Ep. 36 - All the President’s Men with Devan Scott

Season 5
Written By Bart Simpson

On our election day special in America, Nate and Adam invited filmmaker and podcaster Devan Scott (How Would Lubitsch Do It?) to dissect the painfully relevant political thriller All the President’s Men (1976) and its Simpsons send-up in “Sideshow Bob Roberts” (S6E5). Join us as we try to laugh through the nausea and exorcize the ghosts of elections past!

Also in this episode:

  • The Simpsons’ surprisingly timeless satire of populism and corruption in American politics

  • Why they call cinematographer Gordon Willis the “Prince of Darkness” and why they shouldn’t

  • The delightful chemistry and realism of Robert Redford’s Woodward and Dustin Hoffman’s Bernstein

  • Is it a bad sign that a movie about a real-life government conspiracy orchestrated by one of the most corrupt presidents in American history makes us feel nostalgic about simpler times?

Next time, Adam and Nate explore the film adaptation of Terry Southern’s cult classic novel, The Magic Christian (1969) and Homer and Mr. Burns’s reenactment in “Homer vs. Dignity” (S12E5). Peter Sellers. Ringo Starr. Elaborate practical jokes. Pow.

For more of Devan Scott’s film content, check out the complete podcast How Would Lubitsch Do It? and his video essays on YouTube, or follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Instagram.

Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network. Follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Letterboxd.

Every Simpsons Reference to All the President’s Men

By our count, All the President’s Men has been directly referenced twice in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first reference appears in “Marge Gets a Job” (S4E7) from 1992, 16 years after the release of the movie.

Scene References

Sideshow Bob Roberts (S6E5): With less than a month before the 1994 (non-presidential) election, The Simpsons unleashed their fourth Sideshow Bob-focused episode, this time with a political thriller theme. About halfway through the episode, the episode turns into an extended parody of one of the best-known political thrillers of all time, All the President’s Men.

It begins with Lisa receiving the voter rolls from an apathetic archivist at the library, and reviewing them as the camera pulls back from above to reveal concentric circles of desks, in a shot modeled after this movie’s famous shot in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

After falling asleep, Lisa receives an invitation to meet a mysterious figure at the Pay & Park & Pay, much like Bob Woodward and his rendez-vous with Deep Throat in the film.

The scene with a barely-concealed Smithers plays out like a combination of the first and final scenes with Deep Throat in the movie, including his cigarette burning in the dark (the first scene) and an interruption from a car in the parking garage (the final scene).

Once they have their lead, much like Woodward and Bernstein, Bart and Lisa cross reference names between their various documents, although Bart seems to get distracted taking notes for future prank phone calls.

After this point, the episode shifts into another extended parody of A Few Good Men (1992), including the famous court scene and Sideshow Bob’s take on Jack Nicholson’s famous “you can’t handle the truth” monologue.

Small References

New • Marge Gets a Job (S4E7): When Marge sits down to write her new resume, we’re treated to a nod to the opening moments of this movie, with the typewriter dramatically typing out the title on the page letter by letter. While the episode has no political thriller elements, this reference offers a classic Simpsons return-from-ad-break cold open, where an unusual angle causes the viewer to take a moment to piece together what’s going on. (Hat tip to guest Devan Scott for spotting this new one!)

Bonus: Other References to Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal on The Simpsons

  • Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (S1E1): Milhouse is named after President Richard Nixon’s middle name, since it was the most unfortunate name creator Matt Groening could think of for a kid. When trying to remember the names of Santa’s reindeer, Homer also accidentally calls one of them Nixon.

  • Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington (S3E2): The Simpsons proudly stay at the Watergate Hotel. At the White House, Bart also reads a plaque in the bowling alley that claims, “On this spot, Richard Nixon bowled back-to-back 300 games.”

  • Dog of Death (S3E19): Bart says that Nixon’s dog Checkers is going to Doggie Hell.

  • Selma's Choice (S4E13): An animatronic Nixon briefly appears in the Beer Hall of Presidents at Duff Gardens in his famous stance with both arms stretched up in “V for victory” hand signs.

  • I Love Lisa (S4E15): Bart uses his bare butt to impersonates Richard Nixon, saying, “I am not a butt.”

  • Duffless (S4E16): In a Duff ad from 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy take a break from their infamous televised debate to express their fondness for the fictional beer.

  • The Front (S4E19): At Marge and Homer’s high school reunion, the class clown shows off his Nixon impression, which Homer mansplains to Marge.

  • Whacking Day (S4E20): In a mini-documentary about the history of Whacking Day, Kent Brockman narrates, “After exposing Alger Hiss, honorary grand marshal Richard Nixon goes after another deadly Hiss.”

  • Homer Goes to College (S5E3): Bart shows Homer and his pals a photo of Springfield A&M mascot Sir Oinks-A-Lot conferring an honorary degree on Richard Nixon. After kidnapping the pig, an elderly Nixon gets Homer’s friends expelled.

  • Rosebud (S5E4): A bouncer allows Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon to enter Mr Burns’s birthday party, but not “one-termers” George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.

  • Treehouse of Horror IV (S5E5): In the segment “The Devil and Homer Simpson," Richard Nixon appears on Satan-Flanders’ “jury of the damned,” even though he won’t die for another six months.

  • Deep Space Homer (S5E15): During the launch sequence, the G forces briefly cause Homer’s face and voice to morph into that of Nixon. After this point, Nixon is no longer depicted on the show, due to his death (though that didn’t stop Futurama).

  • Sideshow Bob Roberts (S6E5): The debate between Sideshow Bob and Diamond Joe Quimby is another parody of the first televised debate between Nixon and John F. Kennedy, which was famously disastrous for Nixon. In addition, Sideshow Bob’s goons are modeled after John Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman, two key figures in the Watergate scandal (who are never actually seen in All the President’s Men).

  • Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield (S7E14): Mr. Burns reminisces about letting a forlorn-looking Nixon win a golf game in 1974 (after his resignation and before his pardon by Gerald Ford).

  • The Homer They Fall (S8E3): According to the boxing announcer, the Fan Man appeared at Nixon’s funeral.

  • Homer's Enemy (S8E23): Homer includes Nixon on his list of enemies.

  • Lisa the Tree Hugger (S12E4): Bart delivers Thai restaurant menus to rooms at the Watergate Hotel.

  • Worst Episode Ever (S12E11): When Homer eats a box of spoiled baking soda, he has a psychedelic trip that includes a clip from Nixon’s resignation speech.

Extra Credit

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Further Reading & Viewing

Bart Simpson
Next

Ep. 35 - Bram Stoker's Dracula with Dede Crimmins