'Round Springfield/References

Episode	References	Gags	Appearances	Gallery	Quotes	Credits

◄ The PTA Disbands

'Round Springfield

The Springfield Connection ►

Trivia

• Groundskeeper Willie, teaching French class, calls the students "cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys". The phrase has since entered the pop-culture lexicon, and it gained a lot of notoriety in the events leading up to the Iraq War.
• In the Gracie Films logo, there is a saxophone version of the music. This is the first episode to have the logo's music played on a saxophone; the others being "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" and "Lisa's Sax".
• Krusty's line "Hey, kids! It's story time!" was later used as a voice chip on a Krusty watch that was part of the set of four Simpsons watches that Burger King released in 2002.
• Running Gag:
  • Homer wants a hot dog, but Marge tells him that they are in a place where a hot dog salesman is not expected to sell hot dogs. However, a hot dog salesman appears.
• This episode reuses the scene of Lisa meeting Bleeding Gums Murphy from "Moaning Lisa".
• This is the first episode in which a recurring character was killed off, something the staff felt that it would be a great storyline, with a lot of emotions.
• The crew planned to kill off Bleeding Gums Murphy, although Mike Reiss stated "I had been polling for years to kill Marge's mom, but this was a better idea."
• Mike Reiss' father, a doctor, was the medical consultant in this episode. He stated that it was not possible to get appendicitis from eating a piece of metal.
• This was one of two episodes in Season 6 that was created with the help of the staff of The Critic, with the other being "A Star is Burns".
• The shot of Grampa listening to Bleeding Gums Murphy's Sax on the Beach album on the wireless radio is recycled from "Homer's Barbershop Quartet".
• In this episode, it is revealed that Bleeding Gums Murphy could be possibly related to Julius Hibbert. He states, "All I had was a little brother who grew up to become a doctor. He used to laugh at the most inappropriate times." Hibbert then replies with, "Hey, I've got an older brother that I'll never see. He's a jazz musician, or some such."
• This is the first episode to feature a Simpson getting an organ permanently extracted (in this case, Bart getting his appendix extracted due to appendicitis caused by eating a metal sharp Krusty-O).
• Like in "Treehouse of Horror V", a poison gas cloud was briefly seen in the ending (in this case, seeping into Chief Wiggum's car). However, the gas cloud does not turn him inside out, but rather suffocates him.
• The title of the episode could be a reference to the song round here by counting crows, like Murphy and Lisa's jazz the song deals in melancholy subject matter.
• This is the first episode of The Simpsons to use the 1995 20th Century Fox Television logo, as well as the first episode to be directed by Steven Dean Moore.
• Stock footage of Kent Brockman is reused from "Bart's Comet".

Cultural references

• The title is a play on "'Round Midnight" by Thelonious Monk and the film Round Midnight.
• Homer has a Starland Vocal Band tattoo on his arm.
• The music just before Bart's operation is a parody of the theme song of ER.
• Bart showing off his appendectomy scar (which prompts a number of other children to want the operation) is reminiscent of the children's book Madeline: Madeline has her appendix out, says that her favorite thing about the experience is her scar, and the rest of the girls in her school want to have their appendixes out as well.
• When Bleeding Gums Murphy tells Lisa about his career, he mentions guest spots on The Tonight Show (when Steve Allen was hosting) and on The Cosby Show.
  • Both Steve Allen and Bill Cosby use Murphy's guest appearances as opportunities to make blatant product endorsements, while virtually ignoring Murphy himself. Cosby refers to his endorsements of New Coke, Jell-O Pudding and Kodak Film.
• According to the banner in front of Springfield Elementary School, Barbra Streisand is playing the night after the recital, and tickets are still available. The recital, however, is sold out.
• When Bleeding Gums Murphy appears in a cloud in front of Lisa near the end, he is joined by Darth Vader, Mufasa, and James Earl Jones (saying "This is CNN").
  • Although all three roles were portrayed by Jones, the characters in this scene were voiced by Harry Shearer.
  • Additionally, Mufasa accidentally mentions "Kimba" and corrects himself by saying "Simba". This is a reference to the debate regarding The Lion King's resemblance to the anime Kimba the White Lion.
  • This also foreshadowed Jones' death in September 2024.
• Ronald Chaporo and Albert Dershman are parodies of attorneys Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz.
• Lisa and Bleeding Gums Murphy play Carole King's song "Jazzman" twice.
• When Lisa says to jam "One more time!", Bleeding Gums Murphy protests that he has got a date with Billie Holiday.
• Barney's attempt to get a drink at Moe's Tavern for an AA chip is a reference to a popular legend that these can be cashed in at bars.

The man on the far right has a white arm.

Goofs

• When the workers and patients at the hospital are dancing to the "Jazzman" song, one of the medical staff member's arm repeatedly turns pure white like his lab coat.