# Simpsons to re-air classic Michael Jackson episode tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999 "2009-07-05T18:18:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/1 "2009-07-05T18:18:32Z")
Although I’m sure many of us (myself included) have seen it many times and may even own it on DVD, I thought you might like to know: tonight’s national _Simpsons_ rerun on Fox (8pm Eastern) will be “Stark Raving Dad,” a classic episode from 1991 featuring Michael Jackson (under an assumed name and speaking voice only) providing the voice of a mental patient who believes he is the famous pop star. Jackson also wrote an original song for the episode (although the official songwriting credit reads “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart”). The epsiode was meant to be aired last week in Jackson’s memory but was unable to be cleared by airtime- instead, the Simpsons rerun that week (“Wedding for Disaster”) opened with “Do the Bartman,” a 1990 song co-written by an (uncredited but namechecked) Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/2 "2009-07-05T19:09:22Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > instead, the Simpsons rerun that week (“Wedding for Disaster”) opened with “Do the Bartman,” a 1990 song co-written by an (uncredited but namechecked) Jackson. it’s pretty amazing how that video still holds up amazingly well. It was nice seeing that short last week (and I’ll be sure to tune in today, too). Coincidentally, “It’s Your Birthday, Lisa!” isn’t too far off–Yeardley Smith’s birthday is actually July 3. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/3 "2009-07-05T19:17:53Z")
Thank you, **mobo**. I was going crazy trying to find it online that Sunday but I couldn’t…none of the sites I tried worked. Then I got it on DVD and saw it this week but I’ll probably see it again. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/4 "2009-07-05T19:28:55Z")
I prefer the line by Bart “Milhouse there’s no such thing as a soul. That’s just something they made up to scare little kids, like the boogie man or Michael Jackson.” ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/5 "2009-07-05T19:30:48Z")
It’s [here](http://watch-films-online.com/2009/05/simpsons-season-3-episode-1-stark-raving-dad/), also. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/6 "2009-07-05T19:33:54Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I prefer the line by Bart > > “Milhouse there’s no such thing as a soul. That’s just something they made up to scare little kids, like the boogie man or Michael Jackson.” And then there was this (sung to _All in the Family_’s “Those Were the Days”): > [@](#): > > “Disco Duck” and Fleetwood Mac, > Coming out of my eight-track, > Michael Jackson still was black– > Those were the days! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/7 "2009-07-05T20:24:41Z")
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long since the show first aired. BTW, I was just reading the Wikipedia [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stark_Raving_Dad) on the episode and it mentioned something amusing. During the presidential campaign, George H. W. Bush made a speech in which he said, “We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.” In response, the rerun of the episode aired with the Simpsons watching that speech and Bart replying, “Hey, we’re just like the Waltons. We’re praying for an end to the Depression, too.” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/8 "2009-07-05T22:35:58Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > And then there was this (sung to _All in the Family_’s “Those Were the Days”): Also, the time Bart and Homer became con men and got freaked out by the Jackson 5 impersonator down at the pier. Only one of them is real. But which one!?!? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/9 "2009-07-05T23:27:04Z")
I was wondering if/when they would do that. And I’m very mad cuz my DVR cut out A LOT of the “Bartman” song…I’ve never seen it before and would love to in it’s entirety. Is it online anywhere?? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/10 "2009-07-05T23:50:34Z")
Try [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKmplCJfOf8). ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/11 "2009-07-06T00:17:42Z")
“Bubbles, it’s going to be a long night.” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/12 "2009-07-06T00:42:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Try [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKmplCJfOf8). Woo-hoo! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/13 "2009-07-06T02:44:32Z")
I read somewhere that Jackson specifically requested a scene with him and Bart. Hmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/14 "2009-07-06T09:19:27Z")
The voice of Bart is played by a middle aged woman, so, still eeeeew! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/15 "2009-07-06T10:57:27Z")
This just highlights the remarkable longevity of “The Simpsons”. Not many prime time shows could mix in an 18 year old episode. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-to-re-air-classic-michael-jackson-episode-tonight/501999/16 "2009-07-06T11:05:59Z")
> [@Caught\_Work](#): > > The voice of Bart is played by a middle aged woman, so, still eeeeew! Who went down on the Titantic…