When I was growing up I thought A Streetcar Named Desire was a real musical. I was disappointed in high school when we finally studied the play and the paper boy didn't have a solo.
I remember this first airing, and watching it with my parents, who used to live in the New Orleans area back in the 70s. I'd never heard them laugh so hard in my life til that point
Always found that Apu moment funny, how he laments about just wanting 14 cents for doing his job but instead gets some girl on him trying to kiss him lol. I get that he's playing a character, in the play. I also love how random it is, like why would a insane. Military antique shop owner want to be in a romantic musical?
@@internationaleden The ending of the play is Blanche unknowingly being escorted to a psych ward after losing her sanity when Stanley rapes her. turning it into a cheerful musical number is horrifically twisted
It's up there with the Miss American Girl pageant contestants singing a happy upbeat version of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen." EDIT: I searched out the clip of that and COMPLETELY forgot that it was the very same episode!
I would've just taken the Simpsons' take on it literally if it weren't for my mother who had actually seen the 1951 film. In a sense, it's almost like Simpsons are creating said twisted interpretations as well...at least for those who are now in their 30s and 40s.
+Bloombaby99 Where did you hear this? This came out in, what, 1992? The next episode was "Homer The Heretic", which is where you can find the chalk gag.
It would be interesting to know whether it was decided upon here or in a more general meeting. Nevertheless, the fact that Ned is basically the most attractive man in Springfield is great. It gave us "Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all!"/"Stupid sexy Flanders" as well.
Originally, Flanders was the Anti-Homer in all things - an ideal man with an ideal family. Homer was bald, so Flanders is hirsute. homer hates going to church, so Flanders is devout (this was originally only a small part of his character). Homer is fat, so of course Flanders is ripped.
@@pavarottiaardvark3431 He's also the ultimate goody-two-shoes that Homer envies. It's sort of a neat trick they pull off in the early seasons, making him unlikable specifically by giving him no "negative" qualities. Later on they make him a bible-thumping nutcase in a process that is now academically known as Flanderization, in which a character with many facets becomes exclusively defined by one component of their earlier personality.
@@r.pizzamonkey7379 It's important to note the role that Evangelical politics played in that process. TV writers tend to be a liberal bunch, and the Bush era recast devout people like Flanders as less savoury (Flanders is quite Evangelical at times, even though he's meant to be Reform Presbylutheran)
This episode, in an effort to stay PG, presented a very skewed version of the play's storyline. But as Marge told Homer, there was a bit about bowling in it. I read the play for university a couple of years ago, and discovered what an unstable, yet not very likable person Blanche really was. Funny, the movie I saw her in, she was played by the same person who played Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind", and I feel similarly about both characters. And it is sad that at the end, Blanche has the line about depending on the kindness of strangers, when the doctor is taking her to an asylum. Back when the play was written, lobotomies were very popular, and the playwright's sister had already suffered one - she was never the same afterwards. I mean, yeah, Blanche was pretty unstable, but a lobotomy and/or shock therapy was not likely to help her.
*Hannah Shribman-Brown* don't forget that she drove her closeted gay husband to suicide (though, to her credit, she did feel much remorse afterward) and was fired from her job for sleeping with her underage student.
The idea of the sung soliloquy was well established in musical theatre long before the 1945 play "Carousel" named a soliloquized song "Soliloquy." Shakespeare's soliloquies were (generally) more rhythmic than the rest of his plays, and the Greek soliloquies were (probably) sung. Then there's Wagner's oeuvre, which is heavily reliant on sung soliloquies.
Random "Streetcar!" aside, I always thought this ending actually kind of worked. It's tonally night and day from the original, obviously, but Blanche still gets raped, has a total breakdown, and ends up being committed. Something about the image of her riding away to the nuthouse, waving goodbye while the entire cast jauntily sings her off with a song about human kindness is just devastating.
Especially as we know she's headed for a lobotomy. I don't know if it's true, but it happened to Tennessee Williams' sister, who was never quite right afterwards, so I assumed that's the tragic fate he imagined for Blanche. The thing is, removal of parts of the brain always creates as many problems as it fixes. That's why they are a last resort procedure nowadays (the last full-on one was in 1967). Sort of like shock therapy, but even worse.
Keep in mind, this was also the 61st and last episode of The Simpsons to be animated by the original studio, Klasky-Csupo before duties were handed to Film Roman for the rest of the show. And they really went out with a bang here. The best musical numbers, a satirically flawless awkward scene with the babies in the daycare, the jokes about english dialects/accents and a parody done right.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 how do we know she is headed for a lobotomy? I mean everyone is entitled to their interpretation but that is purely your own input. Nothing in the play says or implies it.
