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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/30/2007
By its fourth season, The Simpsons had come far enough where Lisa could make a self-referential joke about Dustin Hoffman and Michael Jackson's pseudonymous guest voice appearances in seasons 2 and 3, respectively. In this season, no less than Elizabeth Taylor (in two episodes), Bette Midler, and even the reclusive Johnny Carson blessed The Simpsons with their iconic presences. Awhile back, Entertainment Weekly ranked The Simpsons' Top 25 best episodes ever. Five gems from season 4 cracked the top 12, including the (debatable) choice for No. 1, "Last Exit to Springfield." Other episodes that loom large in the Simpsons legend are "Mr. Plow" (you know the jingle: "Call Mr. Plow / That's my name / That name again is Mr. Plow"), "Marge vs. the Monorail," featuring a Music Man-style extravaganza, and "A Streetcar Named Marge," the episode that outraged New Orleans residents, who heard their fair metropolis referred to as "a city that the damned call home." The Simpsons smartly subverts traditional family sitcom convention, but anyone who thinks the show doesn't have a heart is advised to watch "I Love Lisa" and "New Kid on the Block," two fourth-season gems that absolutely nail the agony and ecstasy of unrequited crushes ("You won't be needing this," a heartbroken Bart fantasizes his babysitter saying while dropkicking his heart into a wastebasket in "New Kid"). While the Simpsons' celebrated ensemble gets all the glory, we must pause now to praise the peerless writing staff, among them, George Meyer, Al Jean, Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder, David Silverman, and Conan O'Brien. One can only marvel in astonishment at the alchemy that went into creating, week after week, such essential episodes as "Kamp Krusty," "Streetcar," the profane and profound "Homer the Heretic," and "Lisa the Beauty Queen" (And that's just disc 1!). The animators, too, rose to the occasion, particularly in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," with its dead-on, ultra-violent sinking of the seminal Disney cartoon, "Steamboat Willie." And another benchmark in The Simpsons' rise to the TV pantheon: Its very first clip show. What Homer says about donuts in "Monorail" holds true as well for The Simpsons itself: Is there anything this show can't do? --Donald Liebenson
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Customer Reviews: - mr plow: best episode ever?
this is one of my favorite shows at its best. season 4 is near pinnacle for the simpsons. is mr plow the best episode ever? i think so....more info - Best season of the best tv show
According to Time magazine, the Simpsons is the greatest television show of all time. I have seen every episode of every season and I can easily recommend seasons 1-9 as "must own". However if you were to choose one season to buy, this is the one. This is not merely my personal opinion but a look at Entertainment weekly "Top 25 simpsons" will reveal season 4 ranks first with 5 a close second. Every episode in this season flows smoothly and is full of clever writing. Each episode will have you marveling at its genius. This is tv that transcends entertainment and enters the realms of high art....more info - Fave Season of "The Simpsons" (1992 - 1993 Classic Years)
There's no doubt the 1992 - 1993 era of The Simpsons was the golden age for the show. This is my absolute favourite season of The Simsons.I love this season so much because there are just so many great episodes in it.
I won't go into an episode by episode listing or anything. I'll just give you my oppinion of the season and mention some of my favourite episodes from it...
Season 4 is full of some of the most Popular episodes in the entire shows run, and could arguably be considered among fans and TV Critics the best season in the shows history. Who hasn't seen the classic "Marge Vs the monorail" episode - Voted one of the most favoured episodes in the entire shows run. "Mr.Plow" was also another of the most popular episodes ever, where Barney steals Homer's idea of plowing peoples driveways. "Mr.plow, That's my name, that name again is mr Plow". "A Streetcar Named Marge" is a great episode where Marge tries out for a part in the play "A Streetcar named Desire", but Homer seems less then enthusiastic about the idea. Maggie's Escape from the Ayn Rand daycare centre is funny and "New Kid on the block", "Homer the Heretic" and "Brother From the Same Planet" where Bart gets a new father, because Homer forgets to pick him up from soccer practice, then Homer in retaliation adopts a homeless kid named Pepi to be his new son are all very good episodes too.
Another favourite of mine is "Lisa The Beauty Queen" where Lisa erolls in a beauty pagent to try and make her feel more confident about herself after she sees a charicature drawn of her, but my personal favourite is Treehouse Of Horror 3, I love the third segment where Bart and Lisa are trying to ressurect Snowball 1 from the dead, but instead end up ressurecting Zombies from the Springfield cemetery after Bart reads an incantation from a "TIME LIFE" book of spells, whilst wearing an LP sleeve of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on his head. The Killer Krusty doll bit is also great.
There are lots of laughts in this season, and I basically enjoyed all the episodes. I remembered how many episodes in this set I had seen as a kid when I was watching it, and it really brought back a lot of fun memories and made me happy to watch them again.
"Itchy and Scratchy:The Movie" is a great episode where Homer bans Bart from seeing the Itchy & Scratchy Movie because he can't seem to behave at school - or at home, as is "Kamp Krusty" and "I Love Lisa" - You Choo Choo Choose me reads the card Ralph gets from Lisa.
"Duffless" was a memorable episode where Homer is trying to go without beer for a month, and "Marge In Chains" is the episode where marge goes to prison for forgetting to pay for a bottle of Burbon at the Kwiki-mart.
"Selma's Choice" is another absolute favourite of mine where Selma takes Bart and Lisa to Duff Gardens after Homer gets sick from eating a month old foot long sandwich. "Lisa's First Word" is a sweet episode where we are told how Lisa began to speak and shows an insight to the past of The Simpsons.
At this time in the shows history the Animation had just got better, the characters were developing more, and each episode got funnier by...the episode.
