There's No Disgrace Like Home - Production

Production

The episode shows telltale signs of being one of the earliest produced. The characters act completely differently to how they do in later seasons; Lisa, for example, is indisciplined and short-tempered, while Homer is the voice of reason; these roles are reversed in later episodes. It was an early episode for Mr. Burns, who was voiced by Christopher Collins in the previous episode, "Homer's Odyssey". Originally, the character was influenced by Ronald Reagan, a concept which was later dropped. The idea that he would greet his employees using index cards was inspired by the way Reagan would greet people. The episode marks the first time Burns says "release the hounds".

The episode marked the first appearance of Dr. Marvin Monroe and Itchy & Scratchy; the latter had previously appeared in the shorts. Eddie and Lou also appeared for the first time, although Lou is yellow instead of black, as he would later become. Lou was named after Lou Whitaker, a former Major League Baseball player.

The idea behind the shock-therapy scene was based on Laurel and Hardy throwing pies at each other. The scene was rearranged in the editing room; it played out differently when first produced. The edits to this scene were preliminary, but well-received, and remained unchanged in the finished product.