@@bawoman " I don't know if it's true, but it happened to Tennessee Williams' sister, who was never quite right afterwards, so I assumed that's the tragic fate he imagined for Blanche." This was in my earlier comment, so I actually admit I can't know for sure if that's the intention. Anyway, whatever the case, mental health treatment was like torture at the time. They were very treatment-happy at the time, so no matter what would happen to Blanche at the end, it would be tragic (shock therapy was very common back then and probably was used on people even when it wasn't safe - it's much more carefully monitored now and isn't allowed to be used on people with health risks). I assumed it was a lobotomy because that was the fashion in the 1940s, when the play was written, and because of Williams' sister.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 I mean once again you are welcome to that interpretation but there is nothing in the play that says it one way or the other. Not all or even most cases ended up as a lobotomy then, and in Rose's cases what she had was a very real and severe schizophrenia. Not sure if the same could be said for Blanche. She seemed out of it but not violent. I feel she just needed sa little kindness and if she got it, then maybe she stands a chance.
Keep in mind, this was the 61st and last episode of The Simpsons to be animated by the original studio, Klasky-Csupo before duties were handed to Film Roman for the rest of the show. And they really went out with a bang here. The best musical numbers, a satirically flawless awkward scene with the babies in the daycare, the jokes about different english dialects/accents and a parody done right.
@@seronymusA Streetcar Named Marge" and "Kamp Krusty" were holdovers from the third season and so were the last of the Klasky Csupo produced episodes to air That according to the DVD commentary of the fourth season
I just saw the stage show of this and wow i never realised the ending to the actual play and why it's so hilariously dissonant that they break out into an upbeat finale at the end, brilliant comedy :)
Same. I'm wondering how you can possible give Streetcar named Desire a happy ending! Especially after what happened between Stanley and Blanche after the glass incident.
"I am just a simple paperboy, no romance do I seek.I just want my 40¢ for my deliveries last week.Will this bewitching floooooooooooozie seduce this humble neeeeewsssy?Oh, what's a paperboy tooooo doooooooooooooooo? *smooch* Whoo-hoo!" (Needless to say, Apu kicked ass! LOL!!!)
She was on the edge for the whole show, too, and it looked like she was about to move away, but then Stanley ruined it all and tipped her over the edge. Even if he hadn't raped her, everything he said and did was enough.
Look, I know this is just The Simpsons, but the instrumentation on Apu’s song (1:38) gives me chills every time I hear it. The music in this series is top-notch.
@@WhiteSlift A Streetcar Named Desire (the original play this bit is based on) is about a depressed woman getting raped, abandoned by everyone, then shipped off to an asylum -- the "stranger" who helps her at the end is one of the doctors. The whole point of the play is that nobody gives a shit about anybody else, unless they'd somehow benefit from it, no matter how much Blanche wishes to be rescued from poverty by some passing gentleman.
It's not mean-spirited in the least. Yours is maybe the most sanctimonious comment I've ever seen in a Simpsons thread. (The above reply from "Bob Jones" comes close, too.)
@@dixonpinfold2582 but it is, though. It's hilarious, but it's also a very cruel take on a story that's ultimately about the "ravishment of the tender". Like, remember that this is directly following a rape scene, and Blanche is effectively Lobotomised, since she's a close stand-in for Williams' sister. Funny but also very very cruel lol
I will not defame New Orleans I will not defame New Orleans I will not defame New Orleans I will not defame New Orleans I will not defame New Orleans I will not defame New Orleans
Something about Ned's rendition of Stanley that can't reconcile the happy-go-lucky musical number and the violent madness of the character is just phenomenal
Oh my god, I never understood this when I was younger. Now, looking back at this after studying A Streetcar Named Desire in english class....oh my god that last song made my skin crawl.
I took flim course for fun and one of the film I was required to watch was a black and white film adaptation play. Yes the end is dark and sad but the Simpson's play version of Streetcar named desire is funny to me.
@@Shweiss4 It's why critics at the time called this the "darkest Simpsons episode ever aired on television". Ironically, this was even darker than a Treehouse of Horror episode.
This episode has always held a special place in my heart because of the ending. After the show, Marge is angry at Homer for having his eyes down at the end. She accused him of not being interested in her efforts. He explained that he wasn't watching because he felt so sad for Blanche. She was being treated so badly by Stanley and should have been treated better. He ends by saying, "At least that's what I think. I don't know, I get a lot of things wrong." As they walk home, Marge tells him, "No Homer, you got it absolutely right." It is that moment the Simpsons transcended from a mere cartoon to a classic as it showed personal growth for Homer.
Yup, that's indeed one of the best scenes. Another one is when he comes back from Lurlene and asks Marge "is there any room in that bed for a dang fool?" and she answers "always has been" while the song about Homer plays.
If you binge watch the Simpsons, the sound of her speaking voice really starts to grate on your nerves. The last time I watched a recent episode (shudder) I had to stop because her voice was so hoarse it was painful to listen to.
Modern Simpsons would have Marge join the cast of the new Terminator film (Now in theaters!) with special guest star Arnold Schwarzenegger and some Z lister from SNL.
One of my favorite low key jokes is the idea that they built an entire giant backdrop of the Super Dome and put it on a rotating floor, just for one lyric in a song.