This is just Classic Simpsons, and there is no season before this one that was better, and all the seasons after it, even though some come close "Season 5" didn't quite match up to it. Season 4 really raised the bar for the show, and animated comedy TV in general. This is the classic Simpsons weve all come to know and love. Any fan of the show, or TV comedy animation shows should have this boxset up on the shelf of their DVD library.
It's Very Enjoyable viewing these episodes again, and they are a real blast from the past. This is one Simpson's season you'll stick in the DVD drive again and again.
...more info - One of the best seasons from one of TV's best shows
This contains some of the best episodes from this great show. It really is The Simpsons at its best - strongly recommended. ...more info - Fun for the entire family
My 11 year old wanted this for Christmas. He loves watching the obvious jokes and my husband and I enjoy the more subtle humor aimed at adults....more info - Back On Track, With The Humor
I thought that season 3 was a little to serious, thankfully season 4 of "The Simpsons" is back on track!. This season comes with all kind of highlighted episodes including: "Kamp Krusty", "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie", "Lisa's First Word" and couple of pevit episodes. This boxset also comes with this beautiful blue box with these funny photos on & in the box.
1. Kamp Krusty - After the kids get to go to "Kamp Krusty" for the summer, they find out that it's nothing like the commerical on T.V.
They are turned into slaves making wallets for some country, sleeping in the cold and eating gool.
2. A Streetcar Named Marge - After Marge is casted in a musical version of "A Streetcar Named Desire", Homer is not supportive, so Marge starts taking her anger out on Ned Flanders who plays Stanley (P.S - Ned, should keep his shirt off all the time, LOL!!).
3. Homer The Heretic - One Sunday morning, Homer decides that he'd rather sleep late than go to church. Marge is disappointed, but doesn't argue with him. While home alone, Homer dances in his underwear, drinks waffle batter and loafs around watching TV. Having thoroughly enjoyed his morning, Homer decides to forgo church for good and start his own religion. Marge doesn't approve, but that night Homer has a dream in which God visits him and expresses his acceptance of Homer's new religion. While home on Sunday, worshipping in his own special way by reading Playdude and smoking cigars, Homer causes a fire that nearly destroys the house. Ned Flanders is the only one who can save Homer's life, and after speaking with Reverend Lovejoy, Homer realizes that he should give up his religion and return to church.
4. Lisa The Beauty Queen - Lisa feels ugly, so Homer enters her in the "Little Miss Springfield Pageant". (my favorite episode in the whole season).
5. Treehouse Of Horror III - In this year's scarifying special, the Simpsons gather for a Halloween party and exchange ghost stories. Stories include: Clown Without Pity, King Homer, Dial "Z" For Zombies.
6. Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie - Itchy & Scratchy are about to come to the show, but since Bart is being bad, Homer & Marge punish Bart from ever seeing the film.
7. Marge Gets A Job - After Marge gets a job at the plant, Mr. Burns starts to fall in love with her, after Marge tells him she's married, he fires her.
8. New Kid On The Block - Bart gets his first crush on a girl that is couple of years older then him.
9. Mr. Plow - After Homer buys a plow truck, he becomes a big hit by plowing the snow away from people businesses and homes, but when Barney decides to do something with his life, he buys a bigger plow truck, putting Homer out of business.
10. Lisa's First Word - While trying to get Maggie to say her first words, Marge tells Bart and Lisa about what they were like as babies.
11. Homer's Triple Bypass - Homer from eating everything & anything must get a triple bypass or he might die from heart-attacks in the near future.
12. Marge vs. The Monorail - Mr. Burns is forced to pay a $3 million fine for illegally dumping toxic waste under trees in the park. At a town meeting where Springfield's citizens discuss how to best use the new funds, Lyle Lanley, a charismatic traveling salesman convinces them to build a completely useless monorail. Marge is the only one in town who disapproves of the project and when the monorail is complete disaster, her reservations are proved correct.
13. Selma's Choice - Aunt Selma realizes that she might wind up dying all alone and thinks that having a baby can relieve her loneliness.
14. Brother From The Same Planet - When Homer leaves Bart waiting in the pouring rain after soccer practice, he must earn back his son's love.
15. I Love Lisa - Trying to be nice to Ralph Wiggum, Lisa gives him a Valentine's Day card. Ralph misinterprets the gesture and thinks that Lisa is in love with him.
16. Duffless - Lisa conducts a secret experiment for the Springfield Elementary School science fair to see who's smarter, Bart or a hamster.
17. Last Exit To Springfield - Homer finds himself filling in for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's union leader when it comes time to negotiate their new contract with Mr. Burns. Homer is a tough negotiator, despite not knowing the first thing about union organizing, and forces Burns to accept the union's demands on the condition that Homer be removed as leader.
18. So It Has Come To This: The Simpsons Clip Show - Bart's April Fools' prank backfires and lands Homer in the hospital in a coma. At Homer's bedside, The Simpson family reminisces about all of the good times they've had over the years. This episode is filled with clips you've seen before and Homer eventually emerges from his coma (dah!).
19. The Front - Convinced they can write better Itchy & Scratchy scripts than the writers who currently work on the cartoon, Bart and Lisa set out to write their own shows.
20. Whacking Day - Everyone in Springfield is excited for Whacking Day, but as the holiday approaches, Lisa condemns it as violent.
21. Marge In Chains - Marge gets busted for shoplifting at the Kwik-E-Mart and is sentenced to thirty days in prison.
22. Krusty Gets Kancelled - After the most successful advertising campaign Springfield has ever seen, The Krusty the Clown show gets bumped in the ratings....more info - Simpsons mania!
By it's 4th year full blown simpsons mania hit the world.
