[MG08] Football

Football                                               Written by Matt Groening
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[$Id: mg08 1.1 92/03/07 09:50:56 raymond Exp Locker: raymond $]
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> Didja notice...
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    Voice credits:
        YEARDLEY SMITH as Lisa & Maggie
        NANCY CARTWRIGHT as Bart

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

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> Freeze Frame Fun
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Watch Homer's ball toss.  He throws the ball with such force that his eyeballs
momentarily detach from his head.  And, of course, Bart's collisions are
well worth the effort.

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> Animation and continuity goofs
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> Assorted comments and observations
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Brian Howard {bh} gives the timing for this short as 1:37, whereas the
syndication package contains only 1:32 of animation.

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> Quotes and scene summary
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% H = Homer, B = Bart, L = Lisa
%
% The Simpsons backyard.  From left to right, Homer, Lisa, Maggie, and Bart.
% Homer tosses a football jauntily in his hand.

H: Go for it, Bart.  Go out for the looong bomb!
B: Okay, Dad!

% Bart runs off stage right as Homer heaves the ball with all his might.
%
% Close-up on Homer, calling with his hand by his mouth.

H: Atta boy, Bart!  Catch this one and I'll buy you all chocolate milkshakes!

% Cut to Bart, running along the grass, his arms outstretched in front of
% him, and his head turned to watch the ball.

B:  Oh-boy, oh-boy, oh-boy, oh-boy, oh-boy, **oomph**

% Bart runs into a tree.  But he immediately recovers and continues as
% before.

B: [pant]  [pant]  **oomph**

% He runs into a post, but immediately recovers and continues, not once
% taking his eye off the ball.

B: [pant]  [pant]  **hulp**

% Bart runs into a brick wall.  He collapses on his back, streams of
% pain radiating from his body.  The ball bounces off the wall.

H: [o.s.]  Next time, put a little effort into it, boy!

% [End of Act One.  Time: 0:23]
%
% Same set-up as before.

H: Catch this one, and we all get chocolate milkshakes!

% Bart runs off stage right.  Homer throws the ball.  Bart runs along
% the grass as before.  Cut back to Homer and Lisa watching.

H+L: Faster, Bart!  Faster!

% Bart runs faster.

H+L: Fence, Bart!  Fence!

% Bart hurdles the fence.

H+L: Ditch, Bart!  Ditch!

% Bart leaps over a huge ditch.  (Looks more like two cliffs a few feet
% apart.)

H+L: Dog, Bart!  Dog!

% Bart leaps into the air, avoiding a dog, which gnashes its teeth
% futilely.  (Bart stays in the air for about two seconds.  Impressive.)

H+L: Cliff, Bart!  Cliff!

% Bart jumps off the cliff and remains syspended in midair.  At least,
% long enough for him to realize his mistake, upon which he falls like
% a rock.  (Standard cartoon technique.)

B: Aaaauuuuuuugggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

% The football also goes over the cliff.  We heard a *thud*.
%
% Bart is on his back at the bottom of the cliff.  The football lands a
% few feet away.

H: That boy just don't listen.

% [End of Act Two.  Time: 0:51]
%
% Third time's a charm?  Bart's head is visibly bruised.

H: Come on, Bart.  Catch the ball so we can all go out for some frosty
   chocolate milkshakes.
L: [angrily] Yeah, Bart.
H: Start runnin', boy!

% Bart runs off stage right, and Homer heaves the ball yet again.  (*ungh!*)
%
% Lisa plays cheerleader, sans pom-poms, hopping from one leg to another.
% Maggie mimics Lisa, but silently.

L: Go, Bart!  Go!  Go, Bart!  Go!

% Maggie falls as a result of the difficult balancing necessary to hop from
% one leg to another.

H: Atta boy!  Chocolate milkshakes, here we come!

% Lisa's cheering continues in the background as Bart runs along the grass.
%
% Bart's eye view of the football closing in.  The football hits the camera.

B: [o.s.] Ungh!

% Lisa raises her arms in triumph.

L: Yaaaay!  He caught it!!

% Bart is flat on his back, the football seriously wedged into his mouth.
% The usual collection of stars and spirals around Bart's head.
% Homer is disappointed.

H: [o.s.]  When I said catch, I meant with your hands.

% Bart raises his head and tries to respond, but it just comes out as
% ``Mmmph.  Mmph.  Mmmph.''
%
% [End of Act Three.  Time: 1:14]
%
% In the ice cream parlor.  (A sign on the wall has a picture of a milkshake
% and the caption $1.89.  The window has ``Parlor'' written backwards; the
% words ``Ice Cream'' are above the picture frame and aren't visible.)
% From left to right, Homer, Maggie, and Lisa.  Everyone has a strawberry
% shake in front of them.  Homer eats his with a spoon (notice the spilt
% milkshake near Homer's cup); the girls drink theirs through a straw.
% Maggie holds her pacifier in her left hand.

H: Well, Bart, you put in a good effort today, so we're all being rewarded.

% Homer eats his spoonful of milkshake.  Maggie squeals with delight.

L: Good slurpee.
H: Bart, you're not touching your milkshake.  Aren't you hungry?

% The camera pans across the table to Bart, who has a milkshake in front of
% him and the football still wedged in his mouth.  Bart raises his arms and
% tries to protest, but all we hear are muffled tones.

H: Well, if <you> won't drink it, I will!

% Bart continues to protest, but we can't make out what he's trying to say.
% With an evil smirk, Lisa reaches over and shoves the straw into his mouth
% around the football.  Bart starts drinking his milkshake.
%
% [End of Act Four.  Time: 1:32]
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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.)