This whole segment is funny enough, but if you’re familiar with the story of A Streetcar Named Desire, this is one of the most darkly hilarious send-ups The Simpsons has ever done. Superb.
marge eps done well can be the most emotional eps that hit your core about your wifes needs that teach and stick with you for a long time...I married marge, the way we was, itchy and scratchy and marge, streecar named desire marge vs the monorail and of course the og life on the fast lane are so emotionally based they kind of shock me how good with making marge likeable they were since this is early marge even streetcar was made at the end of season 3...they nailed her character in those that future golden age eps like marge gets a job, marge in chains, marge on the lam, secrets of a successful marriage, fear of flying, scenes from the class struggle, marge be not proud, the twisted world of marge and reality bites didn't quite grasp as new writers took over changing her core not understanding what made her so likeable..they ruined her character imo outside of the great springfield connection episode....... I didn't like colonel homer overall but it has a good idea in there about marges jealousy and homer being seduced..i just hated the execution cause its written by matt and not the staff so its not very interesting ...its played a little too seriously and gets sorta ickie with how forward and obvious they make the seduction by act 2...bunk with me is such a disturbing song to hear as homer smiles at her..it feels so wrong...that's the sort of zoom in close up big grin he should only give towards marge even if hes not consciously trying to flirt...it gets into the overly synical marge and obliviously retarded side of homer I don't like ...
I am just a simple paper boy no romance do I seek I just wanted 40 cents for my deliveries last week Will this bewitching floozy seduce this humble newsy? Oh what's a paper boi to....doooooooooooooooooooooooo? *smack* WOO HOO!
I was a huge Simpsons fan when I was 12, collected the first 10 seasons on DVD. I only watched this episode 2 maybe 3 times, but the New Orleans song still pops into my head 20+ years later!
I didn't even know about this until I learned about it in Literature a few weeks ago, and then I realized when in the play Stanley was yelling, "STELLAAAAAAA" so I'm checking now and I WAS RIGHT! OMG I haven't watch the Simpsons in over a year but this was a very memorable musical. Hmm I'm wondering if I should tell my teacher about this
Imagine putting so much effort into an animated, 22-minute show. Fuck it, we'll make the whole musical, with songs, lyrics, choreography, everything. Simpsons in the 90s was ingenious.
My favorite part is the random flying with wild lasers during the descent into madness. Whoever wrote that part definitely saw the original production of Carrie the Musical.
I love how in the following episode’s intro, the Chalkboard Gag has Bart writing “I will not defame New Orleans.” Apparently not everyone was fond of the opening number to Streetcar!
0:38 Fast cut to Bart and Lisa staring blankly while watching subject matter that's way too adult for them, and that was basically me watching The Simpsons as a kid XD
Low-key joke that this community theatre production built an elaborate rotating stage purely so that they could show the Superdome for 5 seconds in the opening number.
so much gold. I miss these days when the Simpsons would air on fox. simple times of going to school and playing Nintendo with out a worry in the world.
the simpsons is so good check this out....chief wiggum is a good actor in this season 4 streetcar named marge episode randomly and then later this season they have his son ralph be good at acting too in I love lisa as george washintton so much so he becomes a semi star and gets lots of girls fame and gives a great ending to that ep ..its good continuity that it runs in their blood and isn't a random gag for one episode...especially considering ralph wasn't his son until I love lisa...it had never been established before...now that's amazing timing....
This episode came out before I was born but it will always be in my mind. I’ll never forget the songs. Anytime someone mentions Streetcar Named Desire, I’ll always think of Flanders yelling Stella!
So, Apu has a lot of problems. But for Hank Azaria to successfully voice an Indian-American immigrant, playing a paperboy in a small town musical sited in New Orleans, that takes skill.
I like how Springfield has a tradition of doing plays in town using locals as cast members. I wish we had something like that where I lived, I think that might be fun. I guess with the pandemic, this is a unrealistic thing to want, especially given the fact as an adult, I have no idea where most of the characters find time to rehearse for a play.
You don't have community theater in your town? For many performers, it's just a hobby. They have regular day jobs and find the time to do a musical or play, if they're really interested.
I came here from UK's National Theatre UA-cam channel, after watching the play It was amazing, but this is perfection xD This just proofs it how singing makes everything better :D
When I was growing up I thought A Streetcar Named Desire was a real musical. I was disappointed in high school when we finally studied the play and the paper boy didn't have a solo.
I was sad to discover the "stellaaaaaaa can't you hear me yellaaaaa" wasn't in the real play/ film lol
I wanted that to be the theme song to Ruth Jones's series Stella!
It is an opera though.
SAME!
Same. I remember thinking "Why are they just singing songs from a musical that already exists? Isn't this copyright?"
STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, Can't you hear me Yellah, You're putin me through Hella, Stella, STELLAAAAA
flanders saying hella and singing stella dramatic is funny but the fact he has abs makes it even funnier...
I work with a lady named Stella. Every time she comes in the room, I start singing this. She thinks I'm crazy.
