1. One Of The Simpsons' Most Famous Jokes Was Just A Bid To Fill Time
Without a doubt, one of The Simpsons' greatest ever jokes - arguably its greatest joke ever, even - occurs in the classic fifth season episode "Cape Feare." The bit sees Sideshow Bob, once again attempting to kill Bart, stepping on the end of a rake only for it to fly up and hit him square in the face. He shudders. It's funny once, but the genius of the gag stems from the fact that Bob steps on another rake right afterwards. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then.... well, you get the idea. Despite the fact that most people think this joke is one of the most brilliantly written in the show's entire run (Empire Magazine called it "the best bit of slapstick in Simpsons history"), the only reason it exists is because the episode was running short. Seriously. The episode was running under by a fair margin, which prompted a simple suggestion from one of the writers in order to fix the problem and gain a few extra laughs: "More rakes?" And "more rakes" is exactly what was implemented to fill the time. So, yes, one of the most famous jokes in the history of the show came about purely because "Cape Feare" wasn't running long enough. You see: sometimes a negative event can end up generating something positive. You just need to know when to add more rakes, that's all. Like this article? Got any other interesting facts about the making of The Simpsons to add? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