The goodness is on here with: Kamp Krusty, A Streetcar Named Marge, Homer the Heretic, Lisa the Beauty Queen, Treehouse of Horror III, Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie, Marge Gets a Job, New Kid on the Block, Mr. Plow, Lisa's First Word, Homer's Triple Bypass, Marge vs. the Monorail, Selma's Choice, Brother from the Same Planet, I Love Lisa, Duffless, Last Exit to Springfield, So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, The Front, Whacking Day, Marge in Chains and Krusty Gets Kancelled...more info - When will I see you smile again?
This season is pretty good. Conan O'brien produces some of the episodes and shows everyone he has true gritt. If you're a real Prince and The Revolution fan this is the season for you!...more info - Funnier Than Family Guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got this today. The Episodes are packed with laughs and it has lots and lots of special features. The Simpsons are FUNNIER than family guy because family guy don`t have no laughs at all and y`all be saying it`s a funny show and y`all say it`s packed with laughs. family guy wish they was funnier than The Simpsons but it`s not. Matt Groening is a genius and he said The Simpsons are based on his family. Seth Macfarlane is a retard because he copied off The Simpsons style a little bit.
family guy suck, Simpsons rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!...more info - "I call the big one Bitey."
The fourth season of "The Simpsons" is perhaps the best. The DVD set includes all 22 episodes and a load of extras - more than any prior collection. Of course, the best extra is probably the episode commentaries. The directors, writers, and producers are hilarious and insightful, especially Al Jean, Rich Moore, David Silver, and Matt Groening. Conan O'Brien also joins in for an episode; he joined the writing staff in season four. I also enjoy when some of the cast help out, especially Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith.
Two of my all-time favorite Simpsons episodes are here. Nevertheless, if you ask 10 Simpsons fans for their favorite from this season, you're likely to get 10 different responses.
"Marge vs. the Monorail" features one of the best Phil Hartman characters, the scheming Lyle Lanley. I particularly love the "Music Man" inspired monorail song -- Well, sir/ there's nothing on earth/ Like a genuine/ Bona fide/ Electrified/ Six car/ Monorail!
"A Streetcar Named Marge" is another brilliant episode. Marge finally decides to pursue some hobbies outside the family by joining a community theater group. She makes a perfect wilting Blanche Dubois to Ned Flander's "brutish" Stanley. The highlight of the episode may be the "Oh Streetcar" song, which completely vilifies New Orleans.
The set-up screens display a variety of different characters - when you select a feature, Marge might pull a pin out of her hair that causes it to deflate or Homer might get a plunger stuck on his head. These little vignettes are cute, but they are somewhat slow and can get tiresome if you try to watch several episodes in a row. Overall, however, I think Season 4 has the best features and set-up. It's really a top notch DVD set. Most highly recommended.
...more info - My Favorite Season of Television.
After much thought, I am convinced that this is the overall best season of what was until very recently my favorite show, and is probably among the best in the history of television. That's just my opinion, of course, but I can't see how anyone would disagree if they really sat down and watched these wonderful episodes. They've got everything: sparkling wit, big laughs, biting social commentary, great characters in legitimately funny situations, and, most importantly, a lot of heart. There's no doubt that any Simpsons-on-DVD is worth owning, but this is the one that's worth a deeper, more challenging look. It's the pinnacle of animated TV.
I have to disagree with some reviewers when I say that the first three seasons had plenty of warmth and charm, and were far better than any of the most recent seasons of the show. I believe many fans are correct in saying, though, that the fourth season is where the humor really begins to shine. For me, it's also where it peaked. The fifth and sixth seasons both have fine moments (much like season three) but never really achieve the balance of big humor and big heart that seem to operate in almost perfect equilibrium during this season. Also, beginning with season five, the show relied too heavily on its now patented randomness, which can be funny if used sparingly (which it rarely is). To put it another way, there was a shift into humor that is generally non-situational, a product of lazy writing, even if masked with witty banter. Quite simply, the show got too successful, and it slipped. When this happened, it was still approved by a public of humorist starving classes willing to settle for anything even resembling "funny" or "intelligent" (or just "not-your-average-sitcom"). What's missing from probably the last seven seasons of the show is the three-dimensional characters we once knew and loved -- and without lovable characters, TV comedy isn't worth anything at all.
The third season was a good indication of where the show was going to go. Episodes like "When Flanders Failed" are funny but also uniquely touching, and display genuinely interesting character development, especially in Homer. Episodes like "Flaming Moe's" or "Burns Verhaufen der Kraftwerk" are really hilarious, and "Bart the Lover," written by the genius Jon Vitti (a pillar of Simpsons greatness), is probably the best episode in the bunch. So along comes Season Four, and the show really took off.
During the fourth season, the five members of the Simpson family are the unquestioned main characters in the show, especially Bart (who, for the first few years, is absolutely the best character, almost simultaneously overrated and underrated), but the magic of these episodes is the unique way in which the peripheral characters are employed. Krusty and Mr. Burns, in particular, are riotously funny and distinctly three-dimensional. Additionally, Chief Wiggum, Ralph, Selma, Barney, and Principal Skinner, to name a few, are all brilliantly and subtly developed. Still, my favorite facet of this season has to be the humorous and at times tender relationship between Bart and Lisa, which after Season Four became severely lacking. In some episodes, their rapport is fairly obvious, as in "Lisa's First Word," but it's there throughout: Bart's memorable line "You're not ugly" in "Lisa the Beauty Queen," or their hectic travels together in "Kamp Krusty," or their Itchy and Scratchy cartoons in "The Front." All really touching.
