CHARLY
Adam and Nate get to know CHARLY (1968) and its episode-long Simpsons parody in “HOMR” (S12E9). While this movie barely exists today, when this adaptation of Daniel Keyes’ short story “Flowers for Algernon” came out in the early days of New Hollywood, it pushed the boundaries of disability on film, formal experimentation… and good taste.
Also in this episode:
Cliff Robertson and a brief history of the Oscar bait performance
Is this the most 1968 movie ever made?
“Multi-dynamic image technique” and other awesome film history from Expo ‘67
Should this movie get a sequel?
Next time, Nate and Adam Billy Wilder’s reclaimed box office flop Ace in the Hole (1951) and its extended parody in “Radio Bart” (S3E13).
Every Simpsons Reference to CHARLY
By our count, CHARLY has been directly referenced once in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first and only reference appears in “HOMR” (S12E9) from 2001, 33 years after the release of the movie.
Plot References
HOMR (S12E9): This episode is a front-to-back parody of Charly, including the premise of the protagonist undergoing a surgery to increase their intelligence, as well as several small nods throughout.
For example, Homer’s losing battle against a rat during a cognitive test is a reference to Algernon the rat in this film, and several sequences of Charlie try to beat him at a maze.
Much like Charlie, after Homer’s surgery he’s able to take on multiple intellectually rigorous tasks at once. While Charlie answers biology questions while painting a Picasso knockoff, Homer listens to NPR and solves Rubik’s Cubes.
Homer’s lecture about not sticking things up your nose mimics the climax of this film, when Charlie answers questions during a science convention, outsmarting his smarty-pants audience.
Even the scene of Homer (and all of his coworkers) getting fired because he actually starts doing his job echoes a similar beat in the film where Charlie gets fired after his newfound intelligence alienates his coworkers.
Finally, the scene where Moe reinserts a crayon into Homer’s brain includes a POV shot modeled after the moment that Charlie goes under before his big surgery.
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Adam: Woodstock (1970)
From Nate: The Elephant Man (1980)
On the Watchlist: A Different Man (2024)
Further Reading & Viewing
Article: Michael Maher, “The Art of Split Screen,“ The Beat, September 2, 2022.
Encyclopedia Entry: “Charly,“ AFI Catalog of Feature Films, accessed January 25, 2026.
Encyclopedia Entry: “Charly,” Britannica, accessed January 25, 2026.
Encyclopedia Entry: “Multi-dynamic image technique,“ Wikipedia, accessed January 25, 2026.
