#OnThisDay #OTD #30YearsAgo December 20, 1990, "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" first aired on the Fox network. Dir: Jim Reardon. Wr: @JJSwartzwelder. EP: @canyonjim, @simonsam & Matt Groening. Guest-starring Alex Rocco as Roger Meyers, Jr. #TheSimpsons (Promo: @joecip)
The episode was partially inspired by Terry Rakolta, who protested the Fox network over the show Married... with Children in 1989. The writers tried not to have a point of view and looked at both sides. bundyology.com/rakolta.html 
This was the first episode directed by Jim Reardon, who had previously made a student film called "Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown" (with @_rich_moore) which was very violent and the experience served him well for this episode.
There are several characters who work at I&S studios who are caricatures of real people. The three people with Meyers when he is asking Marge for suggestions are caricatures of Rich Moore, @tubatron and Wes Archer.
Alex Rocco makes his first of three appearances as Roger Meyers. Many people behind The Simpsons were huge fans of The Godfather and Jim Reardon looked for a way to shoot him in the eye as a reference to Rocco's character, Moe Greene.
The long montage of the Kids of Springfield playing was directed by Bob Anderson and is making a satirical point by saying the opposite of what the writers believed. The segment was written by Swartzwelder and the idea of using Beethoven's 6th Symphony was in the original script.
The scene where Maggie hits Homer over the head with a mallet is an extensive parody of the shower scene from Psycho, in which the music and camera angles are almost identical. (Video: Onikorp)
The original @TVGuide ad for "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge."
Syndication promo for "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge."
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