# Krusty Gets Busted

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12th episode of the 1st season of The Simpsons

"Krusty Gets Busted" The Simpsons episode Episode no. Season 1 Episode 12 Directed by Brad Bird Written by Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky Production code 7G12[1] Original air date April 29, 1990 (1990-04-29) Guest appearance Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob[2] Episode features Chalkboard gag "They are laughing at me, not with me"[3] Couch gag Maggie pops out of the couch, and lands in Marge's arms.[4] Commentary Matt Groening Brad Bird Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky Episode chronology ← Previous "The Crepes of Wrath" Next → "Some Enchanted Evening" The Simpsons season 1 List of episodes

"**Krusty Gets Busted**" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the [first season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_1) of the American animated television series *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*. It originally aired on [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) in the United States on April 29, 1990.[1] The episode was written by [Jay Kogen](/source/Jay_Kogen) and [Wallace Wolodarsky](/source/Wallace_Wolodarsky) and directed by [Brad Bird](/source/Brad_Bird).[4] In the episode, [Krusty the Clown](/source/Krusty_the_Clown) is convicted of armed robbery of the [Kwik-E-Mart](/source/Kwik-E-Mart). Believing that Krusty has been [framed](/source/Frameup) for it, [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) and [Lisa](/source/Lisa_Simpson) investigate the crime and learn that Krusty's sidekick, [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob), is the culprit.

This episode marks the first full-fledged appearance of [Kent Brockman](/source/Kent_Brockman).[4] [Kelsey Grammer](/source/Kelsey_Grammer) makes his first guest appearance on the show as the voice of Sideshow Bob, who becomes a recurring character in the series.[5]

## Plot

[Marge](/source/Marge_Simpson) asks [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson) to pick up ice cream from the [Kwik-E-Mart](/source/Kwik-E-Mart) on the way home from work; Homer obliges, and at the [Kwik-E-Mart](/source/Kwik-E-Mart), he sees a man resembling [Krusty the Clown](/source/Krusty_the_Clown) committing a robbery. After Homer identifies Krusty in a [police lineup](/source/Police_lineup), the latter is arrested and convicted, much to the grief of Bart. Taking advantage of the public outrage over Krusty's apparent criminal turn, [Apu](/source/Apu_Nahasapeemapetilon) begins marketing a "clown-repelling" machine gun, while [Reverend Lovejoy](/source/Reverend_Lovejoy) arranges a bonfire that the Springfield's residents use to destroy Krusty's merchandise. In Krusty's absence, his sidekick Sideshow Bob becomes the new host of his show, rechristening it as *The Side-Show Bob Cavalcade of Whimsy*, which focuses on education and classic literature while retaining *[The Itchy & Scratchy Show](/source/The_Itchy_%26_Scratchy_Show)*. Refusing to accept that his idol could have committed a crime, Bart enlists Lisa's help to prove Krusty's innocence.

At the crime scene, Bart and Lisa recall that the robber read a magazine and used a [microwave oven](/source/Microwave_oven), which Krusty could not have done as he is illiterate and has an artificial [pacemaker](/source/Pacemaker), which requires him to avoid microwave radiation. When Bart, Lisa, and Maggie visit Sideshow Bob to learn whether Krusty had any enemies, he gives them tickets to his show. During the live broadcast, Bart is invited on stage with Bob, who dismisses Bart's points about the microwave and magazine. When Bob says he has "big shoes to fill", Bart remembers when Homer stepped on the robber's foot during his robbery, making him react in pain. Despite wearing clown shoes, Krusty has small feet and would not have felt Homer stepping on them. Bart deduces that Sideshow Bob is the culprit, since he had the most to gain from Krusty's downfall and his large feet literally fill his own shoes. To prove this to the audience, Bart hits Bob's feet with a mallet and reveals their size as Bob reacts in pain.

While watching the show, the police realize they failed to notice this evidence and head to the studio to arrest Bob, who confesses that he framed Krusty out of frustration for being on the receiving end of the clown's humiliating gags and felt that his true talents were wasted on his show. Now released following his exoneration, Krusty regains the trust of the townspeople, including Wiggum, who apologizes for mistakenly arresting Krusty, and Homer, who apologizes for misidentifying him, as he thanks Bart for his help. Bart hangs a picture of himself shaking hands with Krusty in his bedroom, which is refilled with Krusty decor and merchandise.

## Production

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the first episode guest starring [Kelsey Grammer](/source/Kelsey_Grammer) as the voice of Sideshow Bob.

