Ep. 14 - A Chorus Line
In the final episode of our musical miniseries, Adam and Nate tackle Richard Attenborough’s A Chorus Line (1985), the maligned movie adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning stage show that tells the true life stories of Broadway dancers trying to book their next job. It’s also the subject of a short but memorable Simpsons parody in “Treehouse of Horror V” (S6E6), which starts with a fog that turns people inside out.
Also in this episode:
Perhaps the best damn dancing we’ve seen in this miniseries
Why do so many musical film adaptations add a weird love story?
Some very eighties twists on this seventies musical
Can Michael Douglas overcome his sex-thriller-creep mystique in this role?
The value of movie adaptations of stage shows—even imperfect ones
We are taking a brief hiatus for the Toronto International Film Festival, but we’ll be back on September 26, 2023 with Thelma & Louise (1991)!
Every Reference to A Chorus Line on The Simpsons
By our count in The Simpsons Movie Reference Database, A Chorus Line has only been directly referenced in 1 episode of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The only reference is a full scene parody in “Treehouse of Horror V” (S6E6) from 1994, 9 years after the release of the movie.
Scene Parodies
Treehouse of Horror V (S6E6): In the final segment of the episode, a fog turns the Simpson family inside out, and they decide to perform a parody of “One,” the closing number from A Chorus Line.
“Vital organs, they are what we're dressed in. The family dog is eyeing Bart's intestine.”
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Adam: Every Little Step (2008)
From Nate: All That Jazz (1979)
Further Reading & Viewing
Audio: Arch Obler, “The Dark (Radio-Type Horror),” Drop Dead! An Exercise in Horror!, 1962. This record is the source of the fog that turns people inside out.
Video: Bob Fosse, “All That Jazz - The Opening,” from All That Jazz, 1979. The look and feel of this scene is an unavoidable comparison to Attenborough’s film adaptation of A Chorus Line, including the role of the director.
Video: Terri Klausner and Kay Cole, “Kelly Bishop [Performs] ‘At the Ballet’ [in] A Chorus Line,” 1983.
Review: Vincent Canby, “Film: Attenborough’s A Chorus Line,“ The New York Times, December 10, 1989.
Documentary: James D. Stern, Every Little Step, 2008.
Video: “Kelly Bishop Reminisces On Gilmore Girls, A Chorus Line & More,” Entertainment Weekly, September 6, 2019.