Man lol
2:25
Oh god, how awful. 🙉
I remember this first airing, and watching it with my parents, who used to live in the New Orleans area back in the 70s. I'd never heard them laugh so hard in my life til that point
Your channel is awesome!
That is the difference between your parents and people who get offended by every cheap shot.
Always found that Apu moment funny, how he laments about just wanting 14 cents for doing his job but instead gets some girl on him trying to kiss him lol. I get that he's playing a character, in the play. I also love how random it is, like why would a insane. Military antique shop owner want to be in a romantic musical?
Gayest reply ever, but I love your channel. I'm 36, your work hits right at home!
snesssssssdrunk
That last musical number is one the most genius pieces of satirical parody ive ever witnessed
Robert Moore I don’t get it. Not American
@@internationaleden you don't have to be American. You just have to have read the book...
@@internationaleden The ending of the play is Blanche unknowingly being escorted to a psych ward after losing her sanity when Stanley rapes her. turning it into a cheerful musical number is horrifically twisted
It's up there with the Miss American Girl pageant contestants singing a happy upbeat version of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen."
EDIT: I searched out the clip of that and COMPLETELY forgot that it was the very same episode!
And ironically enough Homer is the ONLY ONE who realized that
I only recently noticed they always put the one armed guy in scenes where everyone's lifting both their arms.
His name's Herman BTW.
Ned's "Stella! Can't you hear me yell-a?" is just the funniest thing.
Super funny lol the best number
Oh, Romeo, *Juliette finds him dead* Oh No-meo!
"A stranger's just a friend you haven't met."
NO ONE satirizes the general public's consumption of the arts like the Simpsons does.
Didn't Barney the Dinosaur also say that?
I would've just taken the Simpsons' take on it literally if it weren't for my mother who had actually seen the 1951 film. In a sense, it's almost like Simpsons are creating said twisted interpretations as well...at least for those who are now in their 30s and 40s.
I love how she was referring to anonymous whoring.
*did
@@MrPerfect2000Z Not as he was being taken to a mental institution.
Hank Azaria says that he can't sing, but he can only sing in character, which is why it's so jarring that Apu sounds so good.
New Orleans actually sued the Simpsons for this song. That's why the next episode has Bart writing "I will not defame New Orleans" on the chalkboard.
That's because the idiots chose to show this episode AFTER Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.
+Bloombaby99 Where did you hear this? This came out in, what, 1992? The next episode was "Homer The Heretic", which is where you can find the chalk gag.
Thanks for letting me know.
I thought I made an error; thanks.
+Bloombaby99 BTW that did actually happen. Channel 4 in the UK played the repeat of this episode right after Katrina hit.
"Now here's a tip from Blanche you won't regret. A stranger's just a friend you haven't met. You haven't met! STREETCAR!" Classic! :D
I loved Flanders's part lol "STELAAHHH!!!"
and i loved how he puted "a" to "hell" and "yell" in order to rhyme with "Stella"
"Stupid sexy Flanders!"
@@Rotionu Lmao😂
@@kaldesyzdi595 ha gay
@@sheilalhigginbotham2785 it i don't get
I swear, they made Ned Flanders buff just for the irony of him playing Stanley.
It would be interesting to know whether it was decided upon here or in a more general meeting. Nevertheless, the fact that Ned is basically the most attractive man in Springfield is great. It gave us "Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all!"/"Stupid sexy Flanders" as well.
Originally, Flanders was the Anti-Homer in all things - an ideal man with an ideal family. Homer was bald, so Flanders is hirsute. homer hates going to church, so Flanders is devout (this was originally only a small part of his character). Homer is fat, so of course Flanders is ripped.
@@pavarottiaardvark3431 He's also the ultimate goody-two-shoes that Homer envies. It's sort of a neat trick they pull off in the early seasons, making him unlikable specifically by giving him no "negative" qualities.
Later on they make him a bible-thumping nutcase in a process that is now academically known as Flanderization, in which a character with many facets becomes exclusively defined by one component of their earlier personality.
@@r.pizzamonkey7379 It's important to note the role that Evangelical politics played in that process. TV writers tend to be a liberal bunch, and the Bush era recast devout people like Flanders as less savoury (Flanders is quite Evangelical at times, even though he's meant to be Reform Presbylutheran)
It's a bit like the "stupid sexy Flanders" gag. He's so squeaky-clean that he's sexy in spite of himself.
I have to confess that for a long time, i always thought "A Streetcar Named Desire" was really a musical comedy. Thank you, The Simpsons ;)
Same. Only found out recently that it's not a musical, nor is it in any way a comedy lol
same here
O Mondo do Pitcat I don't think I've ever been more disappointed with the 21st century
This episode, in an effort to stay PG, presented a very skewed version of the play's storyline. But as Marge told Homer, there was a bit about bowling in it. I read the play for university a couple of years ago, and discovered what an unstable, yet not very likable person Blanche really was. Funny, the movie I saw her in, she was played by the same person who played Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind", and I feel similarly about both characters. And it is sad that at the end, Blanche has the line about depending on the kindness of strangers, when the doctor is taking her to an asylum. Back when the play was written, lobotomies were very popular, and the playwright's sister had already suffered one - she was never the same afterwards. I mean, yeah, Blanche was pretty unstable, but a lobotomy and/or shock therapy was not likely to help her.
