Sorcerer with Alex Ross Perry

Writer-director and Simpsons fan Alex Ross Perry (Videoheaven, Pavements, Her Smell) joins Adam and Nate to discuss one of the most prescient movie parodies on The Simpsons: William Friedkin’s famous flop Sorcerer (1977) in “Mr. Plow” (S4E9). How was the writers room’s movie taste a decade ahead of Sorcerer’s reappraisal?

Also in this episode:

• Why every Simpsons fan needs a “Simpsons buddy” to keep them sharp

• How The Simpsons perfected the art of movie quotation

• The impossibly long discography (and filmography) of Tangerine Dream

• How Alex learned to stop worrying and love latter day Simpsons 

Next time, Adam and Nate talk Oscar predictions, Best Picture nominees, and their own Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Movie Excellence for 2025.

For more of Alex’s work, keep an eye out for the long-awaited streaming release of Videoheaven, coming this March!

For more Simpsons movie parody content, follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network. 

Every Simpsons Reference to Sorcerer

By our count, Sorcerer has been directly referenced once in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first and only reference appears in “Mr. Plow” (S4E9) from 1992, 15 years after the release of the movie.

Scene References

Mr. Plow (S4E9): When Homer drives up forbidding Widow’s Peak to rescue Barney, his slow progress across a swaying rope bridge is an homage to the most iconic set piece in Sorcerer. According to Mike Reiss, this obscure reference at the time was a bid to get director William Friedkin, who they recently found out was a Simpsons fan, to come on the show as a guest.

While the bridge is he most direct reference to the film, Homer’s dangerous journey seems to be modeled on other shots from the movie as well.

Extra Credit

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

• From Alex: The Long, Long Trailer (1953), Sirāt (2025), and for Simpsons fans, the John Swartzwelder book Double Wonderful (2005)

• From Nate: Duck, You Sucker! (1971)

• From Adam: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), international cut of Sorcerer (1977)

Further Reading & Viewing

• Interview: Jordan Cronk, The Story of a Lifetime: Alex Ross Perry on Videoheaven and Pavements,” Notebook (Mubi), July 2, 2025.

• Essay: Justin Chang, “Sorcerer: Bleak Magic,“ Current (The Criterion Collection), June 24, 2025.

• Video: Jim Cameron’s Strongest Soldier, “William Friedkin talking shit compilation,” YouTube, October 6, 2023.

• Tweet: Mike Reiss, “When working on the Mr. Plow show, we heard that William Friedkin was a fan of @TheSimpsons…” Twitter, August 7, 2023.

• Video: Savage Cinema, “Highlights from The Wages of Fear (1978) re-edit of Sorcerer (1977),“ YouTube, August 14, 2020.

• Video: Francesco Zippel, Friedkin Uncut, 2018.

• Oral History: Ryan Parker, “‘Mr. Plow’ at 25: How the Simpsons Classic Pushed New Boundaries and Helped Cement the Show’s Legacy,“ The Hollywood Reporter, November 17, 2017.

• Article: Brett Arnold, “How A 1977 Box-Office Bomb Became A Cult Classic 35 Years Later,“ Business Insider, October 6, 2014.

• Script: Jon Vitti, “The Simpsons - 9F07: Mr. Plow (Final Delivery),” 20th Century Fox, May 29, 1992. Featuring an alternative version of the Sorcerer reference in the episode.

• Encyclopedia Entry: “Sorcerer,“ AFI Catalog of Feature Films, accessed February 23, 2026.