{{For|the titular character|Bart Simpson}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Good article}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 1 | episode = 5 | director = [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] | writer = [[John Swartzwelder]] | production = 7G05{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=33}} | airdate = {{Start date|1990|02|04}} | blackboard = "I will not waste chalk"{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=26}} | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br />[[James L. Brooks]]<br />[[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] | prev = [[There's No Disgrace Like Home]] | next = [[Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)|Moaning Lisa]] }} "'''Bart the General'''" is the fifth episode of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on February 4, 1990.{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=33}}<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |title=The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |title-link=The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |edition=1st |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/21 21] |lccn=98141857 |oclc=37796735 |ol=433519M |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} |editor2-last=Coffman |editor2-first=Antonia}}.</ref> In the episode, [[Bart Simpson]] enlists [[Grampa Simpson|Grampa]]'s help to battle local bully [[Nelson Muntz]]. Bart unites the neighborhood children against Nelson and defeats him. The episode was directed by [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] and was the first to be written by [[John Swartzwelder]].<ref name="book"/>
==Plot== [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] gets into a fight with [[Nelson Muntz]], the school bully, after Nelson's friends stomp on a box of cupcakes that [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] baked for [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Elizabeth Hoover|Miss Hoover]]'s birthday party. Nelson beats up Bart after school and warns him to expect the same pummeling the next day. [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] encourages Bart to reason with Nelson, but [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] urges him to bend the rules and fight dirty. Bart follows Homer's advice but gets beaten up again. He turns to the toughest member of the [[Simpson family]], [[Grampa Simpson|Grampa]], who introduces him to [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Herman Hermann|Herman]], the crazed one-armed proprietor of an army [[surplus store]] called Herman's Military Antiques. After Herman teaches him military tactics, Bart declares war on Nelson and his gang of bullies.
Bart enlists all of Nelson's other victims — nearly all of his friends and classmates — and trains them for combat. With Herman commanding from Bart's [[tree house]], Bart leads his forces into battle by ambushing Nelson and his minions. They commence [[saturation bombing]] with [[water balloons]], forcing Nelson's thugs to surrender and Nelson to be taken prisoner, who threatens to beat up Bart as soon as he is untied. Herman drafts an [[Peace treaty|armistice]] that states that Nelson will retain his honorary position and name but not hold any actual power. After Bart and Nelson sign the treaty, Marge serves cupcakes and peace prevails.
During the epilogue, Bart tells the audience that contrary to the events of the episode, war is neither glamorous nor fun, and states that there are no winners and very few good wars. He also advises that the audience visit their local [[library]] for more information about war then wishes the audience a goodnight.
==Cast== * [[Dan Castellaneta]] as [[Homer Simpson]] and [[Grampa Simpson]] * [[Julie Kavner]] as [[Marge Simpson]] and Receptionist * [[Nancy Cartwright]] as [[Bart Simpson]], [[Nelson Muntz]] and Lewis * [[Yeardley Smith]] as [[Lisa Simpson]] * [[Harry Shearer]] as Otto, [[Principal Skinner|Principal Seymour Skinner]], Jasper and Herman * [[Susan Blu]] as Weasel #1 * [[Jo Ann Harris]] as Weasel #2, Richard and Lewis * [[Pamela Hayden]] as [[Milhouse Van Houten]] and Boy<ref>{{cite web |title=The Simpsons: Bart the Genius: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701059/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=24 January 2023}}</ref>
==Production== [[File:George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Harry Shearer]] based the voice of Herman, a character introduced in this episode, on that of [[George H. W. Bush]].]]
This episode was running too long to use the normal [[The Simpsons opening sequence|opening sequence]] and therefore did not feature a chalkboard gag or a couch gag. Instead, it just cut to an image of the Simpson house.<ref name="silverman">{{cite video |people=Silverman, David |date=2001 |title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart the General" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> David Silverman was the director and was somewhat stressed, because he was doing storyboards for this episode while also directing "[[Bart the Genius]]".<ref name="silverman"/> Originally, he had planned to use the song "[[War (Edwin Starr song)|War]]" by [[Edwin Starr]] in the episode. The plans were dropped when they decided the song did not really fit the story.<ref name="silverman"/> [[John Swartzwelder]] wrote the episode, his first on the show. The episode had problems with the censors, who did not want the characters to say "family jewels" on prime time television.<ref name="groening">{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2001 |title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart the General" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The producers ignored the notes and "family jewels" remained in the episode. This act of attempted censorship was reflected in the part where Grampa Simpson writes a letter complaining of how sexualized television has become and gives a list of words he never wants to hear on television again, one of which is the phrase "family jewels".