*Hannah Shribman-Brown* don't forget that she drove her closeted gay husband to suicide (though, to her credit, she did feel much remorse afterward) and was fired from her job for sleeping with her underage student.
My favorite part is Apu's soliloquy. .
+William Mark Dyer lol, it sounds like it could have been a song from The Nightmare Before Christmas
+William Mark Dyer Yeah, Apu's voice actor has an amazing Singing voice.
+William Mark Dyer He sings, he doesn't soliloquise.
He had me with "bewitching floooooooooozie". And the look on HIS FACE... priceless! LOL!
The idea of the sung soliloquy was well established in musical theatre long before the 1945 play "Carousel" named a soliloquized song "Soliloquy." Shakespeare's soliloquies were (generally) more rhythmic than the rest of his plays, and the Greek soliloquies were (probably) sung. Then there's Wagner's oeuvre, which is heavily reliant on sung soliloquies.
Random "Streetcar!" aside, I always thought this ending actually kind of worked. It's tonally night and day from the original, obviously, but Blanche still gets raped, has a total breakdown, and ends up being committed. Something about the image of her riding away to the nuthouse, waving goodbye while the entire cast jauntily sings her off with a song about human kindness is just devastating.
Especially as we know she's headed for a lobotomy. I don't know if it's true, but it happened to Tennessee Williams' sister, who was never quite right afterwards, so I assumed that's the tragic fate he imagined for Blanche. The thing is, removal of parts of the brain always creates as many problems as it fixes. That's why they are a last resort procedure nowadays (the last full-on one was in 1967). Sort of like shock therapy, but even worse.
Keep in mind, this was also the 61st and last episode of The Simpsons to be animated by the original studio, Klasky-Csupo before duties were handed to Film Roman for the rest of the show. And they really went out with a bang here. The best musical numbers, a satirically flawless awkward scene with the babies in the daycare, the jokes about english dialects/accents and a parody done right.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 how do we know she is headed for a lobotomy? I mean everyone is entitled to their interpretation but that is purely your own input. Nothing in the play says or implies it.
@@bawoman " I don't know if it's true, but it happened to Tennessee Williams' sister, who was never quite right afterwards, so I assumed that's the tragic fate he imagined for Blanche." This was in my earlier comment, so I actually admit I can't know for sure if that's the intention. Anyway, whatever the case, mental health treatment was like torture at the time. They were very treatment-happy at the time, so no matter what would happen to Blanche at the end, it would be tragic (shock therapy was very common back then and probably was used on people even when it wasn't safe - it's much more carefully monitored now and isn't allowed to be used on people with health risks). I assumed it was a lobotomy because that was the fashion in the 1940s, when the play was written, and because of Williams' sister.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 I mean once again you are welcome to that interpretation but there is nothing in the play that says it one way or the other. Not all or even most cases ended up as a lobotomy then, and in Rose's cases what she had was a very real and severe schizophrenia. Not sure if the same could be said for Blanche. She seemed out of it but not violent. I feel she just needed sa little kindness and if she got it, then maybe she stands a chance.
Keep in mind, this was the 61st and last episode of The Simpsons to be animated by the original studio, Klasky-Csupo before duties were handed to Film Roman for the rest of the show. And they really went out with a bang here. The best musical numbers, a satirically flawless awkward scene with the babies in the daycare, the jokes about different english dialects/accents and a parody done right.
Actually this was the 18th-produced episode of s3, Kamp Krusty was the last KC-produced episode
@@misterartist1603 Where was KC from Japan, Korea?
@@misterartist1603 I don't know who to believe anymore...
The US, they later worked on Rugrats, Wild Thornberries, and buncha other shows for Nickelodeon.
@@seronymusA Streetcar Named Marge" and "Kamp Krusty" were holdovers from the third season and so were the last of the Klasky Csupo produced episodes to air
That according to the DVD commentary of the fourth season
now here's a tip from Blanche you won't regrEEeᵉᵉᴱEEet
I just saw the stage show of this and wow i never realised the ending to the actual play and why it's so hilariously dissonant that they break out into an upbeat finale at the end, brilliant comedy :)
I love the subtle joke that the random newsie's song is more poignant than the main character's.
every musical should have a one word name and have it shouted at the very end.
let me tell you about Wicked
Let me tell YOU about Monorail
Hamilton!
rent
And Evita's body disappeared for 17 years.............EVITA!
I know an opera exists for Streetcar Named Desire, but someone needs to make this musical a real thing. I'd watch it.
slashermaster28 ikr
Same. I'm wondering how you can possible give Streetcar named Desire a happy ending! Especially after what happened between Stanley and Blanche after the glass incident.
slashermaster28 you totally missed the joke, then.
@@timetochronicle Musicals don't always have happy endings- for example, Sweeney Todd, Miss Saigon, etc.
