Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington - Cultural References

Cultural References

The title and plot of the episode is a parody of the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which the character Jefferson Smith comes to Washington with patriotic enthusiasm, but is shocked to see evidence of corruption in the government. The Tampa Tribune's Curtis Ross called this reference one of the best film references in The Simpsons' history. Lisa's visit to the Lincoln Memorial is a direct reference to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which Smith appeals to Lincoln's statue for inspiration like Lisa did in the episode. In his book Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era, Barry Schwartz writes that the scene with Lisa at the crowded monument shows how "thoroughly Lincoln's moral and emotional significance has waned." Mark Reinhart writes in the book Abraham Lincoln on Screen that the scene sums up "with brilliant wit" the American society's "annoying and ultimately useless tendency to ask 'What would Lincoln have done?' whenever face a political or social dilemma." Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was once again referenced on The Simpsons in the season fourteen episode "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington".

In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, other Washington, D.C. landmarks visited include the Jefferson Memorial, the Watergate Hotel (where the family stays), the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the White House, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Washington Monument. When the family visits the White House, they encounter former First Lady Barbara Bush in the bathtub of one of the many bathrooms. Another American landmark mentioned in the episode is Mount Rushmore. In addition, Lisa proposes that the family attend the memorial of the fictional Winifred Beecher Howe, an early crusader for women's rights who later appeared on the unpopular 75-cent coins according to Lisa. This is a reference to the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, which was only minted for three years and never became popular.

The episode makes references to several real-life persons. The piano-playing satirist who annoys Bart is a reference to Mark Russell. Bob Arnold, the corrupt congressman, tells Lisa that there are quite a few women senators, but Lisa asserts that there are only two. At the time of airing there were indeed only two female senators: Nancy Landon Kassebaum of Kansas and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. Then-President George H. W. Bush is featured briefly in the episode. Shortly after it aired, Bush disparaged The Simpsons in a speech during his re-election campaign on January 27, 1992. At that point family values were the cornerstone of Bush's campaign platform, so he gave the following speech at the National Religious Broadcasters' convention in Washington: "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." As a result, Bush appeared in future episodes in a more negative light.