Ep. 4 - Planet of the Apes
Nate took Adam to Planet of the Apes (the 1968 movie, not the planet), one of the most thoroughly parodied movies on The Simpsons, after Citizen Kane. But will Adam resist its charms, or will Nate finally make a monkey out of him?
Also in this episode:
One of the wildest movies to ever get a G rating from the MPAA
A deep dive into Troy McClure’s big musical comeback, arguably the greatest film parody in Simpsons history
The long shadow of Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone twist ending
An ode to the bang-on musical parodies of Simpsons composer Alf Clausen
Next week, on our spooktacular Halloween episode, Adam “promises” to wake Nate up from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
Every Reference to Planet of the Apes on The Simpsons
By our count in The Simpsons Movie Reference Database, Planet of the Apes has been directly referenced in 12 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons, including 4 scene parodies and 8 smaller references. The first reference appears in “Rosebud” (S5E4) in 1993, 25 years after the release of the movie.
Scene Parodies
Rosebud (S5E4): This episode-long parody of Citizen Kane (1941) ends with a flash forward to Mr. Burns’s rediscovery of his beloved Bobo in 1,000,000 A.D. In this future, apes rule over man, much like Planet of the Apes, while the super rich and their lackeys have been transferred into Terminator-like robotic bodies. This scene is noteworthy as the first appearance of a head in a jar in a Matt Groening cartoon (long before Futurama), as well as Alf Clausen’s first parody of the Planet of the Apes’ iconic atonal score.
Bart Gets Famous (S5E12) & Deep Space Homer (S5E15): While it’s debatable whether Homer loudly mourning his son’s transformation into a box is a direct parody in “Bart Gets Famous,” it sure has some Charlton Heston energy. (Unconfirmed)
However, Homer’s epiphany in “Deep Space Homer” that the Planet of the Apes (the planet, not the movie) was Earth all along is lovingly modeled on Heston’s exact body language in the famous twist ending.
Bart's Girlfriend (S6E7): This episode opens with a parody of the scene where the apes are first revealed in Planet of the Apes, as they brutally capture a group of feral humans. Apparently in Springfield, the parents round up their kids for church with similar nets and choke collars!
A Fish Called Selma (S7E19): The finale of this episode features Troy McClure’s big comeback in the musical adaption of this film, Stop the Planet of the Apes. I Want to Get Off! The first scene we see parodies the moment when Captain Taylor’s throat finally recovers enough that he can speak. In the film, this results in him uttering the famous line, “Get your stinkin’ paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” In the musical, we get a soundalike of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” about Taylor’s nemesis, Dr. Zaius.
The second scene from McClure’s Broadway blockbuster recreates the movie’s haunting twist ending, where Taylor finds out that he crash landed on a post-apocalyptic Earth. However, the musical finale, “Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z,” strikes a slightly different tone, including fireworks, a kickline of apes, and an unlikely reconciliation between Taylor and Dr. Zaius. (Ironically, we don’t hear yet another version of Heston’s famous monologue here.)
Simpson Tide (S9E19): At the open of this episode, Homer daydreams that he is a captive on "The Planet of the Doughnuts" where he stands trial for eating half the population. This scenes mashes together the kangaroo court scene with a later scene in the city’s amphitheater.
Small References
Bart of Darkness (S6E1): Bart watches an episode The Itchy & Scratchy Show titled “Planet of the Aches,” which bares a small resemblance to the movie.
Homerpalooza (S7E24): An angsty teen watching Homer’s cannonball act is wearing a t-shirt with an ape face that looks like an extra from the Troy McClure Apes musical.
Saddlesore Galactica (S11E13): After watching Bart’s horse whip some jockeys, guest star Trevor Denman asks, “Might this be the start of a terrifying planet of the horses?”
Pygmoelian (S11E16): After Moe flubs his audition for a role on a soap opera, he overhears the director explain to the casting agent, "I wanted Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island ugly, not Cornelius on The Planet of the Apes ugly.”
Simpson Safari (S12E17): It turns out that the Jane Goodall-like Dr. Joan Bushwell’s “serious research” is just pictures of monkeys from famous movies, like Planet of the Apes.
The Parent Rap (S13E2): The DJs on KBBL accidentally play a clip of Charlton Heston’s famous line, “damn dirty ape.” Despite the many parodies, this is the only time this line appears in the first 13 seasons of the show.
Bonus: Other References to the Planet of the Apes Series on The Simpsons
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
In Marge We Trust (S8E22): Reverend Lovejoy's post-adventure sermon is called “Conquest of the County of the Apes.”
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Nate: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Further Reading & Viewing
Ephemera: “Planet of the Apes Pressbook,“ Hunter’s Planet of the Apes Archive, 1968. This promotional booklet offered up our summary of the movie for the podcast.
Comic: “The Milking Of The Planet That Went Ape,” Mad Magazine, No. 157, March 1973. Mad Magazine did it! Long before The Simpsons had a near monopoly on groundbreaking humor, Alfred E. Neuman did, as this parody of Planet of the Apes demonstrates. Many of The Simpsons writers grew up reading Mad, and much like Nate and Adam, were often introduced to movies secondhand this way.
Article: Jesse David Fox, “An Oral History of The Simpsons’ Classic Planet of the Apes Musical,” Vulture, July 13, 2017. Simpsons writers tell the story behind the Troy McClure musical parody in “A Fish Called Selma.” What else could you ask for?
Comic: Rod Serling & Dana Gould, “Planet of the Apes Visionaries,” BOOM! Studios, August 28, 2018. Simpsons writer Dana Gould is such a big fan of Planet of the Apes that he actually wrote a comic book based on Rod Serling’s first crack at the script, where the ape society is more like our own today. Gould also hosts a talk show… as Dr. Zaius.
Video: Broadway.com, “Show Clips - King Kong,” YouTube, November 8, 2018. As Adam points out, a Planet of the Apes musical doesn’t seem so far fetched today (although maybe it didn’t in 1996 either). A few years ago, Adam saw the King Kong musical on Broadway, which isn’t that fa roff.
Article: Herb A. Lightman, “Filming Planet of the Apes,” American Cinematographer, April 17, 2020. This article offers a deep dive into the outstanding make-up, locations, and set design that make Planet of the Apes such a landmark moment in sci-fi, along with the simple cinematography that quietly ground it in reality.
Article: Andrew Gaudion, “Why Planet of the Apes Musical Is The Simpsons Best Parody,” Screen Rant, May 25, 2020. There are a lot of movie parodies to choose from on The Simpsons (that’s the whole premise of the damn podcast!), but is this as good as it gets? Andrew Gaudion makes the case.
