#OnThisDay #OTD #30YearsAgo September 19, 1991, "Stark Raving Dad" first aired on the Fox network. Wr: @AlJean & @MikeReissWriter. Dir: @_rich_moore. Guest starring @michaeljackson (speaking) and Kipp Lennon (singing) as Leon Kompowsky. #TheSimpsons
"Stark Raving Dad" was written specifically for Michael Jackson, a fan of the show, who had called Simpsons creator Matt Groening one night and offered to do a guest spot. Jean and Reiss wrote the script based on an idea pitched by @canyonjim.
@canyonjim Groening and co-executive producer @simonsam also contributed significantly to the writing. Jackson pitched several story ideas. He also requested a scene in which he and Bart write a song together and asked that a joke about Prince be changed to one about Elvis.
@canyonjim @simonsam According to Al Jean, Jackson would not commit until after a read-through of the script. The read was held at Jackson's manager's house, and Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer) was 30 minutes late. Jean recalls that "no one said a word, we just sat there waiting".
@canyonjim @simonsam During the 2nd table read, Jackson stipulated his singing voice would be performed by a soundalike (Kipp Lennon), due to contractual obligations with his record company. Jean, @theharryshearer and @YeardleySmith talked about the experience in 2007.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith Jackson's demo of "Lisa, It's Your Birthday" (which he wrote) is available on YouTube. Unlike in the episode, he actually sings on the track.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith Yeardley Smith and @nancycartwright sang "Lisa, It's Your Birthday" with Kipp Lennon at the 2014 live show "The Simpsons Take the Bowl". (video: LiLPicki on YouTube)
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith @nancycartwright The January 30, 1992 rerun of the episode featured a 15 second added opening, which was written in response to a comment made by the then President of the United States George H. W. Bush three days earlier.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith @nancycartwright A year after "Stark Raving Dad" aired, the writers planned a sequel in which Kompowsky returns, this time claiming to be the pop star Prince. The script was written by freelancers and polished by @ConanOBrien.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith @nancycartwright @ConanOBrien Prince agreed to voice Kompowsky and sent notes about what his character would wear, but the writers discovered that Prince was referring to a script that had been written by his chauffeur. Prince disliked their script and demanded the other one be used, but the writers refused.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith @nancycartwright @ConanOBrien The script became one of the few un-produced Simpsons scripts, although excerpts from the script were released via Al Jean on Twitter in 2016 shortly following Prince's death.
@canyonjim @simonsam @theharryshearer @YeardleySmith @nancycartwright @ConanOBrien Here is the @TVGuide ad for the episode. It's surprisingly generic, especially given the fact that this is such a landmark episode of The Simpsons.
Michael Jackson went on to produce the Simpsons single "Do the Bartman". Nancy Cartwright talked a bit about this in an interview in 2011.
After Jackson's death in 2009, Fox reran "Stark Raving Dad" on July 5 in tribute. Producers had intended to air the episode on June 28, three days after Jackson's death, but could not resolve problems with syndication rights, so the "Do the Bartman" music video was aired instead.
In March 2019, following the release of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled from circulation. The episode has been withheld from the streaming service Disney+, and its removal is controversial. mercurynews.com/2019/03/13/sim…

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More from @dailysimpsons

17 Sep
#OnThisDay #OTD September 17, 1995, "Who Shot Mr. Burns (Part Two)" (S07E01) first aired on the Fox network. Dir: @archermation. Wr: @thatbilloakley @Joshstrangehill. EP: @DaveMirkin. #TheSimpsons
Here is the thread from "Who Shot Mr. Burns (Part One)" listing out the clues.
From August 13 to September 10, 1995, Fox offered a contest to tie in with the mystery where callers who dialed 1-800-COLLECT were eligible and they then guessed who the culprit was. The winner would be animated on an episode of the show.
Read 13 tweets
21 May
This shot in of Krusty in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One" is definitely more Homer-looking. So it makes me think they used the Homer Krusty design (except the hair) from "Homie the Clown" which had just aired earlier in Season 6, perhaps as another red herring. Just compare.
.@Alex_Simpsons23 asked Bill Oakley about this last year too, but Bill has since deleted his response. #TheMysteryDeepens
Read 5 tweets
21 May
#OnThisDay #OTD May 21, 1995, "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" (S06E25) first aired on the Fox network. Dir: Jeff Lynch. Wr: @thatbilloakley & @Joshstrangehill. EP: @DaveMirkin. Guest-starring Tito Puente as himself. #TheSimpsons (Promo @joecip)
The idea for the episode came from Matt Groening, who had wanted to do an episode in which Mr. Burns was shot, which could be used as a publicity stunt. The writers decided to write the episode in two parts with a mystery that could be used in a contest.
While deciding who the culprit was, Oakley and Weinstein pitched Barney Gumble because he was a character that could go to jail and it could change the dynamic of the show. Mirkin suggested Maggie; he felt it was funnier and wanted the culprit to be a Simpsons family member.
Read 21 tweets
20 May
#OnThisDay #OTD May 19, 1994, "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" (S05E22) first aired on the Fox network. Dir: Carlos Baeza. Wr: Greg Daniels. EP: @DaveMirkin. Guest-starring Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. (Check out this original TV promo with deleted dialogue!) #TheSimpsons
It was the second script Greg Daniels wrote for the show. He thought the staff had previously done many episodes where Homer "wasn't good at anything", so he tried to figure out something Homer was really good at, and he came up with the idea of Homer being a good husband.
Showrunner Dave Mirkin was very fond of the fact that Homer and Marge have the biggest fight they have ever had on the show in the episode, and he thought it was a "really great" exploration of their marriage.
Read 8 tweets
20 May
#OnThisDay #OTD #25YearsAgo May 19, 1996, "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" (S07E25) first aired on the Fox network. Dir: @markk1914. Wr: @dangreaney. EP: @thatbilloakley & @Joshstrangehill. Guest-starring Christina Ricci as Erin. #TheSimpsons
It was Dan Greaney's second episode on The Simpsons. The staff of the show wanted to do a summer episode because there was "so much stuff" about summer vacations that they felt had to be covered in an episode.
Read 12 tweets
19 May
THURSDAY at 8pm ET/7pm CT, we will stream the ORIGINAL May 19, 1996 premiere broadcast of "Homerpalooza" AND "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" COMPLETE with commercials at twitch.tv/dailysimpsons. It'll be a classic Thursday night! Join us, won't we?
Special hour-long broadcast tonight at 8pm ET/7pm CT! twitch.tv/dailysimpsons
Read 4 tweets

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