Day of The Jackanapes - Cultural References

Cultural References

The plot of "Day of the Jackanapes" is based on the 1959 political thriller novel The Manchurian Candidate. Before filming an episode of his show, Krusty is stopped by the two network executives, who attempt to explain to him why the sitcom Seinfeld worked as a series. After Krusty has announced the cancellation of his show, a group of crying children are seen at the Krustylu Studios, where the show is filmed. The name of the studio is based on Desilu Studios, a television company based in Los Angeles. In an interview with Kent Brockman, Krusty says that he taped over all episodes of his show that Sideshow Bob was in with episodes of the reality court show Judge Judy. This is a reference to how NBC reused tapes of early episodes of The Tonight Show to film new programs.

At one point in his last show, Krusty performs while sitting on a stool, a reference to television host Johnny Carson's last appearance on The Tonight Show. While watching Krusty's final show, Sideshow Bob holds a bag of Kettle Chips and says "Kettle Chips, the perfect side dish for revenge." Because of this scene, the writing staff received several bags of Kettle Chips from Kettle Foods, according to Jean. When asking for Sideshow Bob's forgiveness, Krusty sings a song to the tune of "Mandy" by Barry Manilow. The picture behind him is based on the cover of Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel. After having exploded, the two network executives reform into a "super-executive". The scene is a reference to the 1991 science fiction action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. At the end of the episode, Krusty and Sideshow Bob reconcile in a restaurant. On the wall behind them are several pictures of guest stars that had previously appeared on The Simpsons, including Mark McGwire, Ringo Starr, Sting, Tom Jones, Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Taylor.