imported>Sardonism: Reverted good faith edits by 85.92.163.53 (talk): Superflous: Noted in both the Infobox & The caption of a photo of him, in addition to him being name-dropped in both the Plot and Production sections

2025-06-05T14:00:07Z

Reverted good faith edits by 85.92.163.53 (talk): Superflous: Noted in both the Infobox & The caption of a photo of him, in addition to him being name-dropped in both the Plot and Production sections

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{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode
| image =
| caption =
| season = 4
| episode = 7
| director = [[Jeffrey Lynch|Jeff Lynch]]
| writer = [[Bill Oakley]] & [[Josh Weinstein]]
| production = 9F05
| airdate = {{Start date|1992|11|05}}
| guests = * [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] as himself
* [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]] and [[Lionel Hutz]]
| blackboard = "I will not teach others to fly"
| couch_gag = The family members' heads are on the wrong bodies and they switch to the right heads with [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]] taking the pacifier from [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]'s mouth.
| commentary = [[Matt Groening]] [[Al Jean]] [[Bill Oakley]] [[Josh Weinstein]] [[Jeffrey Lynch]] [[Jim Reardon]]
| prev = [[Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie]]
| next = [[New Kid on the Block]]
}}
"'''Marge Gets a Job'''" is the seventh episode of the [[The Simpsons season 4|fourth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on November 5, 1992. In this episode, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] gets a job at the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant]] to pay for foundation repair at [[the Simpsons house]]. [[Mr. Burns]] develops a [[Puppy love|crush]] on Marge after seeing her at work and unwittingly harasses her. A subplot with [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] parallels the fable "[[The Boy Who Cried Wolf]]".

The episode was written by [[Bill Oakley]] and [[Josh Weinstein]] and directed by [[Jeffrey Lynch]].

==Plot==
[[The Simpsons house|The Simpson family's house]] needs its foundation repaired, but the family does not have enough money to afford the repairs. When a job opens at [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant]] (because Mr. Burns has forced the retirement of an employee who has worked at the plant for 45 years), [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] decides to apply for the job opening so she and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] can collectively earn enough money to pay for the foundation repair. After Lisa helps Marge write a resumé, Marge is hired. [[Mr. Burns]] becomes infatuated with Marge.

Meanwhile, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]], after making several excuses to avoid taking a test, is forced to take the test by his teacher, [[Edna Krabappel]]. She places him alone outside the classroom, hands him the test, and leaves. A captive wolf escapes from a taping of ''The [[Krusty the Clown]] Show'' and attacks Bart outside the classroom. He cries "Wolf!" but Edna, who advised him to read "[[The Boy Who Cried Wolf]]", ignores him. [[Groundskeeper Willie]] rescues Bart by fighting the wolf, giving Bart time to return to his classroom. Since he feels that he will not be believed if he tells the truth, Bart says, with apparent honesty, that he made up the story. He then passes out and Edna realizes that Bart really was attacked.

In an effort to impress Marge, Mr. Burns gives her a promotion, before coming onto her. When she tells him that she is married, he fires her from her position. She threatens to sue Mr. Burns for wrongful firing and enlists the help of [[Lionel Hutz]]. While Hutz has a strong case, he flees in terror after discovering Mr. Burns has ten high-priced lawyers. Homer stands up to Mr. Burns and admonishes him for sexually harassing Marge. Mr. Burns is impressed by Homer's devotion to Marge and decides to arrange a private concert for them featuring [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], who had previously been taken captive by Burns after Marge told him she was a fan of Jones's music.

==Production==
[[File:Tom Jones 2009 10 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Singer [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] guest stars and Marge is revealed as a huge fan.]]
The idea for the show came from [[Conan O'Brien]], who thought of [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] getting a job at the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant|power plant]] and that [[Mr. Burns]] has a crush on her.<ref name=Oakley>{{cite video|people=Oakley, Bill|date=2004|title=The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Marge Gets a Job"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The animators had trouble animating Marge with the suit and lipstick.<ref name=Lynch>{{cite video|people=Lynch, Jeff|date=2004|title=The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Marge Gets a Job"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Director Jeff Lynch said there were a few scenes where Marge "looks like a monster".<ref name=Lynch/> All the jargon used by [[Troy McClure]] was taken from a [[Time–Life]] foundation repair book and used accurately.<ref name=DVD/> The original subplot for the episode was Mr. Burns telling [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] to dress up as [[Mister Atom]] and have him go to schools to talk to the children.<ref name=Lynch/> The cast liked [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] as a guest star, finding him genial and fun to work with. He offered to perform a concert after he was done recording lines.<ref name=DVD/>

