The Simpsons / Season 3

Season 3 of The Simpsons
Episodes	24
Country of production	United States
First broadcast	September 19, 1991 - August 27, 1992 on Fox
German-language first broadcast	January 5, 1993 - April 7, 1994 on ZDF and ProSieben
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The third season of the American animated series The Simpsons was first broadcast from September 19, 1991 to August 27, 1992 on the US broadcaster Fox . The German-language first broadcast was broadcast by ZDF from January 5, 1993 to February 15, 1993. An exception is the episode The Missing Half Brother , which was dubbed later and broadcast for the first time by the private broadcaster ProSieben .

characters

See also : Characters from The Simpsons

figure	Original speaker	Voice actor
Homer Simpson	Dan Castellaneta	Norbert Gastell
Marge Simpson	Julie Kavner	Elisabeth Volkmann
Bart Simpson	Nancy Cartwright	Sandra Schwittau
Lisa Simpson	Yeardley Smith	Sabine Bohlmann
Maggie Simpson	Nancy Cartwright	Sabine Bohlmann
► Synchronization of the Simpsons

Development and production

Season three showrunner

Al Jean

Mike Reiss

Al Jean and Mike Reiss , who had already acted as scriptwriters for the series in the first two seasons, took on the role of the showrunners for the third season. Previously, previous show runner Sam Simon had complained about his then colleague Matt Groening because he felt that Groening was getting too much praise from the press. A dispute with Gracie Films was also a reason for Simon to leave. According to their own statements, the two newcomers felt a lot more pressure in their duties as show runners than when they were working as scriptwriters. Due to the successful collaboration, Jean and Reiss continued their collaboration in the fourth season of the series. Jean himself returned to the 13th season as a show runner after several years of absence . Although the episodes Crisis in Kamp Krusty and Stage Free for Marge were produced during the production of the third season, they were set as episodes 1 and 2 of the fourth season. In contrast, the episodes The Birthday Surprise and A Curse on Flanders had already been produced by their predecessors James L. Brooks , Matt Groening and Sam Simon.

Carlos Baeza and Jeffrey Lynch directed several episodes of the season. Alan Smart , who actually works as an assistant director, directed the episode The Recipe for Success; this was also the only episode of the entire series so far in which he worked as a director. Other directors who directed only one episode at a time included Robert Cohen , Howard Gewirtz , Ken Levine and David Isaacs . Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein , who later became executive producers in the seventh and eighth seasons , also took over the duties of screenwriters in the third season, as the previous lead writers Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky had announced their exit from the series. The order of the new opening credits was also introduced in the third season.

The season premiere took place with the episode The Birthday Surprise , in which Michael Jackson made a guest appearance. He spoke the role of Leon Kompowsky , with Hank Azaria taking on the character's deep voice and Kipp Lennon being responsible for the vocal part. One of Jackson's conditions for the guest role was that he be listed under a pseudonym , so he was dubbed John Jay Smith on the episode .

On January 30, 1992, then- US President George HW Bush mentioned in a speech:

"We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons."

"We'll keep trying to empower the American family to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons ."

- George HW Bush

The series' writers then decided that they wanted to respond to this speech with a response video. On January 30, 1992, they released a new edition of the season premiere The Birthday Surprise , in which the Simpsons family sat together in front of the television at the beginning and watched Bush's speech. Bart Simpson responds by saying, “Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We also pray for an end to the crisis ”.

The Wunderschläger is the first episode to feature multiple guest stars. The idea for this came from Sam Simon , who wanted to create an episode filled with major league baseball players. He finally managed to lure nine professional baseball players, who spoke out about their respective characters at an interval of about half a year. In addition to these, many characters were introduced who still play an expanded role in the series today (as of December 2012). These include kitchen help Doris Peterson , Fat Tony , Legs and Louie , Rabbi Hyman Krustofski , Lurleen Lumpkin and Kirk and Luann van Houten .

The third season is the last of the Simpsons seasons produced by the Klasky Csupo company. The producers of Gracie Films decided to start working with Film Roman immediately . Sharon Bernstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Gracie Films executives were unhappy with Klasky Csupo's work and that they decided to hire Film Roman as a new production partner.

