Marvin Monroe

The therapist in his third appearance in "Some Enchanted Evening", season one.

Dr. Marvin Monroe is a local counselor who was for a long time considered to have passed on, until he returned, revealing to have "been very sick." Until he is seen again, he is supposedly dead.

History

Homer sold the family TV after seeing an ad for Dr. Monroe's Family Therapy Center during a boxing match at Moe's. The ad claimed "family bliss or double your money back". The Simpson family was asked to complete a series of tests, including drawing your worst fear of which everyone drew Homer, except Homer himself who drew a random doodle. Unable to reach the Simpson family, Monroe turned to the shock therapy method: the Simpsons were strapped in chairs with electrodes attached to them, and controls which they could use to shock other family members. However, it got out of hand and the whole town lost power.

Having had all his other patients leave, Monroe threw out the Simpson family, paid them the money, and told them to never tell anyone they were there. With their money doubled, they purchased a new TV.^[1]

Monroe is one of the doctors who studies Homer to figure out if he is the missing link after Homer was captured by Bigfoot hunters.^[2]

Monroe hosts his own morning radio show on KBBL where he takes calls from listeners and tries to help them with their problems.^[3]

Monroe was a panel guest on Smartline discussing TV violence.^[4]

Supposed death

Monroe's tombstone shown in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily".

The death of Marvin Monroe had been confirmed during 138th episode spectacular. This episode had revealed the death in the form of a question. "Which popular Simpsons characters have died in the past year?", to which the answer was " If you said Bleeding Gums Murphy and doctor Marvin Monroe you are wrong, they were never popular." He stopped appearing on TV and his business closed down. Many people in Springfield also believed him to be dead because several things had been named after him; Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital,^[5] and a school gym.^[6] His grave is also shown,^[7] however several years later he spontaneously appeared at Marge's book signing, buying a copy of her book, The Harpooned Heart. Marge, shocked to see him, exclaimed that she hadn't seen him in years. Dr. Monroe explained that he had "been very sick".^[8]

Physical Appearance

Marvin Monroe is overweight and bald with a thin, slightly messy beard. He has a more snout-like nose not uncommon in The Simpsons characters and wears glasses, a white t-shirt, a blue tie, blue pants, and grayish shoes.

Dr. Monroe, as he appears in "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife".

Non-canon appearances

The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

In Treehouse of Horror XXV, he appears to help settle the disagreements between the 1987 Simpsons and the 2014 Simpsons. When Marge asks if he's alive or dead, he responds that he's in a horrible limbo where he can pass through walls but gets stuck halfway through walls. He then gets stuck through the walls and Homer seeing his buttocks, says "And now I have to look at that every morning."
He appeared in one of Bart's Butterfinger commercials where he shows Bart a series of inkblot tests, only to have Bart reply they all are Butterfingers, causing Dr. Monroe to say Bart is obsessed with Butterfingers and can only be cured by sharing. When it is shown that is nothing more than "give me that Butterfinger!", Bart flees Dr. Monroe's office.
He was the boss of the Springfield Museum of Natural History in The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants, where he causes electroshock therapy on unwilling recipients. To beat him, the player needs to jump on his head multiple times. If the player spelled Homer's name earlier, Homer will appear from paintings to drop wet blankets to neutralize the electric shocks, allowing the player to edge closer to attack, as well as stun Monroe if he is in close proximity.

Trivia

The inspiration for Marvin Monroe came from Robert Allan Monroe.
His name has a similar spelling and pronunciation from deceased actress/model Marilyn Monroe.
On the audio commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening", David Silverman discloses that the reason the character was named Marvin Monroe was due to the original idea that it was going to be revealed that his real name was actually Marilyn Monroe, which as a result, made him become a therapist, because he was really "hung up" on that. ^[9]
On the audio commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home" Matt Groening said the character was based in part on Dr. David Viscott, a radio therapist who had a voice that was considered by some to be annoying, but Matt Groening was a fan.^[10]

Retirement

Monroe was (initially) retired in Season 7 because voicing the character strained Harry Shearer's throat and, eventually, the voice became too annoying for Matt Groening.^[11]^[12]

