[MG35] The Shell Game

The Shell Game                                         Written by Matt Groening
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[$Id: mg35 1.1 92/04/05 12:42:06 raymond Exp Locker: raymond $]
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> Didja notice...
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    Voice credits:
        NANCY CARTWRIGHT as Bart
        YEARDLEY SMITH as Lisa
        JULIE KAVNER as Mrs. Simpson

    Animation producer was Margot Pipkin.
    Animators were Wesley Archer and David Silverman.

    The Simpsons now receive opening credits.  (There's a Maggie fall
    in the credits.)

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> Freeze Frame Fun
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>> On the refrigerator is magneted a black-and-white photo of Lisa.
>> Marge is wearing bracelets.

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> Assorted comments and observations
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Brian Howard {bh} gives the timing for this short as 1:11, which means that
nothing was cut for syndication.

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> Quotes and scene summary
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% B = Bart, M = Marge
%
% Bart sits at the kitchen island, the cookie jar in front of him.
% He checks that the coast is clear, then reaches for the jar.
% Marge pops up behind him.

M: Bart!
B: Woaugh!

% Bart has been caught with his hand literally in the cookie jar.

M: Take your hand out of that cookie jar!

% Bart does so, with a cookie in his hand.  Marge slaps his hand (Bart
% drops the cookie back into the jar) and replaces the lid.

B: Oh, man.
M: That jar is off-limits, Bart.
   And if I catch you with so much as one cookie...
B: [heavy sarcasm] Whoa, I'm scared.

% Homer magically appears.

H: Bart!

% Homer leans in to make his point.

H: [menacingly] Lay off those cookies.

% Bart swallows hard.  Marge and Homer leave.
%
% Bart checks that the coast is clear and reaches into the jar, pulling out
% a handful of cookies and dropping them on the counter.  Lisa pops up from
% behind the refrigerator.

L: Mom!  Dad!  Bart's eating cookies!

% Lisa (the snitch) makes her escape as Bart frantically tosses the cookies
% back into the jar.

B: Whew!

% Then he spots a cookie still on the counter that eluded him.

B: Yaaargh!

% Bart covers it with a bowl just as Homer and Marge enter.

M: What's under that bowl, Bart?
B: Nuthin'.
H: Lift up the bowl, boy.

% Bart nervously drums his fingers.  He reaches under the table and
% produces two more bowls.  He quickly shuffles the three bowls on
% the table.

H: [points] That one.

% Bart lifts the near bowl.  Nothing.  He replaces the bowl.

M: [points] That one.

% Bart lifts the far bowl.  Nothing.  He replaces the bowl.

B: Hey, look over there!

% Like total idiots, Homer and Marge look behind them, and Bart takes
% the opportunity to shuffle the bowls some more.

M: What?
B: Ohhhhhhhh, nuthin'.

% Homer thinks he's figured it out.

H: [excitedly, with glee]  Middle one!  Middle one!

% Bart lifts it.  Nothing.

H: Huh?

% Bart replaces the bowl.

M: Oh well, I guess he's innocent.

% Bart sees them out and returns...

B: Huh?

% ... to find Maggie shuffling the bowls.

B: Uh... That one.

% Nothing under the near bowl.

B: Uh... That one.

% Nothing under the far bowl.

B: Then, that one!

% Nothing under the middle bowl, either.

B: Hey!  Where's the cookie?

% Maggie opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue, the cookie balanced
% atop it.  She then closes her mouth and munches away.
%
% [End of Act One.  Time: 1:11]
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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.)