Episodes

See also : The Simpsons / Episode List

No. ( total )	No. ( St. )	German title	Original title	First broadcast (USA)	German language first broadcast ( D )	Director	script	Prodc.
36	1	The birthday surprise	Heavily raving dad	19 Sep 1991	Jan 5, 1993	Rich Moore	Al Jean & Mike Reiss	7F24
Since Lisa will be eight years old in two days, she wakes Bart in the morning to ask him to finally give her a present this year. Bart promises her this to get her out of his room. Since Bart has put his red cap in the white laundry, Homer has to drive to work in a pink t-shirt. There he is perceived by Mr. Burns as an anarchist free thinker because of his T-shirt and consequently forced to undergo a psychological test. Homer has Bart fill out the test out of laziness. His answers lead Mr. Burns to send Homer to a madhouse. There he is declared crazy because of a freak in a Rorschach picture that resembles Bart. In the madhouse he meets a tall white inmate who thinks he is Michael Jackson . Homer believes this because he doesn't know Michael Jackson. Since Homer is too cowardly to call home, the wrong Michael Jackson does it for him. He tells Bart that his father is in a madhouse with him. When Marge comes to visit Homer, she tells the staff that Bart exists and is Homer's son. They then declare Homer not insane and release him. He learns from the fake Michael Jackson that this is only voluntarily in the madhouse. Homer then invites him to join him in Springfield. Meanwhile, Lisa celebrates her birthday alone with Maggie at home. Homer calls Bart from the madhouse and tells him that Michael Jackson will be with them for a few days and that he shouldn't tell anyone about it. Bart resists this and tells Milhouse that Michael Jackson will come to him. He tells it on until the whole city knows, whereupon a lot of onlookers gather in front of the Simpsons house. When the fake Michael Jackson shows up at the Simpsons, the city realizes that it's not the real Michael Jackson and disappears again. Lisa explains to Bart that not only are the Springfield residents disappointed in him, she is also disappointed in him because he again has no birthday present for them. Then she writes on a piece of paper that she and Bart are only siblings by name. The fake Michael Jackson notices this and then speaks to Bart. He suggests that he write a song for Lisa. They do this together and perform it in front of Lisa the next day. Lisa is thrilled and forgives Bart. The fake Michael Jackson then explains that his name is actually Leon Kompowsky and disappears. The scenes in the madhouse are based on the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest . Guest stars: Michael Jackson and Kipp Lennon
37	2	Once to Washington and back	Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington	26 Sep 1991	Jan. 12, 1993	Wes Archer	George Meyer	8F01
Homer gets a free copy of the Reader's Digest , which makes him read for the first time. He is so fascinated by the magazine that he only deals with it. Among other things, there is a reference to a preliminary decision in an essay competition on the topic of “Fanatically Pro American” for children, the main event of which is taking place in Washington, DC , whereby all costs are covered for the families of the preliminary winners. Lisa should win this preliminary decision for the Simpsons, which she also succeeds. As a reward, she is allowed to travel to Washington with her family. There the Simpsons receive special VIP passes and take part in a historical city tour. They meet the politician Bob Arnold in the White House . On the morning of the competition, Lisa goes to a little-known memorial and accidentally overhears Bob Arnold taking a bribe from a businessman to have the Springfield Forest cut down. Shocked by this, Lisa changes her essay, which she wanted to present at the main competition, and then publicly accuses Washington and Bob Arnold of corruption. A member of the jury fears that a young citizen could lose confidence in democracy and notifies a senator who informs the FBI . As a result, Bob Arnold is monitored by the FBI and caught with a trick. The FBI trap catches him accepting bribes for allowing Theodore Roosevelt's head to be drilled for oil on Mount Rushmore . Lisa does not win the competition, but Lisa is honored by the winner for showing that America's freedom has to be fought hard every day.
38	3	A curse on Flanders	When Flanders Failed	Oct 3, 1991	Jan. 13, 1993	Jim Reardon	Jon Vitti	7F23
Ned Flanders throws a barbecue party in his garden to which he invites the Simpson family. However, Homer stays home out of hatred and envy towards Ned while the rest of the family goes to the Flanders. However, Homer is attracted to the smell of the grill, so he still appears at the barbecue. There Ned announces that he is quitting his job in the pharmaceutical industry to open the "Left Handedrium", a store specially geared towards customers who are left-handed . When Ned breaks a wishbone with Homer , in which the wish of the person with the larger piece of bone should come true, Homer, who breaks off the larger piece of bone, wishes that Ned's shop would go bankrupt. Meanwhile, Marge worries that Bart watches too much TV. Through a television commercial, Bart takes an interest in karate and Marge then allows him to take a karate class at the Springfield Shopping Center. After Homer brought Bart to the course, he went to the nearby “left-handed room” and found out that Ned had not yet made any sales. Bart does not like the karate class because he is supposed to read a lot first and is not immediately taught how to beat someone up. He leaves the course and then goes to a video arcade. Bart also skipped the other course hours. Although Homer knows that Ned has still not sold anything, he