A few examples of this season's overwhelming greatness: the completely laugh-out-loud musical number in "A Streetcar Named Marge" (which, incidentally, is one of the best parodies of community theatre other than Waiting for Guffman), Bart's falling in love with the "New Kid on the Block," Homer's fake commercials in "Mr. Plow," the insanely funny sandwich bit and Duff Gardens adventure in "Selma's Choice," and Krusty trying to match his ventriloquist competition in "Krusty Gets Kancelled." This season is distinguished above all others, however, by what might be the two greatest episodes ever, airing exactly within one month of each other: "I Love Lisa" and "Last Exit to Springfield." Excellently crafted with subtle wit and sharp, vitriolic social criticism, these are written with a true sense of structure, pace, dialogue, etc - with unbelievably funny, memorable moments. Television simply doesn't get any better. If you don't believe me, just watch them again. The absurdly brilliant "Monster Mash" intro makes the first scene in "I Love Lisa" the best in the history of the show; later on, Krusty's anniversary special has one terrific joke after another (I'm giggling about Robert Frost and Sideshow Rahim even as I write this), and Springfield Elementary's take on the US Presidency is uproarious. "Last Exit" might be the overall best, though, especially when Mr. Burns and Homer get together in the mansion: the line "It doesn't take a wiz to see that you're looking out for number one!" is one of the funniest things I have ever heard, representing how the show can be both high-brow and low-brow at once. But these episodes aren't just streams of good chuckles and one-liners, they're much, much more.
Do yourself a favor and discover what the Simpsons accomplished back in Season Four. The flat, one-dimensional characters and abundant random situations that plague the later years WILL NOT be remembered fondly when the show is long gone. But THIS will. Imagine: it's back when Lisa wasn't so whiny, snobbish and pestering -- back when Homer was only mildly stupid, and when Marge was a great TV mom on par with June Cleaver -- and Bart was feisty and lovable. They did it right once, and I have it on DVD for as long as I care to watch and laugh and learn. Thanks for reading.
...more info - The Simpsons
Like Seinfeld, Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond etc, The Simpsons started off strong, but really took up speed once the set-up seasons were done. Thus, when Home, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Grandpa turned four, the show came into its own with classic episodes like Kamp Krusty, A Streetcar Named Marge, Homer the Heretic, Lisa the Beauty Queen, Treehouse of Horror III, Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie, Marge Gets a Job, New Kid on the Block, Mr. Plow, Lisa's First Word, Homer's Triple Bypass and Marge vs. the Monorail. Its a classic show that has remained at the top, and even though seasons 15 and 16 are below par, viewers across the world all love the characters, the gags and the wacky adventures that make The Simpsons a true TV classic. The DVD also has commentaries deleted scenes and more....more info - Must Have Season
Welcome again to my Simpsons reviews. The fourth season is one of the best seasons yet. Series classics such as Marge vs. the Monorail and Last Exit to Sprinfeld, make this argubly the best season ever. The animation is not yet perfect compared to nowadays. Like the large pupils. So set back and read this review from a no lifer like me.
I'll review each episode and give it a rating.
Kamp Krusty: Bart and Lisa to goto hell defined Kamp Krusty.
Rating: 9.1/10
A Streetcar Named Marge: Marge plays in the play "A Street Car Name Desired." Maggie plans an escape from the day-care.
Rating: 8.5/10
Homer the Heretic: Homer decides to never goto church, (Hey, I'm with him.) and meets God in his dream.
Rating: 9.3/10
Lisa the Beauty Queen: Homer enters Lisa in a Beauty Contest to show that she isn't ugly.
Rating: 9.0/10
Treehouse of Horror III: The kids have a halloween party and tell ghost stories.
Rating: 9.4/10
Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie: Homer punishes Bart and he can never go to see the Ichy & Scratchy Movie.
Rating: 8.8/10
Marge Gets a Job: Marge gets a job at the power plant.
Rating: 8.4/10
New Kid on the Block: Bart falls in love with his new neighbor Laura Powers.
Rating: 8.2/10
Mr. Plow: Homer starts a Snow Plow business.
Rating: 9.4/10
Lisa's First Word: Homer and Marge tell how Lisa says her first word.
Rating: 9.2/10
Homer's Triple Bypass: Homer is forced to have Triple Bypass Surgery
Rating: 9.3/10
Marge vs. the Monorail: A Con-Man named Lyle Lanley convinces Springfeld to build a monorail.
Rating: 9.8/10
Selma's Choice: Selma decides whether or not to have children.
Rating: 8.9/10
Brother from the Same Planet: Bart gets a new father and Homer gets a new son.
Rating: 9.1/10
I Love Lisa: Ralph falls in love with Lisa after she gives him the infamous You Choo-Choo Choose Me Valentine.
Rating: 9.4/10
Duffless: Homer gives up beer for a month after his DUI.
Rating: 9.3/10
Last Exit to Springfield: The plant employees go on strike and Lisa gets braces.
Rating: 9.5/10
So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show: Homer is in the hospital after a April Fools Joke and the family flashback about Homer.
Rating: 9.2/10
The Front: Bart and Lisa use Grandpa's name to write Itchy and Scratchy episodes.
Rating: 8.7/10
Whacking Day: People of Springfeld celebrate whacking snakes.
Rating: 8.6/10
Marge in Chains: Marge is sent to jail for accidently not paying for an item at the Kwik-E-Mart.
Rating: 8.8/10
Krusty Gets Kancelled: A new show with Gabbo causes ratings to drop for Krusty the Klown so he hires guest stars to appear in his comeback special.
Rating: 9.0/10
The 4th season was by far one of the greatest seasons of the Simpsons. The boxset is even my favorite color. Blue. Now you can't beat that.
Rating: 9.3/10...more info - Episodes GREAT, DVD format NOT SO GREAT
Do not get me wrong, I am a HUGE Simpsons fan! I have seasons 1 through 9 and I still laugh at the jokes. This season has one of the best lisa episodes in the whole series, "I Love Lisa." It also has such classics as the season opening, "Kamp Krusty" and the season finale, "Krusty gets Kancelled." With so many more episodes I can not complain on any level about the storytelling or the acting or the animation.
