[MG07] Eating Dinner

Eating Dinner                                          Written by Matt Groening
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[$Id: mg07 1.1 92/03/01 13:39:50 raymond Exp Locker: raymond $]
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> Didja notice...
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    Voice credits:
        JULIE KAVNER as Mrs. Simpson
        DAN CASTELLANETA as Mr. Simpson
        NANCY CARTWRIGHT as Bart
        YEARDLEY SMITH as Lisa

    Animators were Wes Archer, Bill Kopp, and David Silverman.

    The credits now list the casting director as BONNIE PIETILA rather
    than BONITA PIETILA.

    ... Homer's shirt is blue, not white?

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> Animation and continuity goofs
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What started as a bowl of purple goop in Act One has become a frying
pan piled with purple glop by Act Two.  And the nearly empty pan at
the end of Act Three has become a full pan in Act Four.
(Did Marge make two batches?)

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> Assorted comments and observations
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Brian Howard {bh} gives the timing for this short as 1:23, whereas the
syndication package contains only 1:13 of animation.

(You think that's bad enough?  It appears that they cut an entire scene
from the `Scandal' sketch!)

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> Quotes and scene summary
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% B = Bart, L = Lisa, M = Marge, H = Homer
%
% Enclosed in {curly braces} are sections cut for syndication.
%
% The Simpsons dining room.  Five table settings (one at each end, three
% along the side).  A painting of a snow-covered mountain is on the wall.
%
% Marge comes in, carrying a steaming bowl of purple gelatinous glop.
% (High-amplitude, low-frequency oscillations.)  Marge calls with a
% smile...

M: Dinner!

% No response.  Marge gradually loses her smile.

M: Hot meal!  Come and get it.

% Another try.

M: Hearty and nutritious!  Right here!

% She tosses the bowl off its tray onto the table.  The purple goo compresses,
% and when it springs back into shape, five globlets peel off, one landing in
% each bowl on the table.
%
% Still nobody comes.

M: Anyone who doesn't get his or her butt in here pronto will go
   without dessert!

% Homer, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie dash in, take their seats, grab a fork
% (except for Maggie who uses her hand) and take a mouthful of purple
% glop.
%
% [End of Act One.  Time: 0:23]
%
% The family munch noisily away.  The picture on the wall is of a volcano
% beginning to erupt purple lava.

M: Hold it everybody, we forgot to say grace.
H: Say, that's right!
M: This family could use a little reverence around here.

% The family put down their utensils.  Maggie replaces her pacifier.
% They bow their heads in prayer.  (Except for Maggie, who keeps her
% eyes open and looks around.)

H: Good drink... good meat... good God, let's eat!

% And with that, Homer, Lisa and Bart raise high their forks and dig
% heartily into the purple glop.  (Maggie removes her pacifier and
% resumes eating with her hand.)
%
% [End of Act Two.  Time: 0:36]
%
% The picture on the wall is of a volcano erupting full force.
% The pan of purple glop is nearly empty.
%
% Homer, Lisa, and Bart raise their spoons and slurp loudly.
% Maggie slurps through a straw.  Marge frowns and casts a
% glance at the camera, as if to say, ``See what I mean?''

M: Hold on, all of you.  There's no need to slurp your soup so loudly.

% Homer waves his spoon, thereby shaking off some purple soup that
% was in it at the time.  There are also two purple stains on his
% shirt.

H: She's right, you little slobs.
M: Let's try a little dignity around here.
   I don't want to hear any slurping.
L: [bored] Right, Mom.
B: [bored] Okey-dokey, Mom.

% Homer, Lisa and Bart take a spoonful of soup and swallow it loudly.
% (Maggle swallows loudly from her straw.)  Marge quietly fumes
% and casts another furtive glance at the camera.
%
% [End of Act Three.  Time: 0:54]
%
% The picture is of a smoking crater.
%
% Homer, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie are eating noisily, their mouths
% overfull with purple glop.  (So full they can't even close
% their mouths.)  Maggie is holding her pacifier in her left hand
% and a knife in her right.

M: You know, dinner shouldn't be eaten in silence.

% Homer swallows.  (Gulp.)

M: This should be a time... for communication.
H: That's a good idea, dear.  Bart, turn on the TV.

% Bart zips off stage right and pushes the TV set in front of the table,
% so everyone can see.  (The picture faces away from the camera.)  The
% dining room is bathed in the glow of a cathode ray tube.  Bart returns
% to his seat.  Marge watches the news, stunned.

TV: On tonight's news:
    Bus plunge kills forty-three.
    Freak roller coaster accident decapitates {a family of five.
    And a sneak preview of today's exciting bikini beachwear.
    But first this important message.}

% [End of Act Four.  Time: 1:13]
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Shorts summaries Copyright 1992 by Raymond Chen.  Not to be redistributed
in a public forum without permission.  (The quotes themselves, of course,
remain the property of The Tracey Ullman Show, and the reproduced articles
remain the property of the original authors.  I'm just taking credit for the
compilation.)