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"The Last Temptation of Krust" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' ninth season. The episode first aired on February 22, 1998. The title is a reference to the controversial novel and film The Last Temptation of Christ, whose title was previously spoofed in "The Last Temptation of Homer". The episode includes a cameo appearance by comedian Jay Leno.

Bart convinces Krusty the Clown to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno, but Krusty's old material does not go over well with the audience and he receives bad reviews. After going on a drinking binge, Bart and Jay Leno bathe Krusty in the Simpsons' house, and he decides to announce his retirement. At his retirement press conference his tirade against modern comedy is seen by the audience as hysterical, and he returns to comedy with a new style and appearance and complains about commercialism. He later agrees to a deal with marketing executives in return for a new "Canyonero" sport utility vehicle, and markets products during his next comedy appearance. The episode received favorable mention in reviews of The Simpsons season 9 DVD boxed set and in books on the television series.

Plot

Persuaded by Bart to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno, Krusty the Clown's old-fashioned and dated material fails to impress the crowd when compared with other, more trendy comics also appearing. After reading a critical review of his act in the press, Krusty decides to go on "the bender to end all benders", and a montage sequence shows him drinking many different types of alcohol and getting drunk. Bart finds Krusty passed out on the Flanders' front lawn, and enlists the help of Jay Leno in getting him cleaned up in the Simpsons' bathtub. Krusty decides to hold a press conference to announce his retirement, and in short order launches into a bitter tirade against modern-day comics. The crowd finds Krusty's tirade hysterical, and he subsequently announces his "triumphant return to comedy".

Krusty is inspired to return to doing low-key events, where he structures a new act for himself as a comic who tells the truth and refuses to sell out to Corporate America. Krusty changes his appearance, sporting a dark sweater and a ponytail. In one part of his act, he criticizes commercialism, and asks everyone to burn their cash in protest. When Homer asks Marge for all of their money, she gives some cash to Lisa and asks her to bury it in the backyard.

Two marketing executives try to persuade Krusty to advertise a new sport utility vehicle called the Canyonero, and he initially resists before succumbing to the lure of money and commercialism. After promoting the Canyonero at a comedy performance at Moe's Tavern, he is booed offstage by the patrons. He finally admits to himself that it is not comedy that is in his blood; it is selling out. The episode ends with an extended sequence of the song "Canyonero", as Krusty and Bart leave Moe's bar in Krusty's new SUV.

Production

In the DVD commentary for the 2006 DVD release of The Simpsons' ninth season, writer Donick Cary stated that the inspiration for the idea of a Simpsons episode about stand-up comedy came out of rock and comedy festivals at the time. Executive producer Mike Scully commented that the writers had some difficulty getting Krusty's offensive bad jokes through the network censors. In the end, the stereotypical jokes were allowed because the writers convinced the network censors that viewers would understand this was simply emphasizing Krusty's old and dated comedic material. During Krusty's "bender to end all benders", there is a drinking montage where Krusty is seen drinking out of a Stanley Cup, and then vomiting back into it later. Mike Scully noted that the National Hockey League sent a letter which he described as a "kind of a cease and desist", but the production staff decided not to cut the scene from the episode. Before the scene where Jay Leno and Bart wash Krusty's hair in the bathtub, there was going to be a scene where Bart sought Leno to ask for help, but the writing staff thought viewers would understand if Leno simply appeared helping Krusty later on.

Mike B. Anderson stated that at least three acts of material were written and animated for Krusty's comeback stand-up appearance at Moe's Tavern, and it was not until the editing process that the actual material used by Krusty was decided upon. The episode was still being animated three weeks before its airdate, and the production process moved frantically as the episode neared completion. The "Canyonero" song and visual sequence was modeled after Ford Motor Company commercials. The Canyonero sequence was originally going to be displayed during the closing credits, but the production team liked it so much, that they did not want visuals of the scene to be obscured by the credits – so it was given its own visual sequence at the end of the episode.

Cultural references

In addition to Jay Leno, other real-life comedians that portray themselves at the comedy festival where Krusty decides to retire include Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait and Bruce Baum. Baum's appearance as himself on The Simpsons helped to increase his popularity, when previously some people confused him with David Crosby. The song "Canyonero", sung by Hank Williams, Jr., closely resembles the theme to the 1960s television series Rawhide. Krusty's "Krustylu Studios" is a spoof on the company Desilu studios set up by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, Jr., where the series Star Trek was once filmed.

Jay Leno reprised his role as an animated version of himself on July 24, 2007, in a special animation segment when Homer appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote The Simpsons Movie. In a released statement, Homer said "I understand I'm doing a monologue, I hope it doesn't involve talking." Homer appeared alongside Leno in his opening monologue "scooping up a new 'Duff & D'oh-Nuts' flavour". The Tonight Show appearance was Homer's "one and exclusive publicity appearance" to promote The Simpsons Movie. Homer only appeared during the opening monologue sequence, due to time restrictions on The Tonight Show.