The only problem I have with the dvd is the menu format for the DVD. It certainly seems that the season 4 dvds are the black sheep of all the seasons. The menu set up is not very simpsonesque. This is the only criticism that I have for the dvd. Otherwise, Enjoy the season! oh also, with buying this simpsons dvd, as with any others, listen to the commentaries. It has some great insight for the show's running. ...more info - This is complete maddness
Here are ten reasons why season 4 of the Fox animated series The Simpsons is quite possibly the funniest season of comedy ever on television:
1). Troy McClure: "Hello everybody. I'm Troy McClure, star of such films as "P is for Psycho" and "The President's Neck is Missing."
2.) Apu: "I have a shrine to Ganesha, the god of worldly wisdom, located in the employee lounge."
Homer: "Hey, Ganesha, want a peanut?
Apu: "Please do not offer my god a peanut."
3.) Krusty, lending his pre-taped support to the Little Miss Springfield Pageant: "I heartily endorse this event or product."
4.) Bart, after Homer kills Flanders, who has been turned into a zombie: "Dad, you just killed the Zombie-Flanders!"
Homer: "He was a zombie?"
5.) Captain Kirk, in Star Trek XII: So Very Tired: "Captain's Log, Stardate 6051. Had trouble sleeping last night...my hiatal hernia is acting up. The ship is drafty and damp. I complain, but nobody listens."
6.) Barney, waving goodbye to Adam West as he drives away in the Batmobile: "So long, Superman!"
7.) Chief Wiggum: "This is Papa Bear. Put out an APB for a male suspect, driving a...car of some sort. Heading in the direction of, um, you know, that place that sells chili. The suspect is hatless. I repeat...hatless!"
8.) Homer, telling Marge about the family of possums that live in the rotted innards of the Springfield monorail: "I call the big one, Bitey!"
9.) TV Announcer: "The following is a public service announcement. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause liver damage and cancer of the rectum."
Homer. "Mmmm, beer."
10.) Bart, watching Homer attempt to remove a plunger stuck to his head: "What are you going to change your name to when you grow up?'
Lisa: "Lois Sanborn."
Bart: "Steve Bennett."
OK, Number 10 is a personal choice. When that episode (The Front) aired in April 1993, I knew someone named Steve Bennett. And when Bart, who had become America's favorite underachiever, uttered Steve's name, he was the envy of all who knew him. I'm not sure if Steve ever found a way to record the line onto his phone answering machine, but if not, he should still be trying.
As much as Season 3 saw The Simpsons find its groove in terms of the writing, animation, timing and vocal performance, Season 4 was when the show achieved a level of humor and sophistication that no sitcom has ever matched. It became rife with pop culture and political references. Steamboat Willie (the first cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse), Franklin Roosevelt, A Streetcar Named Desire and supposed Communist Alger Hiss all worked their way into episodes. Creatively, the show seemed completely locked in: from the jokes (which seemed to come faster than the sitcom average of three-a-minute), to the music, by underappreciated Simpsons composer Alf Clausen. Like Season 3, the storylines were occasionally silly, but the show was never ashamed to have the family show affection for one another and no one completely broke character because it would help sell an episode. In total, Season 4 represents the Golden Age of the Simpsons' brand of comedy and Fox Home Video's 4-disc set, The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season is an essential purchase for anyone who claims to love TV comedy.
The episodes included are Kamp Krusty, A Streetcar Named Marge, Homer the Heretic, Lisa the Beauty Queen, Treehouse of Horror III, Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie, Marge Gets a Job, New Kid on the Block, Mr. Plow, Lisa's First Word, Homer's Triple Bypass, Marge vs. the Monorail, Selma's Choice, Brother from the Same Planet, I Love Lisa, Duffless, Last Exit to Springfield, So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, The Front, Whacking Day, Marge in Chains and Krusty Gets Kancelled.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
As with the previous three Simpsons DVD releases, Season 4 is presented in its original TV aspect ratio of 4:3. In the early 90s, the show was still totally hand drawn, as opposed to computer assisted. As such, object outlines do have a hand-drawn feel and background colors can waver ever so minutely. But (minor) flaws and all, color is accurately represented on the DVD. After all, unless Fox wants to commission a completely useless frame-by-frame restoration, these discs will never be better than their source material. All colors are as saturated as they were when originally drawn: the Simpson family has the deeper colors, the yellow of their skin or the blue of Marge's hair. Obviously, no color strays past its outline and every color has a nice smoothness. Print flaws get increasingly rare as the series continues and here there is nary a spot or a speck. Darker backgrounds, like the night sky or the blue set of Krusty's Comeback Special have just a smidge of haze, but that's just nitpicking. Contrast is good and detail, so essential to a sneaky show like The Simpsons, is getting better with every DVD release. There are no compression artifacts to be found, even during the slower fades. The shows looks great and as subsequent seasons are released, and computer-assisted animation takes over, the show threatens to look almost perfect.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
Once again, Fox has provided a nice, if slightly unnecessary 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. It does seem as if there is more play with the directional effects than in previous DVD releases. The sound of characters running across the room will travel from left to right. The songs are a bit fuller than last season and dialogue is cleaner and less mushy than in previous DVD releases. When watching the show on TV, characters talk so fast and are mixed with music and effects that sometimes dialogue is hard to understand. This is not a problem on the DVD, as dialogue comes like a laser, usually from the center speaker. No one will ever mistake a Simpsons DVD (or Simpsons episode on TV) as an enveloping aural experience, but what's provided here is true to the show and true to the original presentation.
