The Day the Violence Died

The Day the Violence Died

Plot

It's the 75th Aniversary of Itchy and Scratchy and Bart, Lisa and Homer go to the Itchy and Scratchy Parade. Bart follows it to "Bum Town", where he meets a homeless man named Chester, who claims that he created Itchy of the Itchy & Scratchy cartoons, and cartoon violence. As proof, Chester shows Bart and Milhouse an animated short that he made, in which Itchy is the star, and goes about his usual violent tendencies. Bart now believes Chester, but the nitrate print of the film catches fire, eliminating their only proof.

Even so, Bart decides to help Chester. Chester moves in but things turn bad when Chester and Grampa get into a fist-fight which lasts a third of the episode. When Bart and Chester try to prove that Chester created the cartoon to the C.E.O of Itchy and Scratchy, Roger Meyers Jr, they are thrown out by security. They decide to take it to court. During the trial, Krusty and Chester get into a fist-fight. The Itchy and Scratchy company have much better lawyers (obviously) than the children and Chester. The case seems to be over, due to the fact that Chester has not presented any evidence. However, thanks to Homer lending him $800, Bart quickly runs to the local comic shop, and returns with a framed image of Itchy, which he recognized from Lampwick's cartoon. When Bart removes the image from the frame, an autograph is evident, in which Lampwick dedicated the image to Roger Meyers Sr, encouraging him to keep drawing. The date on the signature also predates Itchy's first appearance in 'Steamboat Itchy.'

Even though Meyers Jr tries to make a last ditch plea that all cartoons borrow from other sources ("If it wasn't for the Honeymooners, we never would have had the Flintstones. If someone hadn't made Sgt Bilko, there'd be no Top Cat!") Chester wins the case, and the Itchy and Scratchy company pays him his requested sum of $800 billion. Bart is happy for Chester, but becomes saddened when he realizes that by helping Chester, he has bankrupted and shuttered the production company for Itchy & Scratchy. He and Lisa try to solve the problem, but are shocked when they find out the problem has already been solved, along with other problems, by two kids Lester and Eliza who strangely look a lot like the kids.

Quotes

• Bart: {refering to the educational cartoon} "What the hell is this?"
• Lisa: "It's one of those campy seventies thow-backs that appeal to Generation X-ers."
• Bart: "We need another Viet-Nam to thin out their ranks a little."
• Chester: All cartoon characters did was play the ukelele.
• Grampa: Paint my coop!
• Chester: Make me! (fistfight starts)
• Krusty: Paint my fence!
  • Chester: Make me! (fistfight starts)

Trivia

• This episode is named after the lyrics heard before the chorus to the song "American Pie" namely: "The day the music died".

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