Ep. 6 Extras - The Metastrous Monstromorphosis of Professor Julius Kelp
Looking for roundups of more Simpsons movie references? After the first season of the Springfield Googolplex podcast, we started including this kind of extra goodness into the show notes for each episode. Check out our full back catalogue for more!
“Nous assistons à la plus délirante parodie du roman de Stevenson dont le moindre détail nous comble de joie.”
In episode 6 of Springfield Googolplex, Adam and Nate both watch The Nutty Professor (1963) for the first time to learn about the origin of Springfielld’s own mad scientist, Professor Frink, mm-hey.
Read on to see every reference to The Nutty Professor on The Simpsons, plus some movies to check out if you liked this one, and links to further reading and viewing.
Every Simpsons Reference to The Nutty Professor
By our count, The Nutty Professor has been directly referenced in 5 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first reference appears in “Old Money” (S2E17) in 1991, 28 years after the release of the movie.
Scene Parodies
Old Money (S2E17): When Professor Frink first appeared in the script for this episode, he was written as a generic mad scientist character, asking for Abe Simpsons’ money. But when Hank Azaria read it aloud, he chose to do an impression of Professor Kelp. The animators updated their design to look a little more like Jerry Lewis’s nutty professor, and the rest is history.
Flaming Moe’s (S3E10): When Professor Frink analyzes the Flaming Moe, the gas chromatograph finds that the secret ingredient is love, much to Frink’s chagrin. Wood and Martyn’s I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide calls this scene out as a specific reference to The Nutty Professor, although we didn’t find a scene that quite matches it.
The Last Temptation of Homer (S5E9): When Bart gets glasses, ergonomic shoes, and a throat spray, he looks and sounds like Jerry Lewis, most notably in his role as Professor Kelp.
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy (S6E10): When we saw the twist ending of The Nutty Professor, both Adam and Nate immediately thought of this episode. Kelp’s father begins selling his transformation formula as a tonic to improve marriages. We’re not sure if this is a direct reference or not, but it sure sounds familiar.
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy (S6E10): But we do know what happens to Professor Frink when he drinks Simpson and Son’s Revitalizing Tonic—he turns into Buddy Love, just like the movie!
The Blunder Years (S13E5): And that’s not the only time that Frink transforms into a suave version of himself. At the beginning of this episode, Mesmerino hypnotizes the good professor to become a “make-out artist,” and he goes through a much more dramatic transformation this time. Much like the first transformation scene in the movie, Frink looks pretty distressed!
Bonus: Other Jerry Lewis References
Like Father, Like Clown (S3E6) & Black Widower (S3E21): Jerry Lewis’s rise to fame came mostly during his musical and comedy partnership with Dean Martin, but eventually their egos caused a rift between them in the mid 1950s. At the 1976 MDA Telethon, which Lewis hosted for TK years, Frank Sinatra surprised Lewis with a special guest—Dean Martin. This reunion became a defining moment of television history, which The Simpsons writers room had as posters on their walls and referenced in not one but two episodes of season 3.
Treehouse of Horror XIV (S15E1): While season 15 is usually outside the focus of the podcast, we’d be remiss to not mention that Jerry Lewis would eventually guest star as Professor Frink’s father in ‘Frinkenstein’.
Did we miss something? Let us know!
Extra Credit
Enjoyed this movie? Here are a few others we would recommend:
The King of Comedy (1982): Martin Scorsese draws a very different kind of performance out of Jerry Lewis in this movie. Playing a famous but washed up comedian (play what you know?), Lewis is kidnapped by a obsessive young comic played by Robert De Niro.
The Mask (1994): If you love the idea of a cartoonish and comedic take on Jekyll and Hyde, but the Nutty P. left you could, try The Mask! This movie does a great job at updating the formula and making the squash-and-stretch slapstick humor make sense within the world of the movie. This is Carrey at the peak of his comedic powers.
Man on the Moon (1999): This biopic of Andy Kaufman is perfect if you want to dig even deeper into the unsettling duality of performers and their on-stage personas, or the question of how far a comedian can and should go for a laugh. Don’t forget to watch the wild documentary about Jim Carrey’s excessive commitment to the role of Kaufman, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017).
Plus, here’s some further reading, viewing, and listening we came across in our research:
Ephemera: Poster for Docteur Jerry et Mister Love, Paramount Pictures, 1963. The French-language summary on this poster is what Adam read so elegantly on the podcast.
Article: Lynn Hirschberg, “What’s So Funny about Jerry Lewis?” Rolling Stone, October 28, 1982. In this page-turner of a profile, Lewis talks at length about his “split personality” when on and off the set.
Video: Jenni Matz, “Hank Azaria Interview,“ Television Academy Foundation, April 6, 2015. In this wide ranging interview with voice actor Hank Azaria, he speaks about his work voicing several Simpsons characters, including Professor Frink, Moe, Apu, Snake, Lou, Kirk Van Houten, and the Comic Book Guy.
Article: Dave Kehr, “Jerry Lewis, a Jester Both Silly and Stormy, Dies at 91,” The New York Times, August 20, 2017. This obituary gives a broad overview of Lewis’s career, including his many accomplishments and his falling out with Dean Martin, and others.
Article: Megan McLachlan, “Hank Azaria on How ‘The Simpsons’ Has Evolved Into a Show That’s More Than About the Family,“ Awards Daily, August 28, 2020. Azaria talks about Professor Frink and other Simpsons characters on the occasion of an Emmy nomination for his performance as Frink in “Frinkcoin” (S31E13).
Video: Lydia Hicks, “The Complete Professor Frink Timeline,” Simpsons Theory, December 28, 2021. Ever want to see how Frink’s life has played out in order?
Article: Julie Miller, Amy Ziering & Kerby Dick, “Jerry Lewis’s Costars Speak Out: ‘He Grabbed Me. He Began to Fondle Me. I Was Dumbstruck,’“ Vanity Fair, February 23, 2022. This is a tough but important read, given all of the praise heaped up on Lewis over the years. Several co-stars and acquaintances came forward for this article to reveal not only Lewis’s sexual harassment and assaults, but also his retaliation whenever he was refused. Combined with the 1982 Rolling Stone profile above, this article certainly gives this Jekyll and Hyde tale a more sinister undertone.
Wiki Entry: “Jonathan Frink, Jr.,” Simpsons Wiki, accessed October 29, 2022. Still want to know more about the inventor of the Gamble-Tron 2000 and the Frog Exaggerator? The Simpsons Wiki has you covered, of course.