Episodes also include French and Spanish Dolby 2.0 surround tracks. Subtitles are available in French and Spanish, along with English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
There are more supplements on these 4 discs than there are jars of expired baby food at the Kwik-E-Mart. Luckily, as the program got more popular, it became better documented. One of the few complaints about the first three DVD sets was that there's scant little information on how an episode is created and how the voices are recorded. More of the former is presented here, while the latter will always be a beautiful, never-realized dream (Note to Fox: The Holy Grail of Simpsons supplements will be having the voice over recording in the corner of the screen while the episode plays out). Barring that, here we go:
Disc One begins with a Word from Matt Groening, which involves the show's creator introducing the set by voicing over some clips.
The meat of the first disc are the audio commentaries, which are provided for every episode: Kamp Krusty, A Streetcar Named Marge, Homer the Heretic and Lisa the Beauty Queen. For Kamp Krusty, the producers admitted that co-creator Matt Groening liked the episode so much, he wanted to save the plotline for the Simpsons movie. But the producers had enough problems getting the episode to its minimum length, let alone padding it out to 80 minutes. Also, Jon Lovitz joins in on the audio commentary for A Streetcar Named Marge.
Elsewhere on Disc One, we've got Art and Animation: A Streetcar Named Marge. Clicking that option reveals a submenu that includes Animatic Showcase, where a section of the finished episode shares screen space with the animatic and the storyboards. Use the Angle button to decide which element gets the full-screen. This allows you to see how much the episode changed during the long production process. You can also watch just the animatic by itself or with audio commentary by Rich Moore and David Silverman. You can also see the episode with just full-frame storyboards, accompanied by the final voice recordings.
The Cajun Controversy is a two-minute look at how the city of New Orleans (over)reacted to seeing their fair city lambasted in the episode A Streetcar Named Marge. Writer Jeff Martin narrates this brief, but fun look. Martin wrote the lyrics himself and he explains that Sweeney Todd starts with a song that denigrates London and that Martin was "just copying that. I certainly wasn't setting out to insult New Orleans."
Special Language Feature: Kamp Krusty gives us the entire episode in your choice of Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Japanese or Castilian Spanish. However, instead of taking the time to find this menu, just play the episode and cycle through with your Audio button.
Next is Bush vs. Simpson. Narrated by series co-creator Jim Brooks, it recounts a 1990 People Magazine story about then-First Lady Barbara Bush that claimed "She loves American's Funniest Home Videos but remains baffled after sampling The Simpsons. "'It was the dumbest thing I had ever seen', she says." Brooks sent a response to Mrs. Bush, that is read in its entirety by Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge Simpson. It reads, in part, "I try to teach my children Bart, Lisa and even little Maggie always to give somebody the benefit of the doubt and not talk badly about them, even if they're rich. It's hard to get them to understand this advice when the very First Lady in the country calls us not only dumb, but 'the dumbest thing' she ever saw." Surprisingly, on October 9, 1990, Mrs. Bush replied. Her remarks included the line, "how kind of you to write. I'm glad you spoke your mind, I foolishly didn't know you had one." She ends with "please forgive a loose tongue." The "feud" culminated with President George H.W. Bush speaking to a convention of religious broadcasters and saying American families need to be more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons. It's a neat, 5-minute piece and Brooks remembers the feud with respect and good humor towards the First Family.
Finally on Disc One is Promotional Stuff, which is a 13-minute Fox-generated look at how the Simpsons is produced. Fans of the show will want to skip the first half, which recounts old information about how the show came to be. The second half includes brief clips of table reads and voice over sessions.
Disc Two contains more audio commentary for all the episodes, Treehouse of Horror III, Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie, Marge Gets a Job, New Kid on the Block, Mr. Plow and Lisa's First Word. The commentary for New Kid on the Block includes talk show host Conan O'Brien who participated from New York, while the other audio commentators were recorded simultaneously in Los Angeles. By the fourth season, writers began to leave the show and had to be replaced. O'Brien was hired after two other writers turned it down. The participants reminisce about O'Brien's horrible office (which is now a storage room) and how he was constantly energetic and funny, no matter how many hours they had worked that day.
Also on Disc Two are four TV commercials, which can be played individually or all at once. They include 2 Simpsons promos, a Butterfinger spot and a KFC spot. More interesting is Animation Showcase: Itchy & Scratchy The Movie. As in the other Animation Showcases, you can watch the episode unfold in storyboard form and compare it to the finished product.
Disc Three contains audio commentaries for every episode, Homer's Triple Bypass, Marge vs. the Monorail, Selma's Choice, Brother from the Same Planet, I Love Lisa and Duffless. There are two audio commentaries for Marge vs. the Monorail. The second one includes Conan O'Brien, who wrote the episode. According to O'Brien, Marge vs. The Monorail was the third idea he ever pitched after being hired. He also talks of how he'd crack up the staff by filling his mouth with Coke and then shaking his head until foam came out of his mouth. It's a fun commentary, probably the best on the entire four-disc set.
Other extras on Disc Three include four Deleted Scenes from Homer's Triple Bypass. Frankly, these discs should include many more deleted scenes, but we'll take what we can get. None are over 16 seconds are none are particularly funny. A fun option is to watch the finished episode with the deleted scenes inserted in their proper place. Also check Art & Animation from Homer's Triple Bypass. This includes an animatic showcase similar to the one A Streetcar Named Marge. You can also watch just the animatic, with or without an audio commentary from David Silverman and Rich Moore. What's interesting here is that Silverman is equipped with a telestrator, similar to the one used on Monday Night Football. However, he only uses it once, at the very beginning of the episode.
