Mr. Plow - Cultural References

Cultural References

This episode contains several references that Al Jean referred to as "very obscure". Examples of this include the scene where Homer drives through the treacherous mountain roads, a parody of a scene in Sorcerer, and the scene in which Kent Brockman reports Barney's accident, in which his attire (including glasses), camera angles and facial expressions are in reference to the manner of Walter Cronkite's reporting of the Kennedy shooting.

The revamped "Mr. Plow commercial" is a parody of a similar perfume commercial that aired at the time of the episode's production. The fast moving clouds were taken from Koyaanisqatsi, a documentary film. The music that was used in the commercial was from "Casta Diva" from Vincenzo Bellini's Norma because the Simpsons crew would not have to pay for it. At the time the episode was made, Russia did not abide by American copyright laws. In return, America did not respect Russia’s copyright laws. Homer's original jingle, "Call Mr. Plow, that's my name, that name again is Mr. Plow!", is based on a radio jingle for the Roto-Rooter, which had a similar tune, "Call Roto-Rooter, that's the name, and away go troubles down the drain."

Other references include the Carnival of the Stars television show seen at the start of the episode. This is a parody of Circus of the Stars, the annual specials that aired on CBS from 1976–1994, featuring celebrities performing circus acts. The scene where Barney gradually degrades into a drunk is a parody of the transformation sequence in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The scene where Bart is pelted with snowballs is a reference to the Sonny Corleone tollbooth shooting scene in the film The Godfather. The snowmen melting during the heatwave is a reference to the melting Nazi soldiers in Raiders of the Lost Ark.