{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Distinguish|Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment.jpg | caption = Homer proclaiming his love for alcohol to Springfield | season = 8 | episode = 18 | director = [[Bob Anderson (director)|Bob Anderson]] | writer = [[John Swartzwelder]] | production = 4F15 | airdate = {{Start date|1997|03|16}} | guests = * [[Dave Thomas (actor)|Dave Thomas]] as Rex Banner * [[Joe Mantegna]] as [[Fat Tony (The Simpsons)|Fat Tony]] | couch_gag = The Simpsons are depicted as [[cowboy]]s; the couch, like a [[horse]], rides away.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page18.shtml |title=Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment |access-date=2007-03-28 |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2000 |work=BBC |archive-date=February 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213000035/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page18.shtml |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br/>Josh Weinstein<br/>[[Dan Castellaneta]]<br/>Dave Thomas<br/>Bob Anderson<br/>[[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] | prev = [[My Sister, My Sitter]] | next = [[Grade School Confidential]] }} "'''Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment'''" is the eighteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 8|eighth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on March 16, 1997.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/231 231] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> In the episode, [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] enacts [[prohibition]] after a raucous [[Saint Patrick's Day]] celebration. To supply [[Moe Szyslak|Moe]]'s [[speakeasy]], [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] becomes a [[Rum-running|bootlegger]]. The episode was written by [[John Swartzwelder]] and directed by [[Bob Anderson (director)|Bob Anderson]].<ref name="book"/> [[Dave Thomas (actor)|Dave Thomas]] guest stars as Rex Banner and [[Joe Mantegna]] returns as [[Fat Tony (The Simpsons)|Fat Tony]].<ref name="book"/>
==Plot== After [[Bart Simpson]] accidentally gets drunk at a [[St. Patrick's Day]] parade, a [[prohibitionist]] movement emerges in [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]]. When it is discovered that a ban on [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] has been in effect but gone unnoticed for two centuries, [[Mayor Quimby]], not wanting to alienate voters during an election year, agrees to enforce the law. However, the mob continues to supply the town with alcohol through bribery of local law enforcers, allowing [[Moe Szyslak]] to reopen [[Speakeasy|his bar disguised as a pet shop]]. There, a group of staunch prohibitionists discover an intoxicated [[Chief Wiggum]] and demand his removal. Wiggum is replaced by [[United States Department of the Treasury|U.S. Treasury]] officer Rex Banner, who blockades the city entrance and buries all of the alcohol in a mass grave at the city dump.
[[Homer Simpson]] concocts a plan to continue supplying Springfield with alcohol: he and Bart reclaim the beer disposed of at the dump, pour it into the finger holes of [[bowling ball]]s and, through an intricate network of pipes set up under Barney's Bowl-A-Rama, bowls them straight to [[Moe's Tavern|Moe's]]. Upon discovering their scheme, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] is actually impressed Homer was able to devise it and encourages him to continue, although [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] questions whether Homer should be breaking the law even if it may be arcane or unpopular. The media realizes someone is allowing Springfield's underground alcohol trade to flourish, and they dub the still-unknown Homer "The Beer Baron". Banner's unsuccessful policing of Springfield's prohibition law and investigation into the Beer Baron's identity sees him miss or overlook blatant clues that the law is being ignored by the town and that Homer is the Beer Baron (which is effectively an [[open secret]] to the rest of the town).
When the beer supply runs out, Homer [[moonshine|distills his own]] liquor [[Homebrewing|at home]] but eventually his [[still]]s explode, leading Homer to cease bootlegging (after one sets him on fire). A desperate ex-Chief Wiggum attempts to mug Homer with the remains of his gun, leading Homer to pity Wiggum and allowing him to turn him over to the police. After confessing to his crimes in public, Homer, originally believing he would be let off with a light punishment, faces expulsion from the town (and likely death) by [[catapult]]. Marge pleads with the town not to punish Homer as the prohibition law and its punishment make no sense and are robbing people of their freedoms. When Banner steps up to lecture the town on the reasons why the law must be upheld, Wiggum, having heard enough, has him catapulted. The town clerk then finds out that the prohibition law [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution|was actually repealed]] a year after it was enacted and Homer is released. Mayor Quimby asks Homer if he can re-supply the town with alcohol, but Homer tells him that he is retired. Within five minutes, [[Fat Tony (The Simpsons)|Fat Tony]] and the mob have the town re-stocked and Springfield salutes alcohol's qualities, with Homer proclaiming his undying love of alcohol by saying, "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."