Director [Brad Bird](/source/Brad_Bird) wanted to open the episode with a close-up of Krusty's face.[6] The staff liked the idea, and he then suggested that all three acts of the episode, defined by the placement of the commercial breaks, should begin with a close-up shot.[6] Act one begins with Krusty's face introducing the audience at his show, act two begins with Krusty's face being locked up behind bars, and act three begins with Sideshow Bob's face on a big poster.[6] Krusty's character is based on a television clown from [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland%2C_Oregon) called [Rusty Nails](/source/Rusty_Nails), whom *The Simpsons* creator [Matt Groening](/source/Matt_Groening) watched while growing up in Portland.[7] The original [teleplay](/source/Teleplay), written by [Jay Kogen](/source/Jay_Kogen) and [Wallace Wolodarsky](/source/Wallace_Wolodarsky), was 78 pages long and many scenes had to be cut.[8] One scene that had to be cut down was the scene where [Patty and Selma](/source/Patty_and_Selma) show the slideshow of their vacation; it originally contained images of them being detained for bringing [heroin](/source/Heroin) into America.[8]

"Krusty Gets Busted" is Sideshow Bob's second appearance on *The Simpsons* but is his first major appearance. He first appeared as a minor character in the season one episode "[The Telltale Head](/source/The_Telltale_Head)".[9] In that appearance, [his design](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SideshowBobsfirstappearance.png) was simpler and his hair was round. However, near the end of the episode, he appears with his more familiar hairstyle. Bob's design was updated for "Krusty Gets Busted", and the animators tried to redo his scenes in "The Telltale Head" with the re-design, but did not have enough time.[9] The script for "Krusty Gets Busted" called for [James Earl Jones](/source/James_Earl_Jones) to voice Bob, but the producers instead went with [Kelsey Grammer](/source/Kelsey_Grammer), a cast member on *[Cheers](/source/Cheers)* at the time.[5] Grammer based Bob's voice on that of theater director Ellis Rabb. [Kent Brockman](/source/Kent_Brockman), [Judge Snyder](/source/Judge_Snyder_(The_Simpsons)), and [Scott Christian](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#Scott_Christian) make their first appearances on *The Simpsons* in this episode.[10]

## Cultural references

[Chief Wiggum](/source/Chief_Wiggum)'s order during the suspect line-up to "send in the clowns" is an allusion to the [Stephen Sondheim](/source/Stephen_Sondheim) song "[Send in the Clowns](/source/Send_in_the_Clowns)" from the 1973 musical *[A Little Night Music](/source/A_Little_Night_Music)*. The Sondheim musical took its name from [Mozart](/source/Mozart)'s [Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major](/source/Eine_kleine_Nachtmusik), *Eine kleine Nachtmusik*, which is the theme tune to Sideshow Bob's show.[4] The close up shot of Krusty's face behind bars in the beginning of act two is a reference of the closing credit motif of the British television series *[The Prisoner](/source/The_Prisoner)* from the 1960s.[4] The background music in that scene resembles the theme of the television series *[Mission: Impossible](/source/Mission%3A_Impossible_(1966_TV_series))* at one point.[4] Sideshow Bob is reading *[The Man in the Iron Mask](/source/The_Vicomte_of_Bragelonne%3A_Ten_Years_Later#Part_Three:_The_Man_in_the_Iron_Mask_(Chapters_181–269))* by [Alexandre Dumas](/source/Alexandre_Dumas) to the studio audience.[11] The song "[Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye](/source/Ev'ry_Time_We_Say_Goodbye)" by [Cole Porter](/source/Cole_Porter) is featured in the episode.[4] Following Sideshow Bob's arrest, he mutters to the Simpsons children, "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for these meddling kids.", which is a reference to a catchphrase from [Hanna-Barbera](/source/Hanna-Barbera)'s *[Scooby-Doo](/source/Scooby-Doo)* franchise, which was airing on [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) as *[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo](/source/A_Pup_Named_Scooby-Doo)* when this episode aired.[7]

## Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Krusty Gets Busted" finished 13th in the ratings for the week of April 23–29, 1990, with a [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_rating) of 16.4. It was the highest rated show on the Fox network that week.[12] The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. [Gary Russell](/source/Gary_Russell) and [Gareth Roberts](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)),[13] the authors of the book *I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide*, praised the episode: "The invention of the Simpsons' arch enemy as a lugubrious yet psychotic Englishman in dreadlocks succeeds wonderfully in this super-fast, super-funny episode that works by constantly reversing the audience's expectations."[4]

