Ep. 8 - Non-Denominational Holiday Fun Fest: It's a Wonderful Life with Daniel Baptista

Season 1
Written By Adam Schoales

In this non-denominational holiday episode, Nate and Adam are joined by special guest Daniel Baptista (co-host of The Movie Podcast) as they revisit It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), one of the top 10 most referenced movies on The Simpsons. From saving the Leftorium to the highly specific disguises of Homer’s guardian angels to a documentary imagining a world without zinc, we’ve got a bevy of Simpsons references to unwrap under the festive bush this year.

Also in this episode:

  • The miraculous origins of this movie and the clerical error that made made it a Christmas favorite

  • How storytelling in The Simpsons replicates Frank Capra’s mastery of high highs and low lows

  • A countdown of the five times this movie makes Nate cry (he’s a softy)

  • Nate, Adam and Daniel share their middling Jimmy Stewart impressions

  • But is this really a Christmas movie? Adam asks the tough questions

Every Reference to It’s a Wonderful Life on The Simpsons

By our count in The Simpsons Movie Reference Database, It’s a Wonderful Life has been directly referenced in 14 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons, including 6 scene parodies and 8 smaller references. The first reference appears in “Simpson and Delilah” (S2E2) in 1990, 44 years after the release of the movie.

In our research for this episode, we found one possible new reference that hadn’t been recorded yet on IMDb, Wikipedia, Simpsons Wiki, or Wikisimpsons.

Scene Parodies

Simpson and Delilah (S2E2): When Homer discovers he has regrown his hair, his run through Springfield is modeled exactly on George Bailey’s run through Bedford Falls after reawakening from his miracle.

When Flanders Failed (S3E3): Not only is this episode structured similarly to It’s a Wonderful Life (95% downhill, 5% uplifting ending), but the finale at the Leftorium mirrors the final scene of the movie exactly. The townspeople gather to support a down-on-his-luck small businessman, with a parade of characters each making their own offering. Wiggum even has an accordion, just like Burt the cop. Both scenes end with a toast, in The Simpsons case, “To Ned Flanders, the richest left-handed man in town," followed by a singalong moment.

And we couldn’t resist calling out this shot of Maude Flanders, which meticulously recreates a shot of George’s wife Mary Bailey in the scene, right down to the outfit. Great detail!

Bart the Lover (S3E16): The cold open of this episode features an Bell Labs-style educational video called “A World without Zinc” that parodies the wish fulfillment sequence at the climax of It’s a Wonderful Life, where George finds out what the world would be like if he were never born. In the video, Jimmy tries to complete everyday tasks, but a man with a pipe playing a similar role to the guardian angel Clarence keeps informing him that his appliances—including his pistol—won’t work without zinc.

(However, we think the scene where Jimmy wakes up in his bed at the end may be more of a parody of the ending of The Wizard of Oz…)

The Last Temptation of Homer (S5E9): In a classic Simpsons parody mashup, Homer’s encounter with his guardian angel in this episode draws from three different sources. The overall framing of the scene seems most inspired by guardian angel Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life offering to show George an alternate version of his life, but Homer’s angel has to appear to him as Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes to make him feel comfortable, and the way they fly over the scenes draws more from A Christmas Carol, particularly the Ghost of Christmas Past sequence. (Unconfirmed)

The PTA Disbands (S6E21): A prank by Bart in this episode brings us one of the deep-cut references to It’s a Wonderful Life. Bart starts a rumor down at the First Bank of Springfield (BS for short) that the bank is out of money, causing a run on the bank. Much like in the Black Tuesday scene in the movie, Jimmy Stewart tries to calm the crowd by explaining how home loans work—”I don’t have your money here. It’s in Bill’s House and Fred’s house!”—but Moe misinterprets his words and starts a brawl.

Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (S9E11): After The Simpsons have their Christmas ruined “by robbers,” the townies once again bands together to bail out a friend, just like the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. Even the local miser Mr. Burns shows up—unlike Mr. Potter in the movie—asking if anyone has change for a button.

Small References

Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (S2E4): The governor of the state the Springfield is in, Mary Bailey, shares her name with George Bailey's wife.

NEW • The Way We Was (S2E12): Homer’s run to Marge about spending money on the two of them sounds a lot like George's run to Mary in the cab right after they get married. (Unconfirmed)

Dog of Death (S3E19): Homer sings "Buffalo Gal (Won't You Come Out Tonight)" for money, although this might just be a reference to the song. (Unconfirmed)

Fear of Flying (S6E11): Homer slightly misquotes George Bailey’s line, "I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town!"

My Sister, My Sitter (S8E17): At the opening event for Springfield’s new South Street Squid Port, Homer and Marge pass by a store called "It's a Wonderful Knife."

Natural Born Kissers (S9E25): The Old Jewish Man gives Bart and Lisa an alternate ending reel for It's a Wonderful Life—the “killing spree ending.”

Beyond Blunderdome (S11E1): At a screening of a Mel Gibson remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Homer comments, "At least the Jimmy Stewart version had that giant rabbit who ran the Savings and Loan." (Of course, he’s mushing Mr. Smith together with two other Stewart pictures, Harvey and It’s a Wonderful Life.)

Grift of the Magi (S11E9): In an ending parodying A Christmas Carol, the narrator tells the viewer, "Moe, seeing what the world would be like if he had never been born, pulled his head out of the oven and replaced it with a plump Christmas goose."

Extra Credit

Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.

Further Reading & Viewing

Adam Schoales www.adamschoales.com
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