remains silent on several occasions when people get upset over items that are only right-handed that there is a left-handed store because he wants to see Ned go bankrupt. Due to the financial situation, Ned is forced to sell personal belongings in a garage sale, including most of his living room furnishings, to Homer at a ridiculous price. Meanwhile, Lisa is threatened by the school yard rowdies who want to steal her saxophone. She threatens them with her brother Bart, who supposedly knows karate. Bart tries to fool the thugs with karate behavior, but they beat him up. Homer learns by accident that Ned is in debt. When Ned actually has to close his shop and his house is also seized, Homer feels guilty. He persuades it to have another day open. He informed the whole city by phone that there was a left-handed shop. The next day, Ned's shop is full of people. Ned's shop is running and all customers are singing "Put on a Happy Face" together. Several elements from the last scene, including Ned and Maud's clothes, Homer's toast and the singers, pay homage to the end of the film " Isn't Life Beautiful? ".
39	4th	Crime is not worth it	Bart the Murderer	Oct 10, 1991	Jan. 7, 1993	Rich Moore	John Swartzwelder	8F03
At the end of a particularly bad day, Bart gets caught in a downpour. When he loses control of his skateboard and dashes down a flight of stairs, he breaks through the door of the "Honorable Businessmen's Club," which is the camouflaged mafia bar run by Springfield's mob boss Fat Tony and his partners Legs, Louie and Joey. The mafiosi are impressed by Bart's bold demeanor and Bart gets a job as a bartender. However, Marge is not enthusiastic about Bart's dealings and asks Homer to intervene. Homer then visits the Mafiosi, but finds them likeable and tries to find a job for Lisa. When Fat Tony finds out that Principal Skinner is having Bart in detention, Fat Tony visits him with his gang. The next day, Headmaster Skinner disappeared. Bart dreams that the Mafiosi murdered Skinner and confronts Fat Tony about it. When the police storm the bar, Fat Tony claims that Bart is their boss, so he is charged with murder, tried, and jailed. Immediately before Bart's conviction, it turns out that Skinner had been spilled by a pile of newspapers in his own basement for a week and was finally able to free himself through a trick. Bart is acquitted, but he decides to stop working for the mafia because he has learned that crime is not worth it. Guest Stars: Joe Mantegna and Neil Patrick Harris
40	5	The emergency	Homer Defined	Oct 17, 1991	Jan. 14, 1993	Mark Kirkland	Howard Gewirtz	8F04
Bart is horrified to learn that Milhouse is not inviting him for his birthday. Meanwhile, Homer takes a nap at the power plant while on duty - not realizing that a meltdown is about to occur. He is startled by alarm sirens. Homer panics, but accidentally saves the power station from melting by trying a counting rhyme in the control room and finally pressing the button that was left over. He is ashamed when the others celebrate him as a hero and he gets a congratulatory call from Magic Johnson . Aristotle Amadopolis, the owner of the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant, has him deliver a motivational speech to his employees. Meanwhile, Bart finds out that Milhouse's mother won't let them meet because Bart is a bad influence on Milhouse. Marge seeks a conversation with Milhouse's mother, who then lets her son play with Bart again. In his speech to the employees in Shelbyville, Homer finds no words when the alarm sirens ring again - the meltdown is imminent. Everyone is expecting the rescue of Homer, who has no idea what to do. Once again he determined the right button with the help of the counting rhyme and saved the situation - but now everyone knows that he was just lucky. Guest Stars: Magic Johnson , Chick Hearn, and Jon Lovitz
41	6th	The father of a clown	Like Father, Like Clown	Oct 24, 1991	Jan. 11, 1993	Brad Bird & Jeffrey Lynch	Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky	8F05
During a dinner visit to The Simpsons, Krusty is depressed instead of the cheerful and funny as expected. He reveals that his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, disinherited and disowned him because Krusty did not follow family tradition and became a rabbi. Bart and Lisa then try to reconcile the two of them again. The siblings receive the rabbi's address from Reverend Lovejoy, who moderates a weekly radio program with Rabbi Krustofski. They visit him, but the rabbi denies the existence of his son and slams the door on them. Bart and Lisa do not give up and chase after the rabbi on various occasions to quote conciliatory passages from the valley mouth. The rabbi remains unaffected by this and always has a suitable counter-quote at hand. Eventually, however, Bart manages to change the rabbi’s mind with an inspiring sentence from Sammy Davis Jr. He and Krusty celebrate reconciliation on Krusty's show. The construction of the story, a rabbi who forbids his son to pursue a career as an entertainer, is reminiscent of the film " The Jazz Singer (1946) ". Guest star: Jackie Mason
42	7th	nightmares	Treehouse of Horror II	Oct 31, 1991	Jan. 18, 1993	Jim Reardon	Al Jean, Mike Reiss Jeff Martin , George Meyer Sam Simon , John Swartzwelder	8F02