Two new characters were introduced in this episode. The first, [[Nelson Muntz]], remains a frequently used recurring character.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page5.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702004313/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page5.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 2, 2004 |title=Bart the General |access-date=2008-01-14 |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Voice actress [[Dana Hill]] was originally assigned to play Nelson and was present at the table read, but not at the recording session (for unknown reasons). [[Nancy Cartwright]] was then assigned the role.<ref name="cartwright">{{cite book |last=Cartwright |first=Nancy |title=My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy |year=2000 |publisher=[[Hyperion (publisher)|Hyperion]] |location=New York City |isbn=0-7868-8600-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mylifeastenyearo00nanc }}</ref> The second character, [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Herman Hermann|Herman]], has been used far less.<ref name="BBC"/> The design of Herman, with the exception of his missing arm, was inspired by writer John Swartzwelder. His voice, as performed by [[Harry Shearer]], was partly inspired by [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref name="groening"/> The original idea for Herman was for him to have a differing story for the loss of his arm with every appearance.<ref name="groening"/>
==Cultural references== The episode featured several references to war films. Several lines of dialogue, Bart slapping one of his soldiers for "being a disgrace", and the music was lifted directly from the 1970 film ''[[Patton (film)|Patton]]'', composed by [[Jerry Goldsmith]]. Fox owned the rights to this film, so it was no problem to use the soundtrack.<ref name="groening"/> The marching sequence<ref name="BBC"/> and the silhouettes of the children climbing the [[jungle gym]] against the setting sun are a nod to [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s 1987 film [[Full Metal Jacket (film)|''Full Metal Jacket'']]. ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' from 1962 is also referenced.<ref name="silverman"/> The episode parodies the famous sailor kissing a girl in [[V-J Day in Times Square|Times Square]] photograph taken on V-J Day, where a random boy in a sailor suit kisses Lisa, before she slaps him in the face. Bart concludes the episode by saying the only "good wars" are the [[American Revolution]], [[World War II]], and the [[Star Wars original trilogy|''Star Wars'' trilogy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.starwars.com/community/news/media/f20070724/index.html?page=3 |title=I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection |access-date=2011-08-28 |date=2007-07-24 |first=Scott |last=Chernoff |publisher=Star Wars.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223022/http://starwars.com/community/news/media/f20070724/index.html?page=3 |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Reception== In its original American broadcast, "Bart the General" finished 31st place in the weekly ratings for the week of January 29 – February 4, 1990 with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 14.3. It was the highest-rated show on Fox that week.<ref>{{cite news |title='ROSEANNE' GRABS EARLY SWEEPS LEAD |date=February 8, 1990 |page=E8 |publisher=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', [[Gary Russell]] and [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html|title=Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos|author=Preddle, Jon|date=June 1997|magazine=Time Space Visualiser|issue=51|access-date=20 August 2020|publisher=The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club|quote=I've just done my first non-fiction book, Oh No It's A Completely Unofficial Simpsons Guide for Virgin, co-authored with Gareth Roberts which has, to be frank, been more of a nightmare than it needed to be [the book was published as I Can't Believe It's An Unofficial Simpsons Guide, with Gary and Gareth writing under the pseudonyms Warren Martyn & Adrian Wood].}}</ref> said: "Some good lines and setpieces aside – we love Bart's fantasy of death at Nelson's hands – this episode nevertheless feels a bit unsure of itself, particularly towards the end."<ref name="BBC" /> In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck rated the episode a{{nbsp}}3 (of 5) and called it "another episode that helped to propel Bart's popularity into the stratosphere{{nbsp}}..."<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202012353/http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm |url=http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm |title=The Complete First Season |access-date=2011-09-15 |archive-date=2009-02-02 |date=2001-09-25 |author=Grelck, David B. |publisher=WDBGProductions}}</ref>
Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that the episode "remains a primitive example of The Simpsons, but it's a reasonably amusing and entertaining experience", adding that the episode "lacks the subtlety and cleverness found on later episodes, but it was onto something".<ref name="dvdmg">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990) |access-date=2008-08-29 |author=Colin Jacobson |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821134725/http://dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml |archive-date=August 21, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Matt Groening notes on the commentary track that he finds it strange how controversial this episode seemed at the time of its release. Today, they would go a lot further and to him this episode now seems harmless.<ref name="groening" /> The episode's reference to ''Full Metal Jacket'' was named the eleventh greatest film reference in the history of the show by Nathan Ditum of ''[[Total Film]]''.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/ |title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References |last=Ditum |first=Nathan |date=June 6, 2009 |work=[[GamesRadar]] |access-date=November 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622154132/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/page%3A18 |archive-date=June 22, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Use in scientific research=== "Bart the General" and ''[[Seinfeld]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "[[The Tape]]" were used in a [[Dartmouth College]] experiment to study brain activity in relation to humorous moments in television shows. The results were published in a 2004 issue of the [[academic journal]] ''Neurolmage''. The researchers noted, "During moments of humor detection, significant [brain] activation was noted in the left posterior middle temporal [[gyrus]]{{nbsp}}... and left inferior frontal gyrus."<ref>qtd. in Keay Davidson. "So these scientists go into a lab to see what's funny{{nbsp}}... [and] find gender differences in how humor affects the brain." ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''. November 21, 2005. A1.</ref>
==Home media== The episode was released first on home video in the United Kingdom, as part of a VHS release titled ''The Simpsons Collection''; the episode was paired with season one episode "[[There's No Disgrace Like Home]]".<ref name="amazon">{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?url=search-alias%3Dvhs&field-keywords=the+simpsons+disgrace&rh=n%3A573398%2Ck%3Athe+simpsons+disgrace&ajr=3 |title=The Simpsons - Bart the General (1989) |website=Amazon UK |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref> It was released in the US on the VHS release ''The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 2'' (1997), paired with "[[Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)|Moaning Lisa]]".<ref name="amazon1">{{cite AV media|title=The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 1 - Bart the General/ Moaning Lisa |publisher=Amazon.com |ASIN=6304561857}}</ref> It was later re-released in the US in a collector's edition boxed set of the first three volumes of ''The Best of The Simpsons'' collections.<ref name="amazon2">{{cite AV media |title=The Best of The Simpsons, Boxed Set 1 |publisher=Amazon.com |ASIN=6304561873}}</ref> It was re-released in the UK as part of a VHS boxed set of the complete first season, in November 1999.<ref name="amazon3">{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00004D0BK |title=The Simpsons - Season 1 Box Set [VHS] |website=Amazon UK |date=November 29, 1999 |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref> The episode's debut on the DVD format was as a part of ''The Simpsons'' season one DVD set, which was released on September 25, 2001. Groening, Brooks, and Silverman participated in the DVD's [[audio commentary]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Simpsons-Complete-1st-Season/311 |title=The Simpsons - The Complete 1st Season |publisher=[[TVShowsOnDVD.com]] |access-date=April 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525130128/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Simpsons-Complete-1st-Season/311 |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A digital edition of the series' first season, including the episode, was published December 20, 2010 in the United States through [[Amazon Video]] and [[iTunes]].<ref name="amazon4">{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GWZF0S |title=The Simpsons Season 1 - Amazon Video |website=Amazon |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}} === Bibliography === {{refbegin}} *{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |title=Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 |title-link=Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 |date=2010-10-28 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=9780061711282 |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |edition=1st |editor2-last=Gimple |editor2-first=Scott M. |editor2-link=Scott M. Gimple |editor-last3=McCann |editor-first3=Jessie L. |editor-last4=Seghers |editor-first4=Christine |editor-last5=Bates |editor-first5=James W.}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The Simpsons/Season 1#Bart the General|Bart the General}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *{{Snpp capsule|7G05}} *{{IMDb episode |id=0701059}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|1}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bart The General}} [[Category:The Simpsons season 1 episodes]] [[Category:1990 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes about bullying]] [[Category:Animated television episodes about revenge]] [[Category:Television episodes about wars]] [[Category:Television episodes written by John Swartzwelder]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by David Silverman (animator)]]