The final disc contains audio commentary for all episodes, Last Exit to Springfield, So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, The Front, Whacking Day, Marge in Chains and Krusty Gets Kancelled. As in the other commentaries, everyone seems very happy to be there and they impart lots of fun tidbits. Krusty Gets Kancelled, is notable for all the celebrity voice involved, including Johnny Carson and Bette Midler. By that time in the show's history, there was a backlog of famous folks who wanted to do a voice. But of course, when the call actually came, everyone was too busy or out of town. In fact, they were a day away from scrapping the celebrity angle of the episode. Disc Four also includes six deleted scenes from The Front, none over 25 seconds. As in the deleted scenes from Homer's Bypass, you can watch the episode with the excised bits seamlessly reinserted. The other extra is Art & Animation: So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show. This includes yet another Animation Showcase, in which deft handling of the Angle button provides the ability to simultaneously watch the storyboards, animatics and the finished episode. You can also watch the episode with finished audio over full-frame storyboards. Or, if you choose, finished audio with full-frame animatics.
The whole magilla comes in the same type of packaging as the other Simpsons boxed sets. This time, the color of the cardboard packaging is a cobalt blue. The menu system includes lots of brief, :06-:10 animations that take the viewer from menu to submenu to sub-submenu. Although the animations are funny, it does get tiresome to have to constantly sit through them, especially considering how deep the menu system is. Next time, let's just go quickly from menu to submenu, eh Fox?
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?
There are no ROM extras on the disc.
Parting Thoughts
If you're a fan of The Simpsons and don't immediately buy this disc, you are not a fan of the Simpsons. During season 4, the show moved effortlessly from just plain hilarious to one of the funniest shows ever on television. As for the DVD, the extras are getting more interesting and every audio commentary is worth a listen. Additionally, the video and audio are slightly improved over previous releases. So, to paraphrase Bart in the episode Kamp Krusty, "my chunky brothers! Gorge yourselves at the trough of The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season!"
Thank you dvd video...more info - The Best Of The First Four Seasons
The Complete Fourth Season of The Simpsons ran from September 1992 through until May 1993, and is a worthy DVD box set for any true comedy lover. This season is also the best of the four thus far as the show goes from strength to strength, becoming all the more aware of its phenomenal popularity. Matt Groening's wonderful creation continued to push the limits of where cartoons could go, and much of this can be seen in Season 4. The design for this box set is also the best of the first four, presented in a blue deluxe fold-out box that contains four discs with wonderful cartoons on them. They also connect with the animations in the background behind the plastic trays. There are cartoons of probably all the characters who have appeared more than once in the history of the show up until this point, which is cool.
Season 4 opens with "Kamp Krusty," which sees Bart and Lisa struggling to escape Krusty's camp for kids which is a far cry from the fantasy land they expected. In "A Streetcar Named Marge," Marge wins the lead in a musical production, but is annoyed by Homer's lack of interest. Maggie is placed in a daycare center and retrieves her pacifier after it is taken from her a la The Great Escape. "Homer The Heretic" sees Homer giving up on church to stay in bed on a Sunday morning. He accidentally burns the house down and is saved by the local fire station, thinking it an act of God. In "Lisa The Beauty Queen," Lisa comes second place in a beauty contest, but when the winner is involved in a freak accident, Lisa steps up as Little Miss Springfield. When the cigarette company that sponsors the event asks her to promote their product, however, she is faced with a terrible dilemma. In "Treehouse Of Horror III," a Krusty clown goes berserk in the Simpson home, Marge is wooed by a giant ape, and Lisa's attempt to bring back her dead cat turns the town of Springfield into a pack of zombies. In "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," Homer forbids Bart from seeing the new Itchy & Scratchy movie to teach him a lesson about his bad behavior.
In "Marge Gets A Job," Marge gets a job at the power plant alongside Homer. Burns falls madly in love with her, and kidnaps her idol Tom Jones to win her over. When this fails, he tells Homer to always take care of her. In "New Kid On The Block," Bart falls in love with the teenage daughter of a single mum who moves in next door to the Simpsons. Unfortunately, she has a crush on Jimbo Jones so Bart must come up with a plan for her to dump him. Meanwhile, Homer sues an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant when they kick him out before he finishes eating. In "Mr. Plow," Homer starts a thriving snowplow business only to have his best friend Barney rival him with an even more successful business in snowplowing. Homer is so jealous he sends Barney into an avalanche and certain death, until he repents and risks his own life to save him. In "Lisa's First Word," we see the birth of Lisa in a flashback episode, and how Bart's jealousy turns towards her. We also hear Maggie's first word, although no one else does. In "Homer's Triple Bypass," Homer has a heart attack leaving him near death. He must get a bypass operation, but is only able to afford the cut-rate doctor Nick Riviera.
In "Marge Vs. The Monorail," Lyle Lanley sells the people of Springfield a monorail. Homer is thrilled to be the conductor, but only Marge can see that Lyle wants to make money fast and that the monorail will crash on its first run. In "Selma's Choice," Selma develops an urge for a child before it's too late. However, after she takes Bart and Lisa to the Duff Gardens theme park, Selma scratches her maternal itch with a pet iguana. In "Brother From The Same Planet," Bart decides to get a big brother after Homer is late picking him up from soccer practice. Out of jealousy Homer gets a little brother and gets in a huge fight with Bart's big brother. Meanwhile, Lisa runs up an extortionate phone bill calling a 900-line run by a teen film star. In "I Love Lisa," Lisa gives Ralph a valentine because no one else does. He develops a huge crush on her, which ends badly after she reveals live on the Krusty 29th Anniversary Special that she doesn't feel the same. In "Duffless," Homer is arrested for driving while intoxicated after skipping work for a Duff Brewery tour. He goes a whole month without beer, much to Marge's delight. In "Last Exit To Springfield," Lisa discovers she needs braces. At the same time, Burns removes the dental plan from the plant employees' benefits, forcing Homer to become union leader. They go on strike and Burns tries to run the plant by robots.