After Lisa, Bart and Homer eat too much candy on Halloween, despite Marges warnings, each of them gets a nightmare : The monkey hand (Lisa's dream) - The Simpsons are on vacation in Morocco and Homer buys a chopped off monkey hand in a bazaar that can fulfill four wishes. At home, Maggie wants a new pacifier, Bart wants wealth and fame, and Lisa wants world peace. However, the aliens Kang and Kodos take advantage of the helplessness of the pacifist earth, conquer it and enslave the people. Homer's last wish is a turkey sandwich, then he throws the monkey hand out the window where Flanders can find it. Flanders gets four new wishes and first makes the aliens disappear, then he wants a castle instead of his house. The Beard Zone (Bart's Dream) - Bart has the ability to read minds and change things. When Springfield residents think evil things, Bart turns them into grotesque creatures. As a result, all residents are afraid of Bart and always strive to have positive thoughts in his presence. Eventually, however, Homer upset Bart and is turned into a jumping devil by him. Marge brings Homer and Bart to the family psychologist Dr. Marvin Monroe, who suggests that father and son spend a lot of time together. They follow the advice and Bart turns Homer back. Homer's dream - Mr. Burns fires Homer, but uses Homer's brain for his robot experiment with which he wants to create the perfect employee. The experiment fails and Homer gets his brain back. Then, however, the mindless robot falls on Mr. Burns and seriously injures him. In order for Burns to survive, Mr. Smithers sews Mr. Burns' head onto Homer's body as well. When Homer wakes up the next day, he's relieved that everything seems to be fine. However, when Homer looks in the bathroom mirror, he sees Burn's head still on his body. Lisa's dream is based on the short story Die Affenpfote , Bart's dream is based on the Twilight Zone episode "It's a good Life" with Bill Mumy, Homer's dream is based on the Frankenstein films.
43	8th	Lisa's pony	Lisa's pony	Nov 7, 1991	Jan. 19, 1993	Carlos Baeza	Al Jean & Mike Reiss	8F06
Because Homer does not manage to buy a spare part for Lisa's saxophone in time, he buys her a pony as compensation. However, all the upkeep for the pony costs so much that Homer has to take on a second job. He works in the Kwik-E market at night until he collapses from exhaustion. Finally Lisa decides to return the pony. Guest star: Frank Welker
44	9	The soap box race	Saturdays of Thunder	Nov 14, 1991	Jan. 20, 1993	Jim Reardon	Ken Levine & David Isaacs	8F07
Marge Homer takes a test at the National Paternity Institute to assess his abilities as a father. Homer fails miserably and concludes that he is a miserable father. To change this, he attended a therapy course at the institute. Since Bart wants to take part in a soap box race, Homer suggests - encouraged by the discussions at the therapy course - that the soap box be assembled. Bart hesitates to accept the help, but agrees, and together the two build a rather pathetic car. Bart didn't even get over the finish line in the preliminary round. School geek Martin Prince wins the race effortlessly with his elegant, aerodynamic model, but then loses control and crashes into a wall. He breaks his arm and cannot compete in the final race against Nelson Muntz. Martin asks Bart to start for him, which Bart gladly accepts. Homer feels betrayed, however, because his son does not compete with his own, jointly built soapbox, but with Martins. Nevertheless, Homer takes the paternity test again, and since spending time with Bart building the soap box helps him to answer all the questions correctly, he hurries to come to the race to watch Bart. When Bart recognizes him among the audience, he can, cheered on by Homer, pull past Nelson and win the race. When Bart looks into the stands and realizes that Homer has come to the race to support him, the main soundtrack theme for the film " The Indomitable (1984) " can be heard .
45	10	The recipe for success	Flaming Moe's	Nov 21, 1991	Jan. 21, 1993	Alan Smart & Rich Moore	Robert Cohen	8F08
Business in Moe's tavern is doing so badly that Moe cannot afford to buy new beer. Homer then mixes him the “Flaming Homer”, a mixture of numerous alcohols, which is enriched with Krusty's non-narcotic cough syrup and has to be lit before consumption. The drink is a huge hit and attracts masses of new guests. Moe renames the drink “Flaming Moe” and claims that the recipe was his. Moe's tavern soon became the most popular place in town. The rock band Aerosmith officially names them their favorite pub. However, Homer believes that he has a share in the success. So he confronts Moe, who, however, denies him his piece of success. After all, a restaurant chain called Tipsy McStaggers is offering Moe a million dollars for revealing the previously unknown last ingredient in his drink. Moe is about to accept the money when Homer gets a fit of anger and reveals the secret in the full bar. Tipsy McStaggers' dispatch then tears up the contract. Without really blaming Homer, Moe mixes him a “Flaming Homer” on the house. Collete, the waitress hired by Moe to handle the onslaught of the bar, and the Flaming Moe song are allusions to the US TV series " Cheers ". Guest star: Aerosmith
46	11	Power plant for sale	Burns Selling Power Plant	Dec 5, 1991	Feb. 4, 1993	Mark Kirkland	Jon Vitti	8F09
Homer sells shares he holds in his power plant for $ 25 to buy beer. Rumors of an alleged sale of the power plant emerged that afternoon. The course rises by leaps and bounds. The next day, Homer's colleagues are rich and Mr. Burns actually sells the power plant to a German company for $ 100 million. After the takeover, Homer loses his job and becomes depressed. One evening, while having a beer in Moe's tavern, he meets Mr Burns and Smithers, who want to meet for a beer after Burns retires from the business world. Homer is disrespectful and clearly tells his former boss what he thinks of him and Bart, who is supposed to bring Homer home, kicks Burns on the foot. Other guests also mess with Burns, who hastily escapes from the bar with Smithers. Through this incident Burns realizes that he is no longer feared because he has given up his position of power with his power plant. He decides to buy back his company. The Germans have since discovered that it would cost them another $ 100 million to make the power plant reasonably safe. Burns reaches an agreement with the Germans and they eventually agree to sell the company back to him for only $ 50 million. Burns hires Homer again to get revenge on him at a later date. Guest star: Phil Hartman
