"Homie the Clown" is the 15th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season, and aired on February 12, 1995. When Krusty the Clown opens a clown college to deal with his debt, Homer Simpson enrolls and ends up impersonating Krusty at public events. Mistaking him for the real clown, the Springfield Mafia kidnaps Homer, demanding their money. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas guest starred as themselves.
The episode was conceived and written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Swartzwelder's script required very little rewriting and Silverman considers this one of the best episodes he has directed. He later used it to help him when directing The Simpsons Movie. One dropped storyline for The Simpsons saw Krusty being revealed as Homer's secret identity and this episode allowed writers to comment upon the similarity of the two characters' design. The episode features references to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather and The Maltese Falcon.
Read more about Homie The Clown: Plot, Production, Cultural References, Reception
Famous quotes containing the word clown:
“They tell us sometimes that if we had only kept quiet, all these desirable things would have come about of themselves. I am reminded of the Greek clown who, having seen an archer bring down a flying bird, remarked, sagely: “You might have saved your arrow, for the bird would anyway have been killed by the fall.””
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)