In "So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show," Bart plays an April Fools joke on Homer which lands him in a coma. The family reminisces about the past while waiting at Homer's bedside. In "The Front," Bart and Lisa write scripts for Itchy & Scratchy after the show begins to lose its shine. They use Grandpa's name and pass him off as the writer, as scripts by children are not taken seriously. In "Whacking Day," the town prepares for its annual ritual of whacking snakes with sticks. Lisa is determined to stop this barbaric act, and with the help of Bart and Barry White, she succeeds. Meanwhile, Bart is kicked out of school and home-schooled by Marge. In "Marge In Chains," a flue epidemic sweeps Springfield, forcing Marge to look after her family. She is so distracted that she unintentionally steals from the Kwik-E-Mart and is sent to a women's prison. The town soon realises Marge's importance to society, however, and she is released. The final episode of the season is "Krusty Gets Kancelled." A rival TV show starring an incredibly talented ventriloquist's dummy forces Krusty off the air. Bart and Lisa round up a number of celebrity guests for Krusty's comeback show which is a huge success. This episode flexes the muscles of the show's awesome star power, with guest voice appearances by Johnny Carson, Bette Midler, Hugh Hefner, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luke Perry, Elizabeth Taylor and Barry White.
By this point in The Simpsons, after only four years, critics were rightly hailing it as one of the greatest shows of all time. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the way American life is portrayed to the rest of the world through this show, but when it's being broadcast in more than 100 countries, getting viewing ratings of around 200 million worldwide, and grossing a cool $1 billion for the FOX Network, there was no way this show was going to get cancelled. The Simpsons is a force of nature, and one of the most intelligent shows ever. It's actually very educational, especially when it comes to comedy and sociology. The Complete Fourth Season is a must own for any true comedy lover....more info - The Simpsons - The Complete Fourth Season
My children are all HUGE Simpsons fans. This season was one I could not find in any stores near me. I was so glad to find it online. Each episode will be memorized by repeated viewings!...more info - Must Have #1
While the first three seasons all had some great episodes, Season 4 is the first where nearly every episode is a classic. If you're looking to buy some seasons on DVD, buy this, Season 5, and Season 6. ...more info - Love it
I absolutely love this season, I bought season 1-4 because in my opinion those are the only ones worth having. It is my belief that after season 5 the series went down....more info - "No deer for a month..."
This set simply rules. This one contains some of my favorite episodes. Homer skipping church, his triple bypass surgery, and the all-time great - his DWI episode. Well worth the purchase for any simpson fan. ...more info - Great birthday present
I gave this dvd to my boyfriend for his birthday. As a big fan of "old simpsons" he loved it! For those nostalgic of the days when the Simpsons was edgy and opinionated while still funny, this dvd is excellent. It contains such gems as A Streetcar Named Marge, Whacking Day, Marge vs. The Monorail, Kamp Krusty and, my favorite, Homer the Heretic. He loved it so much, I picked up season 3 as an addition to our new collection....more info - I will not defame New Orleans.
I tend to agree with a lot of people that this season is definitely one of the best. I won't say the best because there were episodes from season 3 that I liked better, but I'm proud to say that I own the first four seasons and, when it finally does arrive, season 5 as well. Season 4 features some of the funniest episodes I've seen in recent years. While I don't believe like many people that the new Simpsons sucks, I do agree that it's lost some of its steam. There are still episodes that have me laughing almost as much as the older ones do. Camp Krusty, which spawned the horrible Game Boy game Bart Simpson: Escape from Camp Deadly, is one worth watching over and over. Other favorites of mine are A Streetcar Named Marge, The Itchy and Scratchy Movie, Homer's Tripple Bypass, Mr. Plow and, my absolute favorite, Duffless. I can vividly remember sitting in my bedroom in our house in San Clemente, California on the night this episode first aired, trying not to laugh too much as I made a half-hearted attempt to do my homework. Not that I succeeded. Another favorite, aside from the Treehouse of Horror, is Homer the Heretic, which I also remember watching the night it first aired. None of the episodes in this season had me laughing quite as much as, say, Homer at the Bat, Radio Bart or Bart the Lover, but they're still well worth watching over and over again.About my only complaint with this season, and that of a few others I understand, is that the menu setup isn't very user friendly. That and the little animation that plays before your selection is even loaded can get annoying. Still, it's well worth buying this set, especially if you're a loyal fan like myself....more info - Best. Season. Ever.
I own very few tv on dvds. Included are all three seasons and in the furture season4 of 24, In the future House, M.D., and The Simpsons, season 4. Classic episodes, included:
A Streetcar Named Marge: Springfield puts on the play "A Streetcar Nmed Desire" contaning a song calling New Orlenas "the city the damned called home"
Bart and Lisa's doomed trip to Kamp Krusty
And, probably the best episode, Marge vs. the monorailm, which contains my favorite simpsons line, with marge pointing at a family of possums in the fire extinguisher cabient saying to Homer: "There is a family of possums in here
And Homer responding "I call the big one Bitey"
Classic!
So , pick this one up
In the words on comic book guy, Best. Season. Ever.
...more info - Another excellent collection of Simpsons fun!!
Season four proved to be another fun year for Simpson fans. I especially enjoyed the episode in which Lisa utters her first word. Krusty Gets Kancelled is a dandy episode with the vocal talents of Bette Midler.The monorail episode is a hoot as well as Homer refusing to go to church. Fun stuff again from the talents of Matt Groening!!...more info - ....And it keeps on rolling on....
.....and becomes classic tv. This si the fourth season of the simpsons, and, like the others, it fails to disappoint. this one is again full of classic characters, classic episodes, and sadly enough, it marks the end of Phil Hartman's career hainv been slaughtered by his wife. No simsposn fan will ever forget the characters he played so well that helped the shoew along in it's quest for greatness. Troy Mcclure, Lionel Hutz, and Lyle Lanley in the Monorail episode. Truly some classic and hilarious moments in this season. It is well worth every cent. This, like most simpsons Deason dvd relaeses, is definitely a Must Have....more info
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