47	12	Looking back on the happiness of a marriage	I married margin	Dec 26, 1991	Jan 28, 1993	Jeffrey Lynch	Jeff Martin	8F10
Homer tells about Bart's birth, how he married Marge and about his new job at the nuclear power plant.
48	13	Whoever digs a well for others	Radio beard	Jan. 9, 1992	Feb. 1, 1993	Carlos Baeza	Jon Vitti	8F11
Bart is celebrating his birthday in a restaurant and is given a “Superstar Celebrity Microphone” that can send sounds to FM radios. To play a prank on the city, he throws a small radio into a well in the city center, calls himself “Timmy O'Toole” and calls for help. After a short time, a considerable crowd has gathered around the fountain and the media are reporting live. The crowd begins to worry when it becomes clear that no rescuer can fit through the narrow opening. Krusty is organizing a charity project and is working with Sting to produce a music video entitled “We are sending our Love down the Well” to raise money to save Timmy. However, Lisa then discovers Bart's prank and warns him that he will not get away with it. At first Bart laughs at the warning, but then he remembers that he put a sticker on the radio that reads “Property before Bart Simpson”. He had made the sticker with a labeling machine - another birthday present. When he tries to climb into the well at night to retrieve the radio, the rope is accidentally released by a guard standing guard and Bart falls into the well, where he is actually stuck. Bart admits to cops Lou and Eddie that he is Timmy O'Toole and that this was just a joke. When the residents find out about Bart's prank, they decide to leave him in the well. Only Homer hears Barts cry and starts digging on his own. Others join him and finally the residents and Sting manage to free Bart. Krusty's charity project is inspired by “USA for Africa”, the song “We are sending our Love down the Well” is inspired by “We are the World” from 1985. Guest star: Sting
49	14th	The betting king	Lisa the Greek	Jan. 23, 1992	Jan 25, 1993	Rich Moore	Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky	8F12
Homer spends more time with Lisa because she can accurately predict football events until she realizes that he is only using her for his sports betting . When Homer asks her who will win the final, she is unsure if she is so mad at him that she unconsciously wants his betting loss. She says if she still loves her father, Washington will win, otherwise Buffalo . With Washington winning the final, Homer and Lisa know that she loves him.
50	15th	When mother goes on strike	Homer Alone	Feb 6, 1992	Feb. 3, 1993	Mark Kirkland	David M. Stern	8F14
After a terrible day full of family stress, errands, long queues and endless traffic jams, Marge finally loses her calmness. She stops her car on the Springfield Bridge and blocks traffic in both directions. There were protracted negotiations between her and the police until Homer finally arrives on the bridge and speaks to her. Marge gets out and is arrested on the spot. In order to draw attention to the revision of housewives because he fears for the votes of the voters, Mayor Quimby releases them again. Marge sees a TV commercial for the Rancho Relaxo resort and decides to go on vacation alone. She leaves Maggie with Homer and Bart and Lisa with her sisters Patti and Selma and gets on the train to finally relax. Marge enjoys the resort to the fullest while Bart and Lisa try to survive with their aunts. At home, Homer is completely overwhelmed with little Maggie. In the middle of the night, Maggie crawls out of bed to look for her mother. The next morning, Homer searches the whole house for her, but is unsuccessful. When he is about to go to the train station to pick up Marge, Police Chief Wiggum shows up with Maggie. Marge is picked up and the family swears to her that they will support her more in the future if she promises never to leave her alone again. Guest star: Phil Hartman
51	16	The contact ad	Bart the Lover	Feb 13, 1992	Jan. 26, 1993	Carlos Baeza	Jon Vitti	8F16
Bart plays a prank on his teacher Ms. Krabappel and writes her love letters under the code name "Woodrow". He uses the first name of US President Woodrow Wilson and a picture of ice hockey player Gordie Howe . In the end, however, he feels guilty and tries to find a solution with the family.
52	17th	The miracle racket	Homer at the Bat	Feb 20, 1992	Feb. 2, 1993	Jim Reardon	John Swartzwelder	8F13
At the first game of the softball season, the Springfield nuclear power plant team fell behind. Then Homer enters the field with his self-carved bat - and wins. The team remains undefeated in the season and eventually faces the Shelbyville team in the final. Mr. Burns wagers Ari Amadopolis, the owner of the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant, for a million dollars that his team will win. In order to ensure that he is actually the winner in the end, Burns hires nine players from American Major League Baseball (including Darryl Strawberry ), whom he hires to camouflage themselves at the power plant. However, one day before the game, all but one of the players encountered incidents that prevented their participation in the final. Burns is then forced to start with the right employees. Only Homer has to stay on the bench. It wasn't until the two teams were tied and the end of the ninth inning was approaching that Burns sent Homer onto the field. The very first pitch hits Homer, who passes out and thus enables a home run that leads to victory. His colleagues carry the still unconscious Homer through the stadium as their hero. Homer carves his "wonder stick" out of a tree that was struck by lightning, just like Roy Hobbs in the movie " The Indomitable (1984) ". Guest stars: Wade Boggs , José Canseco , Roger Clemens , Ken Griffey junior , Don Mattingly , Steve Sax , Mike Scioscia , Ozzie Smith , Terry Cashman and Darryl Strawberry