@@karaokeandrandomclips West Side Story
"I am just a simple paperboy, no romance do I seek.I just want my 40¢ for my deliveries last week.Will this bewitching floooooooooooozie seduce this humble neeeeewsssy?Oh, what's a paperboy tooooo doooooooooooooooo? *smooch* Whoo-hoo!"
(Needless to say, Apu kicked ass! LOL!!!)
The weather seems harsh
+The Daily Weather Foreskin Not only are you a bad person, but you're AGGRESSIVELY unfunny. Every second of your existence must be just pure agony.
Steve Gyetko and a complete bullshitter internet hardman. Why so mad?
Walter Kovacs what did he say
Walter Kovacs lmao I'm a trump supporter (more because of who hates him than actually liking him) and a national socialist. Why u mad
I always loved her "descent into madness"! Hysterical!
I like the part where Bart is on the pully thing later and he's like, "Look at me I'm Blanche DuBois!"
She was on the edge for the whole show, too, and it looked like she was about to move away, but then Stanley ruined it all and tipped her over the edge. Even if he hadn't raped her, everything he said and did was enough.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 he really was horrible. Fantastic work by Tennessee Williams! I fondly remember reading it in high school
@MeatyController I did it in my Tragedies paper for third year uni! Much better than Hamlet, which we also had to do.
Look, I know this is just The Simpsons, but the instrumentation on Apu’s song (1:38) gives me chills every time I hear it. The music in this series is top-notch.
Alf Clausen was a master!
It was stuck in my head for hours- I only just now tracked it down after humming it like mad.
That is some awesome flute playing there
@@dorkinabubble7772Some good flutin’, indeed!
that last note. beautiful
3:17 How off-key this is gets me every time XD
Love your profile pic
can we call you uncle blackie?
@@LostCosmonauts No.
"You can always depend on the kindness of strangers" is genuinely hilarious but is maybe the most mean spirited joke they've ever done
I don't quite understand how it's mean spirited. Can anyone explain?
@@WhiteSlift A Streetcar Named Desire (the original play this bit is based on) is about a depressed woman getting raped, abandoned by everyone, then shipped off to an asylum -- the "stranger" who helps her at the end is one of the doctors. The whole point of the play is that nobody gives a shit about anybody else, unless they'd somehow benefit from it, no matter how much Blanche wishes to be rescued from poverty by some passing gentleman.
I remember reading th ending of streetcar named desire and thinking 'woah, this is way bleaker than the simpons had me beleive'
It's not mean-spirited in the least. Yours is maybe the most sanctimonious comment I've ever seen in a Simpsons thread. (The above reply from "Bob Jones" comes close, too.)
@@dixonpinfold2582 but it is, though. It's hilarious, but it's also a very cruel take on a story that's ultimately about the "ravishment of the tender". Like, remember that this is directly following a rape scene, and Blanche is effectively Lobotomised, since she's a close stand-in for Williams' sister. Funny but also very very cruel lol
Now here's a tip from Blanche you won't reGRAAAAAAAT
a stranger's just a friend you haven't met. you haven't met... streetcar.
I will not defame New Orleans
I will not defame New Orleans
I will not defame New Orleans
I will not defame New Orleans
I will not defame New Orleans
I will not defame New Orleans
Something about Ned's rendition of Stanley that can't reconcile the happy-go-lucky musical number and the violent madness of the character is just phenomenal
So we can all agree that Ned absolutely KILLED it as Stanley, yeah?
Oh my god, I never understood this when I was younger. Now, looking back at this after studying A Streetcar Named Desire in english class....oh my god that last song made my skin crawl.
I think that just makes it funnier, how different the tone is from the play itself.
I took flim course for fun and one of the film I was required to watch was a black and white film adaptation play. Yes the end is dark and sad but the Simpson's play version of Streetcar named desire is funny to me.
@@Shweiss4 It's why critics at the time called this the "darkest Simpsons episode ever aired on television". Ironically, this was even darker than a Treehouse of Horror episode.
This whole episode (the Ayn Rand School for Tots subplot inclusive) really is some of the best written television of the 90s.
My dad and I absolutely love this episode and hold it as second only to Last Exit to Springfield. We quote it all the time!
This episode has always held a special place in my heart because of the ending. After the show, Marge is angry at Homer for having his eyes down at the end. She accused him of not being interested in her efforts. He explained that he wasn't watching because he felt so sad for Blanche. She was being treated so badly by Stanley and should have been treated better. He ends by saying, "At least that's what I think. I don't know, I get a lot of things wrong." As they walk home, Marge tells him, "No Homer, you got it absolutely right."
It is that moment the Simpsons transcended from a mere cartoon to a classic as it showed personal growth for Homer.
While in the first 8 seasons Homer was a jerk at times, he was also capable of remorse and regretting his actions as well as making up for these.
@@FekLeyrTarg Exactly. And this episode is probably one of the best at showing his loving nature.