==Production== The main plot of the episode is based on the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which [[Prohibition in the United States|banned alcohol in the United States]].<ref name=Weinstein>{{cite video |people=Weinstein, Josh |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> As ''The Simpsons'' has many episodes that have stories and jokes related to alcohol, the writers thought it was strange that they had never done an episode related to Prohibition, and that the idea seemed "perfect."<ref name=Weinstein/> The episode features a vast amount of [[Irish people|Irish]] stereotyping at the St. Patrick's Day celebration. The show has a long history of [[Irish humor]]; [[Conan O'Brien]], a former writer of Irish descent, made use of Irish stereotypes.<ref name=Weinstein/> Various writers were very concerned about Bart getting drunk. This was why he drank the beer through a horn, to show that it was only accidental.<ref name=Weinstein/> This was a toned-down version of what was in John Swartzwelder's original script.<ref name=Groening>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Originally Chief Wiggum's first line was "They're either drunk or on the [[cocaine]]", but it was deemed too old-fashioned.<ref name=Silverman>{{cite video |people=Silverman, David |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The discovery of "more lines on the parchment" was a simple ''deus ex machina'' to get Homer freed and to end the episode.<ref name=Weinstein/>
When Homer first enters Moe's "Pet Shop", the man that tips his hat to him outside was a background character used in the early seasons.<ref name=Silverman/> The riot at the beginning of the episode was taken from footage from the end of the season 6 episode, "[[Lisa on Ice]]", and updated.<ref name=Anderson>{{cite video |people=Anderson, Bob |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The line "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems," was originally the act break line at the end of act two, but was moved to the very end of the episode.<ref name=Weinman>{{cite video |people=Weinstein, Josh; Silverman, David |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
==Cultural references== [[File:Nighthawksreference.png|thumb|The shot of the diner, a reference to [[Edward Hopper]]'s ''[[Nighthawks (painting)|Nighthawks]]''.]] The episode [[parodies]] the series ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', with the character of Rex Banner based on [[Robert Stack]]'s portrayal of [[Eliot Ness]],<ref name="BBC" /><ref name="Thomas">{{cite video |people=Thomas, Dave |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> and the voice of the narrator being based on that of [[Walter Winchell]].<ref name="Silverman" /> Barney leaving flowers outside the Duff brewery is, according to show runner [[Josh Weinstein]], a reference to people leaving flowers at the grave sites of various [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] figures like [[Rudolph Valentino]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]].<ref name="Weinstein" /> In the St. Patrick's Day parade, there's a float carrying "The Drunken Irish Novelists of Springfield"; on it is [[James Joyce]].<ref>{{cite journal| title=Sots, Songs, and Stereotypes: 1916, the Fighting Irish, and Irish-American Nationalism in "Finnegans Wake"| work=James Joyce Quarterly| volume=56| pp= 45-61| publisher=[[University of Tulsa]]}}</ref> The shot of the diner references [[Edward Hopper]]'s ''[[Nighthawks (painting)|Nighthawks]]'' painting.<ref name="Weinstein" />
==Reception== In its original broadcast, "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" finished 39th in ratings for the week of March 10–26, 1997, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 8.9, equivalent to approximately 8.6 million viewing households. It was the second-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following ''[[The X-Files]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Four news magazines in the top 10 |work=Sun-Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |page=4E |date=March 20, 1997}}</ref>
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=http://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> called it "A nice episode in which Homer actually devises a clever plan to keep the beer flowing."<ref name="BBC"/> The ''[[Toronto Star]]'' described the episode as one of [[Bob Anderson (director)|Bob Anderson's]] "classics".<ref>[[Ben Rayner|Rayner, Ben]], "Offering up the goods on Springfield's finest; The Simpsons have breached the boundaries of animation. Today a director details how they do it, writes [[Ben Rayner]]," ''[[Toronto Star]]'', October 30, 2005, pg. C.06.</ref> ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' also characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes".<ref>{{cite news |last=Walton |first=James |title=The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |pages=Page 3 |date=2007-07-21|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8791597/The-10-best-Simpsons-TV-episodes.html|access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref> Robert Canning gave the episode 9.8/10 calling it his favorite episode of the series.<ref>{{cite web |author=Canning, Robert |date=2009-08-11 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/11/the-simpsons-flashback-homer-vs-the-eighteenth-amendment-review |title=The Simpsons Flashback: "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" Review |work=[[IGN]] |access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref>
Homer's line "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems," was described by Josh Weinstein as "one of the best, most truthful ''Simpsons'' statements ever".<ref name=Weinstein/> In 2008, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' included it in their list of "24 Endlessly Quotable TV Quips".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=24 Endlessly Quotable TV Quips |url=https://ew.com/gallery/24-endlessly-quotable-tv-quips/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=September 16, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref>
A scene in which a British [[chip shop]] named "[[John Bull]]'s Fish & Chips" blows up was censored in Britain and Ireland but it is no longer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=D'oh! The Simpsons are about to land....|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/doh-the-simpsons-are-about-to-land-26521423.html|access-date=October 7, 2020|date=March 16, 2009|website=[[The Irish Independent]]}}</ref> This scene is shown uncensored on the [[Disney+]] streaming service.
Erik Adams writes of the episode of ''[[Second City TV]]'' on the episode: "There’s a hum to the jokes of 'Homer Vs. The Eighteenth Amendment,' showing off an ear for heightened genre dialogue. This is another place where the episode shows its ''SCTV'' heritage: That show and this episode thrive on what their writers absorbed from TV, movies, records, and radio—the good stuff as well as the bad—repurposing it in ways that celebrate its conventions (tommy guns, hot jazz, car chases through cemeteries!) and satirize its clichés. Banner’s chatter is all G-man jargon, but Thomas holds his own with mouthfuls of colorful language like 'Listen, rummy, I’m gonna say it plain and simple: Where’d you pinch the hooch? Is some blind tiger jerking suds on the side?'”<ref>{{cite web| last=Adams| first=Erik| date=March 18, 2015| title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment"| work=[[The A.V. Club]] | url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-homer-vs-the-eighteenth-amend-1798183373}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_8#Homer_vs._The_Eighteenth_Amendment|"Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *{{Snpp capsule|4F15}} *{{IMDb episode|0701120}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|8}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Homer Vs. The Eighteenth Amendment}} [[Category:The Simpsons season 8 episodes]] [[Category:1997 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes written by John Swartzwelder]] [[Category:Works about prohibition in the United States]] [[Category:Television episodes about the illegal drug trade]] [[Category:Saint Patrick's Day television episodes]] [[Category:Parodies of paintings]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Bob Anderson (director)]]