Krusty Gets Busted

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The Simpsons episode
"Krusty Gets Busted"

Promotional artwork for Krusty Gets Busted
Episode no.	12
Prod. code	7G12
Orig. Airdate	April 29, 1990
Show Runner(s)	James L. Brooks Matt Groening Sam Simon
Written by	Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky
Directed by	Brad Bird
Chalkboard	"They are laughing at me, not with me"
Couch gag	Maggie pops out of the couch, and lands in Marge's arms
Guest star	Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob
DVD commentary by	Matt Groening Brad Bird Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky
SNPP capsule
Season 1 December 17, 1989 – May 13, 1990
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire Bart the Genius Homer's Odyssey There's No Disgrace Like Home Bart the General Moaning Lisa The Call of the Simpsons The Telltale Head Life on the Fast Lane Homer's Night Out The Crepes of Wrath Krusty Gets Busted Some Enchanted Evening
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the 12th episode of the first season of The Simpsons. The episode originally aired April 29, 1990. This episode marks the first full-fledged appearances of Krusty the Clown, Itchy & Scratchy and also the first speaking appearance of Sideshow Bob.

1 Synopsis
2 Possible errors
3 Trivia
4 Cultural references
5 A first look at "The Krusty the Klown Show"
6 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As Bart and Lisa watch The Krusty the Klown Show, Marge calls Homer at work, asking him to stop by the Kwik-E-Mart on his way home since she is expecting company from Patty and Selma. While at the Kwik-E-Mart, Homer encounters a masked clown, pointing a gun at Apu and demanding that he hand over money to him. Homer describes the suspect to a police sketch artist, and the resulting portrait is none other than Krusty the Klown. The police barge into Krusty's home to take him into custody. At the precinct, Homer is able to identify Krusty as the culprit. Later that night, Homer arrives home in time to see the news report on Krusty's crime. Bart is disillusioned to think that his hero could be a criminal.

Krusty's trial begins and Bart begs Homer not to take the stand, but to no avail. Homer takes the stand and immediately indicates that Krusty was the clown he saw. Later, Krusty – testifying in his own defense – admits during cross examination he is illiterate when he is unable to identify an exhibit in the courtroom. Krusty is found guilty and sentenced to prison. Afterwards, former Krusty sidekick Sideshow Bob takes over as host of "The Krusty the Klown Show", renaming it "Sideshow Bob's Cavalcade of Whimsy" and completely revamping the format. Instead of the usual inane antics and slapstick Krusty was prone to do, the show now features literary classics and educational activities more to Sideshow Bob's liking.

Bart is certain that Krusty is innocent, and convinces Lisa to help him prove he could not possibly have robbed the Kwik-E-Mart. Remembering what they had seen on a previous TV newscast (recapping Krusty's career) and heard in court, they determine that Krusty could not use the microwave to heat a burrito, as he was a heart attack victim and had a pacemaker. The suspect in the surveillance video had used the microwave without any ill effects. Also, although Krusty admitted in court that he was illiterate, the suspect was seen reading a magazine while waiting to make his move on Apu. Lisa, too, begins to suspect that someone, a jealous rival, may have been out to get Krusty. Bart theorizes that Sideshow Bob would know who did it. The next day, Bart, Lisa and Maggie meet Sideshow Bob at the studio to ask him about who may have framed Krusty. A suspicious Bob dismisses their investigations, giving them tickets to his show. On the air, Bob spots an "unhappy child" – Bart – in the audience, and invites him onstage to talk about what's the matter. Bart states his findings, but Bob provides plausible explanations for each claim. Then, Bob admits that he "has big shoes to fill." That statement echoes through Bart's mind, as he realizes the final link to the mystery: Homer stepped on the tip of the robber's shoes, causing the suspect to cry out in pain; yet, Krusty had small feet. Bart then makes his claim: Sideshow Bob robbed the Kwik-E-Mart. To make his point clear, Bart grabs a mallet and smashes Bob's feet, causing him to cry in pain; Bart then removes Bob's shoes to reveal large feet. Exposed, Bob fnally admits his guilt and that he framed Krusty because he had grown frustrated at constantly being on the receiving end of the clown's often-humiliating (and painful) physical gags. He is taken off to jail, swearing revenge on Bart, and the charges are dropped against Krusty. Grateful to be free, Krusty thanks Bart for standing up for the truth and sticking to his convictions.

[edit] Possible errors

This episode had numerous parts that seemed to be contradictory to other episodes, as is often the case in early Simpsons episodes.

When the Springfield TV News asks if Krusty is busted, they show a picture of Krusty in makeup and a picture of Krusty without makeup, which is contradicted in a later episode, "Homer's Triple Bypass", where Krusty explains that he is pale because of a heart condition.