Yup, that's indeed one of the best scenes. Another one is when he comes back from Lurlene and asks Marge "is there any room in that bed for a dang fool?" and she answers "always has been" while the song about Homer plays.
Beautiful line from Homer
Gotta give it to her. Marge is an amazing actress, but definitely not a good singer.
I know right. How did she even get the part with that out of tune voice
it's like donald duck from kingdom hearts singing
The director cast her because she was the most pathetic, like Blanche in the play.
If you binge watch the Simpsons, the sound of her speaking voice really starts to grate on your nerves.
The last time I watched a recent episode (shudder) I had to stop because her voice was so hoarse it was painful to listen to.
@@clowntrooper61The director considered all the other women who auditioned to play Blanche were all terrible.
Can't you hear me yella?!"
I love how they just shit on New Orleans, Sweeney Todd style, lol
New Orleans is a hole like a big black pit and it's filled with people who are filled with shit.
The last song is so funny once you know the real ending of the play 😂
It's pretty much the same finale (i.e., Blanche being carted away to the asylum), except they end it rather upbeat.
well that's why its funny, they missed the whole point of the theme of the play by ending it happy
Andro Libre Thats the joke, an upbeat musical of wich i assume is a drama
yes, it is
ironmaster64 Streetcar is a tragedy drama.
Modern Simpsons would have Marge join the cast of the new Terminator film (Now in theaters!) with special guest star Arnold Schwarzenegger and some Z lister from SNL.
One of my favorite low key jokes is the idea that they built an entire giant backdrop of the Super Dome and put it on a rotating floor, just for one lyric in a song.
This whole segment is funny enough, but if you’re familiar with the story of A Streetcar Named Desire, this is one of the most darkly hilarious send-ups The Simpsons has ever done. Superb.
''Cool, she can fly!'' Hahahaha. Bart enjoying the simple things. XD
A human flying is simple now?
Somehow nearly 30 years later, I still never see the totally-misunderstood ending coming.
I heard this episode was on of Matt Groening favorites!
marge eps done well can be the most emotional eps that hit your core about your wifes needs that teach and stick with you for a long time...I married marge, the way we was, itchy and scratchy and marge, streecar named desire marge vs the monorail and of course the og life on the fast lane are so emotionally based they kind of shock me how good with making marge likeable they were since this is early marge even streetcar was made at the end of season 3...they nailed her character in those that future golden age eps like marge gets a job, marge in chains, marge on the lam, secrets of a successful marriage, fear of flying, scenes from the class struggle, marge be not proud, the twisted world of marge and reality bites didn't quite grasp as new writers took over changing her core not understanding what made her so likeable..they ruined her character imo outside of the great springfield connection episode....... I didn't like colonel homer overall but it has a good idea in there about marges jealousy and homer being seduced..i just hated the execution cause its written by matt and not the staff so its not very interesting ...its played a little too seriously and gets sorta ickie with how forward and obvious they make the seduction by act 2...bunk with me is such a disturbing song to hear as homer smiles at her..it feels so wrong...that's the sort of zoom in close up big grin he should only give towards marge even if hes not consciously trying to flirt...it gets into the overly synical marge and obliviously retarded side of homer I don't like ...
I am just a simple paper boy
no romance do I seek
I just wanted 40 cents
for my deliveries last week
Will this bewitching floozy
seduce this humble newsy?
Oh what's a paper boi to....doooooooooooooooooooooooo?
*smack*
WOO HOO!
That scene in the actual play is actually quite tragic and pathetic (middle-aged Blanche trying to seduce a teenager), but this bit was golden. XD
Yeah that was gross. Forgot about that.
Homer: “Marge? Can I have some change for the candy machine?”
Sinclair: “OH, HERE!”
I’m dead and reincarnated every time I hear that. 🤣😂🤣😂💀
One of my all-time FAVORITE episodes. 😁
I always wondered how they worked the rape scene into the musical.
“All I want is one embrace!” “I’ll twist this bottle in your face!”
It's happening while Marge is flying through the air
you're a dame and i'm a fella,
stanley stop or i'll tell stella
Just as with their "Shining" parody, it's amazing how many of the original story beats they hit in just a few minutes of screen time.
I was a huge Simpsons fan when I was 12, collected the first 10 seasons on DVD. I only watched this episode 2 maybe 3 times, but the New Orleans song still pops into my head 20+ years later!
I wish "Oh, Streetcar!" became a legit musical.
Somebody figure out how we can bribe Danny Elfman because I want this and Planet of the Apes the musical SO BAD
@@jmkupihea7630 Danny Elfman... wrote these?
@@benjaminfischer3229 my mistake, I thought he had, but it was Alf Clausen
Ned Flanders, you've made Marlon Brando proud!
Stella can't you hear me Yella youre putting me through hella 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I love it
Watching this is a great reminder of how genius The Simpsons was in its heyday. Just amazing. Along with Planet of the Apes musical and See my Vest
0:47 The faces of Bart and Lisa... priceless.
So is Lisa's description of Marge's flying moment in the play
One of the best episodes they ever made.
