoot the film, Milhouse quits the role, forcing the filmmakers to cease production and return toHollywood.
| "Radioactive Man" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsonsepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 7 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Susie Dietter |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Production code | 2F17 |
| Original air date | September 24, 1995 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Mickey Rooneyas himself Phil HartmanasTroy McClureandLionel Hutz[1] | |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "Bewitcheddoes not promoteSatanism"[2] |
| Couch gag | The couch is a fax machine that spews out a piece of paper with the Simpson family in a sitting position. The paper slides back under the couch. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Susie Dietter David Silverman |
The episode was written byJohn Swartzwelderand directed bySusie Dietter.Mickey Rooneyguest starred as himself in the episode. "Radioactive Man" was the first episode ofThe Simpsonsto bedigitally colored.The episode features cultural references to the 1960sBatmantelevision series, the 1995 filmWaterworld,and the song "Lean on Me"byBill Withers.
Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from fans and television critics. It acquired aNielsen ratingof 9.5, and was the fourth-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week.
Plot
editBart and Milhouse are thrilled to learn a film version of their favorite comic book series,Radioactive Man,is being produced in Springfield. SeveralSpringfield Elementarystudents audition for the role ofFallout Boy,Radioactive Man's sidekick. After Bart is rejected for being an inch too short (and his attempts to fake a growth spurt fail), Milhouse is cast as Fallout Boy oppositeRainier WolfcastleasRadioactive Mandespite the fact that he doesn't really want to be an actor at all. When Milhouse's parents hear their son will play Fallout Boy, they buy expensive luxury goods because they expect to "start living in the fast lane" now that their son is aHollywoodmovie star.
Disappointed at losing the role, Bart remains Milhouse's friend and confidant. Milhouse's unease turns into disgust over how boring and stupid he finds the moviemaking process, and he disappears right before the filming of the most expensive scene at the Nuclear Power Plant. Production is suspended while the townspeople search for Milhouse. Bart finds him in his treehouse, where former child starMickey Rooneyunsuccessfully tries to convince Milhouse to finish the film, after the producers found Milhouse by tapping Bart's treehouse phone. Deeming Rooney an unsuitable replacement for Milhouse and because of all the price gouging, the bankrupt producers cancel the film and return toHollywood,where they are greeted with open arms and are happy to be back "where people treat each other right."
Production
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The episode was written byJohn Swartzwelder,and directed bySusie Dietter.[2]When Dietter read through his first script, she did not find it very funny because of all thevisual gags.Once theanimaticwas finished, she thought: "Hey, this is really funny!"[3]
This is the first episode ofThe Simpsonsto bedigitally colored.The duties of that task went toUSAnimation,who would later work on "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular".Digital coloring would not be attempted again untilseason 12's "Tennis the Menace",and again inseason 14's "Treehouse of Horror XIII".The show permanently switched to digital coloring later in that same season, beginning with"The Great Louse Detective".[4]
Mickey Rooneyguest starred as himself in the episode.[5]Nancy Cartwrightrecalls in her autobiographyMy Life as a 10-Year-Old Boythat Rooney recorded his lines with the other actors. Although he was late for the session, she comments that he was "so full of pep" and very enthusiastic about the role.[6]
Cultural references
edit
The Radioactive Man character is based onBatman,and several scenes in the episode reference theBatmantelevision series from the 1960s.[1]ARadioactive Manantagonist, The Scoutmaster, is based on actor/comedianPaul Lynde.[1]The scene in the newRadioactive Manfilm where Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy are captured in Aquaworld is a reference to the 1995 filmWaterworld.[1][citation needed]BecauseWaterworld's July 1995 release date happened long after the animation on the episode had been completed, the references to it in this episode are related to the information available about its setting during filming (post-apocalyptic flooded Earth) and budget issues (it was the most expensive film ever made at the time at $175 million estimated).[citation needed]The director of theRadioactive Manfilm says: "That Milhouse is going to be big,Gabby Hayesbig! ", in reference to the (not all that big) American actor Gabby Hayes.[5]Moe Szyslak,the bartender ofMoe's Tavern,says that he, as a kid, played the part of Smelly onThe Little Rascals,until he killedAlfalfafor stealing his schtick.[7]Moe mentions that "William Faulknercould write an exhaust pipe gag that could really make you think ", a reference to the author's time in Hollywood.[8]Bill Withers' 1972 song "Lean on Me"is played at the end of the episode.[1]
In one scene,Comic Book Guysends a message to other Internet nerds about who will star in the newRadioactive Manfilm, two of whom are the nerdsHomermet in "Homer Goes to College",and one isPrincedressed in a purple suit. The last nerd isCurtis Armstrong,with an appearance resembling hisRevenge of the Nerdscharacter Booger. Theusenet newsgroupto which he posts the message (alt.nerd.obsessive) is a reference to thealt.tv.simpsonsnewsgroup.[9][10]
Reception
editIn its original broadcast, "Radioactive Man" finished 51st in the ratings for the week of September 18 to September 24, 1995. It acquired aNielsen ratingof 9.5.[11]The episode was the fourth-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, followingThe X-Files,Beverly Hills, 90210,andMelrose Place.[11]
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from fans and television critics.