The animators had originally drawn three different versions of [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] after he was attacked by the wolf.<ref name=DVD/> They picked the version that looked the least scary, as they did not want Bart to look too "beaten up".<ref name=DVD/> An animation error during Mr. Smithers' dream sequence about Mr. Burns also caused issues when dealing with network censors, mistaking a "lump in his bed" as an [[erection]], which was supposed to be Mr. Smithers' knee.<ref name="Weinstein">{{cite video | people=Weinstein, Josh|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
The restaurant "The Spruce Caboose" is a reference to [[Howard Hughes]]'s plane [[Hughes H-4 Hercules|''The Spruce Goose'']]. Homer's fantasy of life in the woods is a parody of [[Henry David Thoreau]]'s ''[[Walden]]''. Grandpa Simpson asks Bart if he has read "[[The Boy Who Cried Wolf]]", and he replies "I glanced at it. Boy cries wolf. Has a few laughs. I forget how it ends." Mr. Burns asks Smithers if he can dig up [[Al Jolson]].<ref>{{cite news| last=Rabin| first=Nathan| title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Marge Gets a Job"| work= The A.V. Club}}</ref> The song performed for Mr. Burns at the retirement party is based on the song and dance number in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941).<ref name=DVD>{{cite video |date=2004|title=The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Marge Gets a Job"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The photo of Mr. Burns meeting [[Elvis Presley]] is modeled on the photo of [[Richard Nixon]] meeting Elvis.<ref name=DVD/> While Mr. Burns is looking through the surveillance cameras, "[[The Imperial March]]" from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films is played in the background.<ref name=DVD/>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'' commented, "We like Bart's fantasy of the radioactive [[Marie Curie|Marie]] and [[Pierre Curie]], and Smithers' fantasy of his loved one flying through the window. A collection of wonderful set pieces rather than a story, which fizzles out without any real attempt at an ending."<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page8.shtml|title=Marge Gets a Job|access-date=2008-03-16|author=Martyn, Marren. Wood, Adrian|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' placed the "Mister Burns" dance number as the show's fourth best film parody, "the pick of a big bunch" from the show's many ''Citizen Kane'' parodies, coming "replete with [[Orson Welles|Wellesian]] camera angles and subtly altered lyrics".<ref>Colin Kennedy. "The Ten Best Movie Gags In ''The Simpsons''", ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'', September 2004, p. 76</ref>

Nathan Rabin writes that "'Marge Gets A Job' is just about perfect. There is not a wasted sequence or unfunny gag. It's head-spinningly smart in a way that doesn't call attention to itself—like setting the retirement party at The Spruce Caboose, a giant, unwieldy, trainwreck-themed eatery whose name and conceit are brilliant parodies of Howard Hughes' giant wooden airplane, the Spruce Goose. In its golden prime, ''The Simpsons'' did things no one else would and did them better than anyone else possibly could. In the process, it created a legacy that is still unmatched two decades on."{{sfn|Rabin}}

===Ratings===
In its original broadcast, "Marge Gets a Job" finished 25th in ratings for the week of November 2–8, 1992, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 13.6, equivalent to approximately 12.7 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' and ''The Simpsons'' episode "[[Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie]]", which aired on Tuesday in the same week.<ref>{{cite news |title=Even without 'Roseanne,' ABC is no. 1|work=Sun-Sentinel|author=Elber, Lynn|page=4E|date=November 12, 1992}}</ref>

==Alternate version==
In the original airing of this episode, Mrs. Krabappel names several different diseases Bart has faked in order to get out of taking his English test, one of which is [[Tourette's syndrome]]. After Bart claims that he is not over it, he begins barking and snarling and mutters, "Shove it, witch!"<ref name="NewsTribune">{{cite news|title=In the spirit of Bart Simpson, insulted 13 year old fights back|date=1993-01-12|page=B1|publisher=[[The News Tribune]]|author=C.R. Roberts}}</ref> This scene garnered many complaints from people who thought it was tasteless of the writers to make fun of an actual condition<ref name="NewsTribune"/> and Joshua Smith, a boy in [[Renton, Washington]] began seeking legal action. Smith demanded that they "not repeat the episode and have Bart Simpson befriend somebody with Tourette's on the show" and include an apology from Bart at the end.<ref name="SeaTimes">{{cite news|title=Tourette's isn't funny, Bart Simpson |date=1993-02-01|page=C6|publisher=[[The Seattle Times]]|author=Mary Elizabeth Cronin}}</ref> Executive producer [[Mike Reiss]] replied with an apology saying "We kind of feel like we made a mistake this time. We felt bad about this."<ref name="NewsTribune"/> In a move that was unprecedented for the show, the producers agreed to remove the scene from future broadcasts.<ref name="SeaTimes"/> However, Smith's other requests went unfulfilled.<ref>{{cite news|title='Simpsons' producer rebuffs plea for televised apology |date=1993-02-20|page=A8|publisher=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref> In the version of the episode released on the season four [[The Simpsons DVDs|DVD boxset]], the part with Bart demonstrating his supposed Tourette's syndrome to Mrs. Krabappel was kept intact, but Krabappel's line about Bart having "...that unfortunate bout of Tourette's syndrome" was replaced with "...that unfortunate bout of rabies."<ref>{{cite video |date=2004|title=The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season - episode "Marge Gets a Job"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

Additionally, during [[Waylon Smithers|Smithers]]' dream sequence with Mr. Burns, censors demanded the cutting of several seconds of animation that showed "Mr. Burns land[ing] in a particular position on Smithers anatomy".<ref name="Oakley2">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

Following the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]] and the associated nuclear emergency, the episode was pulled from [[ProSieben|an Austrian network]] due to jokes about radiation poisoning.<ref name="ofunato">{{cite magazine|title='Simpsons' exec producer Al Jean: 'I completely understand' if reruns with nuclear jokes are pulled|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/03/27/simpsons-al-jean-nuclear-japan/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=2022-01-15|date=2011-03-27|author=Snierson, Dan}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_4#Marge_Gets_a_Job|Marge Gets a Job}}
{{portal|The Simpsons}}
*{{IMDb episode|id=0701169}}
*{{snpp capsule|9F05}}

{{The Simpsons episodes|4}}
{{The Boy Who Cried Wolf}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marge Gets A Job}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 4 episodes]]
[[Category:1992 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Animation controversies in television]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Marie Curie]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in animation]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in television]]
[[Category:Television censorship]]
[[Category:Television controversies in Japan]]
[[Category:Television controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Television episodes about sexual harassment]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Bill Oakley]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Josh Weinstein]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Jeffrey Lynch]]

Marge Gets a Job - Revision history

imported>Sardonism: Reverted good faith edits by 85.92.163.53 (talk): Superflous: Noted in both the Infobox & The caption of a photo of him, in addition to him being name-dropped in both the Plot and Production sections