53	18th	The aptitude test	Separate vocations	Feb. 27, 1992	Jan. 27, 1993	Jeffrey Lynch	George Meyer	8F15
Because an aptitude test says that Lisa should be a housewife and Bart should become a police officer, Bart gets the job as a school supervisor - Lisa starts to rebel and hides the teachers' textbooks with all the solutions. Bart is now supposed to track down the culprit. He finds the books in Lisa's locker, but takes the blame on himself. Lisa then becomes a good student again and plays the saxophone for Bart, who is detained. Guest star: Steve Allen
54	19th	Got to the dog	Dog of Death	March 12 1992	Feb 8, 1993	Jim Reardon	John Swartzwelder	8F17
All of Springfield is in the lottery fever. Therefore, nobody in the Simpson family notices that the family dog ​​Knecht Ruprecht is seriously ill. While the family watches the drawing of the lottery numbers on television, the dog collapses. They rush him to the hospital, where they learn that only a $ 750 operation can save him. The Simpsons don't have the money, but when the servant Ruprecht licks Homer off, they decide to somehow raise the money. Everyone in the family has to sacrifice something to raise the amount. Homer gives up drinking beer and Marge cooks cheap stew. The operation is a complete success and Knecht Ruprecht gets back on his feet. The Simpsons, however, are forced to continue to live ascetically and take the frustration out on their dog. One night after Homer accidentally left the garden gate open, Knecht Ruprecht sneaks away. The guilty family goes in search of him. Knecht Ruprecht is caught by a dog catcher and taken to the animal shelter. There he was discovered by Mister Burns, who took him to his villa in order to turn him into a watchdog through some re-education. When Bart enters Burns' property in search of his dog, he lets go of his pack of guard dogs. Knecht Ruprecht remembers Bart and saves him from the other dogs. Bart takes Knecht Ruprecht home with him, where everyone welcomes him and makes up with him. Burns brainwashes Knecht Ruprecht to train him as a watch dog by locking him up, forcibly holding his eyes open and forcing him to watch films that a dog must find terrible - a throwback to Stanley Kubrick's classic A Clockwork Orange .
55	20th	Homer gone astray	Colonel Homer	26th Mar 1992	Feb 9, 1993	Mark Kirkland	Matt Groening	8F19
The Simpsons go to the movies. Homer and Marge watch A Stockholm Affair , while Bart and Lisa watch a monster movie. Homer reveals the end to the audience and is booed for it, which Marge is embarrassed about. When she tells Homer to shut up, people applaud, which again embarrasses Homer. He brings Marge and the children home and goes to the country bar “Beer'N'Brawl”, where the attractive waitress Lurleen Lumpkin sings a sad country love song. A few days later he still can't get Lurleen's song out of his head and he drives to the country bar again. He offers Lurleen to take her to a recording booth in the supermarket. There one of the employees hears the song and wants to play it on the local radio. The song becomes a huge hit and Homer becomes Lurleen's manager . He goes on a tour with her and spends a lot of time with her and neglects his wife, which Marge becomes jealous of. Meanwhile, Lurleen has fallen in love with Homer and wants to spend a night with him, but Homer feels guilty and leaves her. Homer realizes that Marge is the woman he loves and leaves the contract with Lurleen to a music manager for $ 50. Then he returns to his wife and family. Marge and Homer watch a television appearance by Lurleen in which she sings about how lucky Marge is. When Homer enters Spittle County, he passes a child playing the banjo on a veranda - there is a similar scene in the action drama “Deliverance” - German “ When dying, everyone is first ”. Guest star: Beverly D'Angelo
56	21st	Until death do you part	Black Widower	Apr 9, 1992	Feb 10, 1993	David Silverman	TV script: Jon Vitti Plot: Sam Simon & Thomas Chastain	8F20
When Selma's pen pal is released from prison, she invites him to the Simpsons to introduce him to the family. Bart is horrified when it turns out that Selma's new friend is his mortal enemy Tingeltangel-Bob, who has just been pardoned (see season 1, episode 12). Bob claims, however, that his imprisonment has purified him and that he now sees life in a much more positive light. As a result, he is socially rehabilitated - so he appears to reconcile with Krusty on his show “Telethon for Motion Sickness” (Telemarathon for the victims of motion sickness) - but Bart doesn't trust him. Especially not when Tingeltangel-Bob proposes to his aunt Selma. Despite Bart's objections, Selma marries Tingeltangel-Bob and sends the family a video of their honeymoon. Bart sees Tingeltangel-Bob dedicate himself to his new wife. Selma seems like a happy wife, but Bart can't shake the impression that something is wrong. He suspects that Bob is planning something and drives the police straight to the hotel. They come just in time to save Selma from her husband. Bart explains to Tingeltangel-Bob and Chief Wiggum how he got behind Bob's plan: on the video, Bob repeatedly requests a room with a gas fireplace. This worries Bart because Selma lost her sense of smell in an accident with fireworks in her childhood. She would not notice the smell of gas in the room. So Bob could have turned on the gas unnoticed, so that Selma would be blown up if she would light her usual cigarette after dinner on her favorite series “ MacGyver ” - Bob would have saved all her savings. When the police arrest Bob, he swears he'll be back. Krusty's “Telethon for Motion Sickness” is a parody of the reunion of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin on a “Jerry's Labor Days” telethon where live phone calls for donations are made and celebrities answer donor calls. Guest star: Kelsey Grammer