Reception

"The Last Temptation of Krust" is highlighted among the six best episodes of The Simpsons season 9 in a 2006 article in USA Today. The episode is highlighted in a review of The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD in The Washington Times. The reviewer notes: "Among the 22-minute gems found in the set, I most enjoyed ... Krusty the Clown's work with Jay Leno in 'The Last Temptation of Krust' ..." In a review of the season nine DVD, Mark Evans of the Evening Herald's writes "The Last Temptation of Krust is a winner for its title alone as Krusty the clown becomes an satiric 'alternative' comedian but then sells out by advertising the Canyonero SUV road hazard." Some sources mistakenly refer to this episode as "The Last Temptation of Krusty".

In the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood characterize the episode as "a good twist on the never-ending Krusty story", and write of Leno's performance: "Jay Leno turns in a nice cameo but, frankly, the show is stolen by the advert for the Canyonero." Martyn and Wood comment on Krusty's new look, "Krusty with a ponytail and black sweater is soooo cool!" In the DVD commentary, Jay Leno comments that the essence of comedy clubs is depicted very well in the episode. Leno notes Krusty's remodeled appearance as "Carlin post-Vegas act", referring to George Carlin. He also comments that he appreciates Krusty's pokes at Leno's use of news headlines in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno during Krusty's press conference and says that he cannot figure out whether parts of the episode were making fun of him or complimenting him.

Chris Turner writes positively of the Canyonero spoof piece in his book Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation, calling it "a brilliant parody of an SUV ad". William Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer discusses a scene from the episode where Krusty incites members of his audience to burn their money. Although Homer tells Marge to give him all the cash in her purse, she instead gives it to Lisa and tells her to run home and bury it in the backyard. This is seen by The Simpsons and Philosophy as an example of Marge's passive resistance. The book also uses this example to illustrate Marge's moral influence on Lisa, and her value as a role model for her children.

See also

• Comedian
• List of products in The Simpsons
• Stand-up comedy

References

1. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Last Temptation of Krust". BBC. Retrieved 2007-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Staff. "Movie connections for The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)". Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc. An Amazon.com company. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
3. Staff (December 22, 2006). "Another Simpsons season hits DVD". Orlando Sentinel. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
4. Cary, Donick (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "The Last Temptation of Krust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
5. ^ Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "The Last Temptation of Krust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
6. ^ Anderson, Mike B. (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "The Last Temptation of Krust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
7. ^ Staff (February 22, 1998). "The Last Temptation of Krusty". KASA-TV. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
8. ^ Freedman, Richard (February 5, 2004). "Baum lands at Pepper Belly's Comic's wild act, if not face, unique". Times-Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
9. Friedman, Josh (July 30, 2007). "BOX OFFICE; Bart and gang rise to the occasion; `The Simpsons Movie' blows away sales expectations, helped by positive reviews and aggressive marketing". Los Angeles Times. p. C1 (Section: Business). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
10. Gandert, Sean (July 17, 2007). "Simpsons Movie free mp3, Homer on Leno". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved 2007-11-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. ^ Weisz, David (July 17, 2007). "Homer Simpson to Make Exclusive Tonight Show Appearance". Dose.ca. CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc. Retrieved 2007-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
12. Staff (July 16, 2007). "Homer's 'Tonight Show' odyssey". USA Today. p. 1D. Retrieved 2007-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. Lai, Tim (July 22, 2007). "How D'oh! nuts are gorging on Simpsons hype: TV family hits silver screen amid careful PR assault". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. ^ Staff (July 16, 2007). "Doh! Homer Simpson Makes His Only Publicity Stop at NBC's 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' to Promote 'The Simpsons Movie'". Business Wire. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
15. Clark, Mike (December 22, 2006). "New on DVD". USA Today. Gannett Co. Inc. Retrieved 2007-10-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. ^ Szadkowski, Joseph (January 13, 2007). "Animated ninja figures learn all about warrior art". The Washington Times. The Washington Times LLC. p. C09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
17. Evans, Mark (January 27, 2007). "Simpsons Season 9". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. p. 25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
18. Staff. "The Simpsons - The Last Temptation of Krusty". Yahoo! TV. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
19. ^ Irwin, William (2001). The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer. Open Court Publishing. pp. 49, 53–54. ISBN 0812694333. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
20. Staff. "The Simpsons - 'The Last Temptation of Krusty' Episode Info". MSN TV. MSN. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
21. ^ Leno, Jay (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "The Last Temptation of Krust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
22. Turner, Chris (2005). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation. Da Capo Press. p. 254. ISBN 030681448X.

Further reading

• Dobson, Hugo (February 2006). "Mister Sparkle Meets the Yakuza: Depictions of Japan in The Simpsons". The Journal of Popular Culture. 39 (1): pp. 44–68. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00203.x. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
• Gray, Jonathan (August 2005). "Television Teaching: Parody, The Simpsons, and Media Literacy Education". Critical Studies in Media Communication. 22 (3): pp. 223–238. doi:10.1080/07393180500201652. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

External links

• "The Last Temptation of Krust episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
• The Last Temptation of Krust at IMDb
• The Last Temptation of Krust, at TV.com
• "The Last Temptation of Krust" at The Simpsons.com

• The Simpsons episodes, season 9
• 1998 television episodes