"Bart Gets Famous" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 3, 1994. In the episode, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. However, he soon becomes sick of the job and comes close to quitting. One day, Krusty runs up and says he needs to use Bart in a sketch. Bart becomes an accidental star when he says, "I didn't do it" during the botched sketch. He becomes famous for his catchphrase but soon becomes tired of being known for one line.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and was the first episode of the series to be directed by Susie Dietter. Many characters from the show have catchphrases, and the episode mocks the use of catchphrase-based humor. The writers chose the phrase "I didn't do it" because they wanted a "lousy" phrase "to point out how really crummy things can become really popular". Conan O'Brien, a writer for The Simpsons during the fourth and early part of the fifth season, guest stars as himself. The writers decided to include him in the episode after he received an audition to replace David Letterman as the host of Late Night. In its original broadcast, "Bart Gets Famous" finished 40th in ratings with a Nielsen rating of 11.7, and was viewed in 10.74 million households.
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Famous quotes containing the word famous:
“Sole and self-commanded works,
Fears not undermining days,
Grows by decays,
And, by the famous might that lurks
In reaction and recoil,
Makes flames to freeze, and ice to boil.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)