57	22nd	The learner driver	The Otto Show	Apr 23, 1992	Feb 11, 1993	Wes Archer	Jeff Martin	8F21
Bart is allowed to go to a concert by the heavy metal band “ Spın̈al Tap ” with Milhouse . A mass brawl breaks out during the concert at the Springfield ice rink. Bart then announced that he wanted to become a heavy metal musician as well. Homer and Marge support his musical interest and buy him a guitar. But Bart cannot get a grip on the instrument despite intensive practice. When Bart takes his guitar on the school bus, school bus driver Otto stops to play on it. Finally, he realizes that he will bring the children to class too late and races on the bus in the direction of school, but before that he has an accident. Through the accident, Rector Skinner finds out that Otto does not have a driver's license and suspends him. Otto wants to copy his driver's license, but fails the test because he insults Patty, who works in the Springfield driver's license office. Otto flies out of his apartment without work or money. Bart finds him by chance in a dumpster and feels responsible for his fate. He offers to live in the Simpsons' garage. Otto feels very much at home there, but Homer doesn't like the situation, which is why he throws Otto out without further ado. Marge suggests that Otto repeat the driver's test, but only when Homer insults him does Otto decide to try again so that he can nail the driver's license to Homer's forehead. When Patty finds out that Otto doesn't like Homer, she makes sure that Otto passes the driving test and Otto gets his job back. Guest stars: Christopher Guest and Michael McKean
58	23	Love and intrigue	Bart's Friend Falls in Love	May 7, 1992	Feb. 15, 1993	Jim Reardon	Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky	8F22
The episode begins with a scene that parodies “ Raiders of the Lost Ark ”: Bart steals Homer's change jar and flees from him until he can finally squeeze under the closing garage door and just catch up on his hat. He finally escapes by jumping on the passing school bus. In the actual story of the episode, a new girl, Samantha Stanky, moves into the neighborhood and joins Bart and Milhouse's class. After school, Milhouse is delighted to bring her home. Later that afternoon, Bart is very irritated when Milhouse brings Samantha into the tree house. He climbs downstairs to get some girl comics from Lisa's room for her. When he returns, he is horrified to see Milhouse and Samantha kissing. Meanwhile, Lisa worries about Homer's excess weight, which could seriously endanger his health. She persuades Marge to order tapes, the contents of which should influence the subconscious and help Homer lose weight. However, they are sent cassettes to expand their vocabulary unnoticed. Homer puts the cassette in before going to sleep - when he wakes up he suddenly expresses himself very well. Meanwhile, Bart is disappointed because Milhouse and Samantha only spend their time together. He feels left out and so he reveals Samantha's father that the two have a relationship. He forbids seeing Samantha Milhouse again and sends her to a Catholic school run by Canadian nuns. Homer, who gained 13 pounds after two weeks with the vocabulary tapes, finally throws them away. His eloquence quickly fades - he has difficulty remembering the simplest words. Bart confesses to Milhouse that he has told him on, then the two fight and then visit Samantha at her St. Sebastian school, where Bart apologizes and Milhouse and Samantha kiss for the last time. Guest star: Kimmy Robertson
59	24	The missing half-brother	Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?	Aug 27, 1992	Apr 7, 1994	Rich Moore	John Swartzwelder	8F23
During a routine medical examination at the nuclear power plant, it turns out that Homer's sperm count and quality has decreased due to radioactive radiation. Mr. Burns' attorneys feared a lawsuit for damages and propose to pay Homer a certain sum if he drops his claims. To get Homer to accept $ 2,000 and sign the paper, Burns claims it was prize money for the fictitious “First Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Excellence in Excellence”. Meanwhile, Homer's half-brother Herb, who has been homeless since he entrusted Homer with the development of a new automobile to his company, is looking for a sponsor for his new invention, the so-called baby interpreter. Through an ad in the newspaper, Herb sees that his brother has won $ 2,000. So he travels to Springfield to find him there after a long absence. The father of the two, Abe, had previously given Herb to an orphanage. He reminds the family that Homer is responsible for his financial plight and social decline and asks them for $ 2,000 so that he can use it to build his baby dolm. With this invention, one can translate a baby's babbling into understandable language. Although Homer actually wants to buy the electric massage chair “Spine Melter 2000” with his profits, he gives Herb the money and the invention becomes a huge success. Herb, who has become rich again, pays Homer the $ 2,000 back and gives the family a present. Bart gets a membership in the National Rifle Association , Marge gets a washer and dryer, and Homer gets the recliner. Finally, Herb forgives Homer for ruining him back then. Guest Stars: Danny DeVito and Joe Frazier

