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» » The Simpsons Homer vs. Patty and Selma (1989– )

Short summary

Desperate for money, Homer takes a loan from Patty and Selma; Bart discovers a natural talent for ballet.

Susan Sarandon had wanted to guest star on the show because her children were big fans; she brought them with her to the recording session

Mel Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft had played a role in Les Simpson: Fear of Flying (1994) and Brooks had accompanied her to the recording session.

David Mirkin realized that Mel Brooks was "dying to do the show" and asked him if he would be willing to do a guest part, and he agreed.

This was the first episode where Mark Kirkland received a writing credit.

David Mirkin described this as a very grounded and emotional episode that seems very "sitcomy".

Due to a traffic jam, Susan Sarandon was late for the recording session, but once she arrived, she fell into character and worked very hard on getting her accent accurate.

The ballet teacher was drawn to resemble Susan Sarandon.

Many of the writers were fans of Mel Brooks, and Matt Groening described the chance to have him guest star as "an incredible honor".

Mark Kirkland was a fan of Patty and Selma, having previously directed the season two episode Les Simpson: Principal Charming (1991), which also focuses on the duo.

When directing the sequences where Bart does ballet dancing, Mark Kirkland assigned the scenes to animators who were familiar with dancing.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Went Tyu
    While I'll readily admit the sixth season of The Simpsons has funnier episodes than Homer vs. Patty and Selma, this one still remains one of my favorites from the season. Both Homer and Bart develop throughout the episode. We know more about the characters by the end of the episode than we did at the beginning. That rarely happens in the current, in the 24th, season of The Simpsons.

    So Homer invests his money into pumpkins before Halloween and then neglects to sell them off in time to make a profit (or before they rot). This leaves him with a mortgage payment due and no money to pay it. That predicament leads him to Patty and Selma's door for a loan. Many of the episode's laughs come from Homer forcing himself to be nice to his wife's sisters after they make it clear they'll tell Marge about the loan if he isn't. This includes a lot of foot rubs.

    Homer goes to these great lengths because he doesn't want to look like a failure who can't provide for his family in front of Marge. I think it would be hard for a man to not sympathize with Homer in this one. In the episode, Bart's manhood (boyhood?) is also questioned as he's forced into ballet and ends up liking it.

    The resolution to the episode is especially satisfactory. It's hard for me to find a fault with this one. And why should I? Let's just enjoy it. This is the golden age of The Simpsons as it should be watched.
  • comment
    • Author: Owomed
    Great episode with lots of one liners, plenty of good laughs and Patty/Selma against Homer, what more could you ask for. The terrible twins at their best here, tormenting Homer like only they can do, but in the end, Homer saves the day and everything is back to normal. Would put this down as a fav in S6.
  • Episode cast overview:
    Dan Castellaneta Dan Castellaneta - Barney Gumble / Homer Simpson / Groundskeeper Willie (voice)
    Julie Kavner Julie Kavner - Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
    Nancy Cartwright Nancy Cartwright - Bart Simpson / Lewis / Ralph Wiggum / Nelson Muntz / Kearney (voice)
    Yeardley Smith Yeardley Smith - Lisa Simpson (voice)
    Hank Azaria Hank Azaria - Moe Szyslak / Carl / Stockbroker / Executive / Bank Manager / Chief Wiggum (voice)
    Harry Shearer Harry Shearer - Lenny / Principal Skinner / Classy Joe's Announcer (voice)
    Mel Brooks Mel Brooks - Mel Brooks (voice)
    Susan Sarandon Susan Sarandon - Ballet Teacher (voice)
    Pamela Hayden Pamela Hayden - Milhouse Van Houten / Richard / Jimbo Jones / DMV Superintendent (voice)
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