Yup, and one of Matt Groening's favorites too.
This and Marge Vs. The Monorail are my two favorites--and from the same season.
I didn't even know about this until I learned about it in Literature a few weeks ago, and then I realized when in the play Stanley was yelling, "STELLAAAAAAA" so I'm checking now and I WAS RIGHT! OMG I haven't watch the Simpsons in over a year but this was a very memorable musical. Hmm I'm wondering if I should tell my teacher about this
I have been to Bourbon Street and I can attest that this opening song is VERY accurate.
Imagine putting so much effort into an animated, 22-minute show. Fuck it, we'll make the whole musical, with songs, lyrics, choreography, everything. Simpsons in the 90s was ingenious.
Honestly, New Orleans should’ve own this mention. I remember when it aired I was actually interested in visiting there.
Can ya hear me Yella? Why do you put me to hella? Oh Stella. STELLA!
My favorite part is the random flying with wild lasers during the descent into madness. Whoever wrote that part definitely saw the original production of Carrie the Musical.
0:44 Herman going along with the dance with no arm is hilarious to me
Can the Simpsons animate this full musical please?
Oh, what's a paperboy to... ... ... ... DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?
A stranger is a friend you haven't met.
I love how in the following episode’s intro, the Chalkboard Gag has Bart writing “I will not defame New Orleans.” Apparently not everyone was fond of the opening number to Streetcar!
1992 - Simpsons Song About New Orleans.
2025 - Still Relevant
0:38 Fast cut to Bart and Lisa staring blankly while watching subject matter that's way too adult for them, and that was basically me watching The Simpsons as a kid XD
The blank expressions on the kids is priceless!!
As I kid, this went over my head. Having since studied A Streetcar Named Desire in school, this is HILARIOUS
Same here. Just yesterday, I just read the play for the first time and things make more sense now
Low-key joke that this community theatre production built an elaborate rotating stage purely so that they could show the Superdome for 5 seconds in the opening number.
Is THAT what it's supposed to be????
I think Wiggum really nailed his part.
STELLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I remember channel 4 in the UK aired this episode the day after hurricane Katrina, talk about bad timing.
2:22 Apu’s reaction to the kiss always gets me laughing a bit😆
so much gold. I miss these days when the Simpsons would air on fox. simple times of going to school and playing Nintendo with out a worry in the world.
The New Orleans song gets me every time lolll
When The Simpsons was actually good.
the simpsons is so good check this out....chief wiggum is a good actor in this season 4 streetcar named marge episode randomly and then later this season they have his son ralph be good at acting too in I love lisa as george washintton so much so he becomes a semi star and gets lots of girls fame and gives a great ending to that ep ..its good continuity that it runs in their blood and isn't a random gag for one episode...especially considering ralph wasn't his son until I love lisa...it had never been established before...now that's amazing timing....
someo writer had a complete ball making this
This episode came out before I was born but it will always be in my mind. I’ll never forget the songs. Anytime someone mentions Streetcar Named Desire, I’ll always think of Flanders yelling Stella!
This has been stuck in my head for the last couple days.
2:43 one of those moments that sticks in your head even in 2017
it's no planet of the apes musical but there is merit to this production
From a time when we could look forward to THE SIMPSONS week after week...
So, Apu has a lot of problems. But for Hank Azaria to successfully voice an Indian-American immigrant, playing a paperboy in a small town musical sited in New Orleans, that takes skill.
Now I want to go to New Orleans, 🎶🎼putrid vile and wretched New Orleans 🎶🎼
@Phoenix It's actually a very nice unique city that most people end up liking when they visit.
I like how Springfield has a tradition of doing plays in town using locals as cast members. I wish we had something like that where I lived, I think that might be fun. I guess with the pandemic, this is a unrealistic thing to want, especially given the fact as an adult, I have no idea where most of the characters find time to rehearse for a play.
You don't have community theater in your town? For many performers, it's just a hobby. They have regular day jobs and find the time to do a musical or play, if they're really interested.
I don’t know why, but I can’t get over how much emotion Chief Wiggum puts into his performance.
STELLAHHHH
I just love how they pronounce New Orleh-ahns.
I love that they start off singing about their hatred of New Orleans but then just keep it going to shocked audience 😂
In my view, a low opinion of something shouldn't be equated with "hatred" of it. I'm so sick of people throwing that word around.
@@dixonpinfold2582 the lyrics are pretty hateful.
My English teacher showed us this back in high school, 10/10
I came here from UK's National Theatre UA-cam channel, after watching the play
It was amazing, but this is perfection xD
This just proofs it how singing makes everything better :D
cooool, she can fly!
Aww, the golden age! A classic! ❤️
I think New Orleans song isn't welcome in that city since today. Be careful if you sing it while you're walking on N.O. ;)
Marge would make a great Blanche Dubois
The fact that Ned is playing a violent rapist is hilarious
New Orleans were pretty upset with this song.
Pokemongirl800 Erika gant 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Fuck em
That first number is pretty accurate to how New Orleans actually is.