The authors of the bookI Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide,Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called the episode a "wonderful pastiche" on theTim Burton Batman films,and added that Milhouse is an obvious candidate for Fallout Boy.[1]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson enjoyed the episode, but he does not consider it a "classic". He said that it offers "more than a few amusing bits", and added that "spoofing the movie business isn't anything new, but the show does it well in this solid program".[12]
Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when Krusty tries to prove the "range" of different characters he can portray to the casting director. The website concluded its review by giving the episode a grade of A−.[13]
Nancy Basile ofAbout.comnamed it one of her twenty favorite episodes of the series, and said that she thinks the friendship between Bart and Milhouse in the episode is "endearing" and "touching". She added that she thinks the episode "pokes fun at Hollywood very effectively", and that "To top it off, funny favorite characters Rainier Wolfcastle [...] and Lionel Hutz are also in the episode."[14]
Graham Beckwith ofThe Lanternsingled out Rainier Wolfcastle's line "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!" from the episode as one ofThe Simpsons'"greatest one liners".[15]
Total Film's Nathan Ditum ranked Rooney's performance as the eighth-best guest appearance in the show's history, commenting that he is "desperately funny and self-effacing as a parody of his fallen child-star self."[16]
References
edit- ^abcdefMartyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000)."Radioactive Man".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on April 27, 2003.RetrievedFebruary 27,2007.
- ^abcRichmond & Coffman 1997,p. 182.
- ^Dietter, Susie (2005).The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Radioactive Man"(DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^Silverman, David (2005).The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Radioactive Man"(DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^abMirkin, David (2005).The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Radioactive Man"(DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^Cartwright, Nancy(2000)."The" Mickster "".My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy.New York City:Hyperion.pp.217–221.ISBN0-7868-8600-5.
- ^Groening, Matt (2005).The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Radioactive Man"(DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^"Faulkner Goes To Hollywood".Springfield Historical Society @ mcgarnagle.com.January 25, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on July 30, 2023.RetrievedJuly 30,2023.
- ^Turner 2005,pp. 282–283.
- ^Tossell, Ivor (August 2, 2007)."Worst. Column. Ever".Globe and Mail.Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- ^ab"How They Rate".St. Petersburg Times.September 29, 1995. p. 16.Retrieved on November 30, 2008.
- ^Jacobson, Colin (January 5, 2006)."The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (1995)".DVD Movie Guide.Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2008.RetrievedDecember 1,2008.
- ^Malkowski, Judge (January 16, 2006)."The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season".DVD Verdict. Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2008.RetrievedDecember 1,2008.
- ^Basile, Nancy."20 Most Iconic Episodes of 'The Simpsons'".About.com.Archivedfrom the original on August 4, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- ^Beckwith, Graham (May 21, 2007)."'Simpsons' past prime at 400th ".The Lantern.Archived fromthe originalon October 7, 2007.RetrievedDecember 21,2008.
- ^Ditum, Nathan (March 29, 2009)."The 20 Best Simpsons Movie-Star Guest Spots".Total Film.GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- Bibliography
- Groening, Matt(1997).Richmond, Ray;Coffman, Antonia (eds.).The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family(1st ed.). New York:HarperPerennial.ISBN978-0-06-095252-5.LCCN98141857.OCLC37796735.OL433519M.
- Turner, Chris(2005).Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation(1st revised ed.). Cambridge:Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0-306-81448-8.OCLC670978714.
External links
edit
- "Radioactive Man"atIMDb
- "Radioactive Man"episode capsule atThe Simpsons Archive