Appearances

Episode – "There's No Disgrace Like Home"
Episode – "The Call of the Simpsons"
Episode – "The Telltale Head"
Episode – "Some Enchanted Evening"
Episode – "Dead Putting Society" (cameo)
Episode – "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"
Episode – "Old Money"
Episode – "Bart's Dog Gets an F" (picture)
Episode – "Stark Raving Dad"
Episode – "When Flanders Failed"
THOH – "Treehouse of Horror II"
Episode – "Flaming Moe's"
Episode – "Radio Bart"
Episode – "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" (voice only)
Episode – "Marge vs. the Monorail"
Episode – "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" Archive Footage
Episode – "Bart's Inner Child"
Episode – "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" In phone
Episode – "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" Archive Footage
Episode – "All Singing, All Dancing" Archive Footage
Episode – "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" Tombstone
Episode – "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"
THOH – "Treehouse of Horror XXV"
Episode – "Flanders' Ladder" (ghost)
Comic story – The Amazing Colossal Homer
Comic story – Patty & Selma's Ill-Fated Romance: My Sister, My Homewrecker!
Comic story – Simpsons Comics Royale
Video game – The Simpsons: Tapped Out

The Simpsons: Season One
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire":	"Bart the Genius":	"Homer's Odyssey":	"There's No Disgrace Like Home":	"Bart the General":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Major	Absent
"Moaning Lisa":	"The Call of the Simpsons":	"The Telltale Head":	"Life on the Fast Lane":	"Homer's Night Out":
Absent	Minor	Cameo	Absent	Absent
"The Crepes of Wrath":	"Krusty Gets Busted":	"Some Enchanted Evening":
Absent	Absent	Minor

The Simpsons: Season Two
"Bart Gets an "F"":	"Simpson and Delilah":	"Treehouse of Horror":	"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish":	"Dancin' Homer":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Dead Putting Society":	"Bart vs. Thanksgiving":	"Bart the Daredevil":	"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge":	"Bart Gets Hit by a Car":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Minor	Absent
"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish":	"The Way We Was":	"Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment":	"Principal Charming":	"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Bart's Dog Gets an F":	"Old Money":	"Brush with Greatness":	"Lisa's Substitute":	"The War of the Simpsons":
Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Three Men and a Comic Book":	"Blood Feud":
Absent	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Three
"Stark Raving Dad":	"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington":	"When Flanders Failed":	"Bart the Murderer":	"Homer Defined":
Minor	Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent
"Like Father, Like Clown":	"Treehouse of Horror II":	"Lisa's Pony":	"Saturdays of Thunder":	"Flaming Moe's":
Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent	Cameo
"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk":	"I Married Marge":	"Radio Bart":	"Lisa the Greek":	"Homer Alone":
Absent	Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent
"Bart the Lover":	"Homer at the Bat":	"Separate Vocations":	"Dog of Death":	"Colonel Homer":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Black Widower":	"The Otto Show":	"Bart's Friend Falls in Love":	"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?":
Absent	Absent	Voice only	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Four
"Kamp Krusty":	"A Streetcar Named Marge":	"Homer the Heretic":	"Lisa the Beauty Queen":	"Treehouse of Horror III":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie":	"Marge Gets a Job":	"New Kid on the Block":	"Mr. Plow":	"Lisa's First Word":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Homer's Triple Bypass":	"Marge vs. the Monorail":	"Selma's Choice":	"Brother from the Same Planet":	"I Love Lisa":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Duffless":	"Last Exit to Springfield":	"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show":	"The Front":	"Whacking Day":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Marge in Chains":	"Krusty Gets Kancelled":
Cameo	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Five
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet":	"Cape Feare":	"Homer Goes to College":	"Rosebud":	"Treehouse of Horror IV":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Marge on the Lam":	"Bart's Inner Child":	"Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood":	"The Last Temptation of Homer":	"$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Homer the Vigilante":	"Bart Gets Famous":	"Homer and Apu":	"Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy":	"Deep Space Homer":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Homer Loves Flanders":	"Bart Gets an Elephant":	"Burns' Heir":	"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song":	"The Boy Who Knew Too Much":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Lady Bouvier's Lover":	"Secrets of a Successful Marriage":
Absent	Absent

Gallery

The full image gallery for Marvin Monroe may be viewed at Marvin Monroe/Gallery.

Citations

↑ "There's No Disgrace Like Home"
↑ "The Call of the Simpsons"
↑ "Some Enchanted Evening"
↑ "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"
↑ "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)"
↑ "Bye Bye Nerdie"
↑ "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"
↑ "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"
↑ Silverman, David (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD).
↑ Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Homer" (DVD).
↑ Jean, Al 2001 Commentary for "Some Enchanted Evening," in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season.
↑ Groening, Matt 2003 Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror II," in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season.

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[1] "There's No Disgrace Like Home"

[2] "The Call of the Simpsons"

[3] "Some Enchanted Evening"

[4] "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"

[5] "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)"

[6] "Bye Bye Nerdie"

[7] "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"

[8] "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"

[9] Silverman, David (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD).

[10] Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Homer" (DVD).

[11] Jean, Al 2001 Commentary for "Some Enchanted Evening," in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season.

[12] Groening, Matt 2003 Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror II," in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season.

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