Krusty's claim of illiteracy in this episode is contradicted by many later flashbacks which depict him as capable of reading and, moreover, the later revelation that he is the son of a rabbi and apparently received an extensive rabbinical education. Possibly Krusty's supposed inability to read is due to brain damage from various heavy overindulgences in his long career, something he would naturally prefer not to clarify. However, it might just be possible that he can read Hebrew, but not English. And, he could have learned the language later on.

This episode says that Krusty is on a different channel from Kent Brockman, but this is contradicted in later episodes.

In this episode after Krusty fires Sideshow Bob from the cannon he says "Don't blame me, I didn't do it". This is contradicted in Bart Gets Famous, in which Bart says the line and it is treated as a brand new line.

[edit] Trivia

Krusty's main clown competition is Hobo Hank. Hobos were among the acts Krusty claims to have flattened in "Krusty Gets Kancelled."
In a flashback of Krusty's heart attack, he is advertising pork products. Being a rabbi's son, it is ironic to eat pork, being against Jewish dietary laws.

The episode marks the first appearance of:
- Kent Brockman
- Scott Christian
- Judge Roy Snyder
- SWAT Team

[edit] Cultural references

Black Sox Scandal – The famous line, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" is mimicked when Bart utters, "Say it ain't so, Krusty!"
The Flintstones – Lisa's line, "If cartoons were meant for adults, they'd put them on in prime time", is a stab at The Simpsons' predecessors-in-kind.
The Day the Music Died – The Channel 5 pre-trial report, "The Day the Laughter Died", is a play on the common phrase, referring to the plane crash that killed rock stars Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Hamlet – Bart's observation, "Comedy, thy name is Krusty!" is a play on the Hamlet line, "Frailty, thy name is woman!"
Time and Newsweek - Krusty is shown on the cover of Timely and Newsweekly magazines.
Romania - Kent Brockman says, "children of all ages, from eight to eighty, hang on each new development like so many Romanian trapeze artists."
Krusty the Clown – several references:
- He is modeled after a real-life clown named "Rusty Nails."
- His birthplace of Tupelo, Mississippi is a reference to Elvis Presley, who was also born in Tupelo.
Book Burning - The townspeople participate in a public burning of Krusty memorabilia.
"Burning Love" – The title of Elvis Presley's 1972 hit is used as the title of the first Itchy & Scratchy short (as well as another reference to The King).
Mission: Impossible – The distinctive theme to the 1960s crime drama plays as Bart and Lisa arrive at the Kwik-E-Mart to begin their investigation of the armed robbery.
The New York Review of Books – Sideshow Bob's version is The Springfield Review of Books, which contains "amusing caricatures of Gore Vidal and Susan Sontag".
The Man In the Iron Mask - Sideshow Bob reads the end of the chapter "An Homeric Song", and announces, "Next week, chapter 35 of The Man in the Iron Mask: 'The Death of a Titan.'"
Cole Porter - Bob sings "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" to end his show.
Stoicism - Just before Bart announces he has solved the mystery, Bob says, "In ancient Greece, there was a school of thought called stoicism".
Scooby Doo – Sideshow Bob's line, "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for these meddling kids", is akin to what the villain says when caught at the end of every "Scooby Doo" episode.
Tom and Jerry – Because this is their first full-fledged appearance, Itchy & Scratchy are a violent parody of the famous MGM cat and mouse duo. Scratchy fills Tom's shoes as the hapless cat, who is forever tormented by Itchy the mouse, an ultra-sadistic version of Jerry.
Woodsy Owl – Krusty's poster, "Give a hoot, read a book!" is a spoof of Woodsy Owl's advertising campaign, "Give a hoot, don't pollute!"
Garfield and Friends the plot of this episode is similar to an episode called "Binky Goes Bad" in which Binky the clown is framed for robbery.
Beatles - Beatles records and merchandise were burned after John Lennon was quoted saying the Beatles were 'bigger than Jesus'.

[edit] A first look at "The Krusty the Klown Show"

Krusty greets his audience:

Krusty: "Hi, kids! Who do you love?"
Kids in studio: Krusty!
Krusty: "How much do you love me?"
Kids (along with Bart and Lisa): "With all our heart!"
Krusty: "What would you do if I went off the air?"
Bart, Lisa and kids: "We'd kill ourselves!" audio clip

A little girl named Brittany is celebrating her birthday, and is given a choice of having Krusty sing her a birthday song, or have Sideshow Bob blown out of a cannon. Encouraged by the audience, Brittany chooses the cannon. Krusty loads the cannon with gunpowder (in an effort to make the trick work like it's supposed to), but the cannon fires and rolls offstage, where Bob just flops out of the cannon onto the stage. The audience cheers wildly.

Later is an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, "Burning Love." Scratchy the cat is sleeping in a hammock, when Itchy (a sadistic mouse) shoots a Fire Arrow at the cat. The arrow hits its intended target, and a burning Scratchy runs in terror. (This was cut out in syndication, despite later episodes featuring more painful methods of torture. Also note that the "Itchy & Scratchy Theme" credit remains in syndication despite the cut.)