reception

criticism

In 2003, Entertainment Weekly published a list of the 25 most popular Simpsons episodes, placing Der Wunderschläger , The Recipe for Success and Who Else Digs a Well in positions 15, 16 and 20. IGN.com created an overview in which the editors believe best guest appearances are listed. They put Aerosmith in 24th place, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean in 18th place, baseball players in 17th place, Jon Lovitz in 8th place and Michael Jackson in 5th place. IGN later announced that the episode The Recipe for Success was the best of the series third season. Chris Turner, author of the book Planet Simpson believes that the third season marked the beginning of the golden age of the Simpsons and was particularly committed to the episode The Miracle Slayer .

Thomas Ays from moviesection.de commented:

“The Simpsons” have lost none of their bite and social criticism in their third year. They are still hitting it hard and kidding about everything that is not in three of the Springfield trees. Especially in the third year it becomes clear that the series is absolutely unsuitable for children. Especially the Halloween episode "Nightmares" sets new standards. "

- Thomas Ays from moviesection.de

Awards

See also : List of Awards and Nominations for The Simpsons

In terms of awards, 1992 was the Simpsons' most successful year. The series has been awarded the Emmy six times in the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance category:

• Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in The Aptitude Test
• Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson in Lisa's Pony
• Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson in Looking Back at Marital Happiness
• Jackie Mason as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in The Father of a Clown
• Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson in The Betting King
• Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel in The Personal Ad

The series also received Emmy nominations in the categories Outstanding Animated Program (episode: Who else digs a well ), Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series ( Alf Clausen ) and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special ( Brad Brock , Peter Cole , Anthony D'Amico and Gary Gegan for nightmares ). In addition, the Simpsons received an Annie Award in the Best Animated Television Production category, nominated for an Environmental Media Award and the People's Choice Award .

DVD release

The entire third season was released as a boxed DVD by 20th Century Fox in the United States on August 26, 2003. In Germany and Austria, the box was available in stores from October 18, 2003. In addition to all episodes, the DVD contains bonus material such as comments on each episode.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} The Simpsons Season 3 Episode Guide . tv.com. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} "The Simpsons" episode guide. In: epguides.de. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011 ; Retrieved July 25, 2011 . 
3. Jump up ↑ John Ortved: The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History . Greystone Books, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55365-503-9 , pp. 57-67 .
4. ↑ Dan Snierson: D'Oh! , Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 1, 2012. 
5. ↑ Al Jean & Mike Reiss . (2003). DVD commentary for the episode "Once in Washington and Back". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Three [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
6. ↑ Richmond, pp. 92-93.
7. ↑ Jeffrey Lynch . (2003). DVD commentary for the episode "The Father of a Clown". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Three [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
8. ↑ James L. Brooks. (2003). DVD for the 3rd season of "The Simpsons" (Episode: The Birthday Surprise ). 20th Century Fox.
9. ↑ (2002). DVD commentary for the extra "Bush versus the Simpsons". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Four [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
10. ↑ Al Jean . (2002). DVD commentary for the episode "Der Wunderschläger". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Three [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
11. ↑ Mike Reiss . (2003). DVD commentary for the episode "Der Ernstfall". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Three [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
12. ↑ Mark Kirkland . (2003). DVD commentary for the episode " Crisis in Kamp Krusty ". In: The Simpsons: The Complete Season Three [DVD]. 20th Century Fox .
13. ↑ ^{a b} Bernstein, Sharon: 'The Simpsons' Producer Changes Animation Firms , Los Angeles Times . January 21, 1992, p. 18. Retrieved December 1, 2012. 
14. ↑ Production Code : Season 3 - Simpsonspedia, the Simpsons Wiki. In: simpsonspedia.net. Retrieved July 24, 2011 . 
15. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Ray Richmond and Antonia Coffman: The Simpsons - The ultimate series guide . Publisher (for the German edition): Dino Entertainment, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-89748-323-8 .
16. ^ The Family Dynamic . In: Entertainment Weekly . January 29, 2003. Archived from the original on January 21, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2012.
17. ↑ Eric Goldman; Dan Iverso; Brian Zoromski: Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances . IGN. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
18. ↑ Eric Goldman; Dan Iverso; Brian Zoromski: The Simpsons: 20 Seasons, 20 Episodes . IGN. September 8, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
19. ↑ Chris Turner: Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation . Random House Canada , Toronto 2004, ISBN 0-679-31318-4 , pp. 39 .

Web links

• Season at Simpsonspedia
• Season of Call of the Simpsons