In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck rated this episode a 3 (of 5).[14] Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that "throughout the episode we found great material; it really seemed clear that the show was starting to turn into the piece we now know and love. It's hard for me to relate any deficiencies" and added that "almost every Bob episode offers a lot of fun, and this episode started that trend in fine style."[15] *[Screen Rant](/source/Screen_Rant)* called it the best episode of the first season.[16] Series creator Matt Groening listed it as his ninth favorite episode of *The Simpsons* and added "I have a peculiar love of TV clownery".[17]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGroening201046_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGroening201046_1-1) [Groening 2010](#CITEREFGroening2010), p. 46.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-officialsite_2-0)** ["Krusty Gets Busted"](http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-1_episode-12) *The Simpsons.com*. Retrieved on August 29, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-book_3-0)** [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (1997). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); Coffman, Antonia (eds.). *[The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family](/source/The_Simpsons_episode_guides#The_Simpsons:_A_Complete_Guide_to_Our_Favorite_Family)* (1st ed.). New York: [HarperPerennial](/source/HarperPerennial). pp. [28–29](https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/28). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-095252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-095252-5). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [98141857](https://lccn.loc.gov/98141857). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [37796735](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/37796735). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [433519M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL433519M)..

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-bbc_4-7) [Krusty Gets Busted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page12.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20031012225928/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page12.shtml) October 12, 2003, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) *BBC.co.uk*. Retrieved on August 31, 2008

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BirdKGB_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BirdKGB_5-1) Bird, Brad (2001). *The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Brad_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Brad_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Brad_6-2) Bird, Brad (2001). *Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Matt_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Matt_7-1) Groening, Matt (2001). *Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wallace_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wallace_8-1) Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). *Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-MooreTTH_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-MooreTTH_9-1) Moore, Rich (2001). *The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "The Telltale Head"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jay_Kogen_10-0)** Kogen, Jay (2001). *Commentary for the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons: The Complete First Season* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Krusty Gets Busted"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140902232115/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7G12.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7G12.html) on September 2, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nielsen_12-0)** Richmond, Ray (May 2, 1990). "CBS sweeps Sunday, but NBC nets week's honors". [The Orange County Register](/source/The_Orange_County_Register). p. I06.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Preddle, Jon (June 1997). ["Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos"](http://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html). *Time Space Visualiser*. No. 51. The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club. Retrieved August 20, 2020. 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].

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Grelck, David B. (September 25, 2001). ["The Complete First Season"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090202012353/http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm). WDBGProductions. Archived from [the original](http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm) on February 2, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dvdmg_15-0)** Jacobson, Colin. ["The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990)"](http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml). DVD Movie Guide. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080821134725/http://dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml) from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Sim, Bernardo (September 22, 2019). ["The Simpsons: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked"](https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-best-episodes-ranked/). *Screen Rant*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210608035214/https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-best-episodes-ranked/) from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ew_17-0)** Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2000). ["Springfield of Dreams"](https://ew.com/article/2000/01/14/springfield-dreams/). [Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090628145338/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C275114_2%2C00.html) from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2022.

### Bibliography

- [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (October 28, 2010). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); [Gimple, Scott M.](/source/Scott_M._Gimple); McCann, Jessie L.; Seghers, Christine; Bates, James W. (eds.). [*Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20*](/source/Simpsons_World%3A_The_Ultimate_Episode_Guide%3A_Seasons_1%E2%80%9320) (1st ed.). [HarperCollins](/source/HarperCollins). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780061711282](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780061711282).

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[Krusty Gets Busted](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_1#Krusty_Gets_Busted)***.

- [The Simpsons portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)

- ["Krusty Gets Busted episode capsule"](http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/7G12.html). *[The Simpsons Archive](/source/The_Simpsons_Archive)*.

- ["Krusty Gets Busted"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701147/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Simpsons Sideshow Bob episodes Major appearances "Krusty Gets Busted" "Black Widower" "Cape Feare" "Sideshow Bob Roberts" "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" "Brother from Another Series" "Day of the Jackanapes" "The Great Louse Detective" "The Italian Bob" "Funeral for a Fiend" "The Bob Next Door" "The Man Who Grew Too Much" "Treehouse of Horror XXVI" "Gone Boy" "Bobby, It's Cold Outside" "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" "The Yellow Lotus" Minor appearances "The Telltale Head" "Lisa's First Word" "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" "Wedding for Disaster" "American History X-cellent" "At Long Last Leave" "Clown in the Dumps" "Blazed and Confused" "Gal of Constant Sorrow" "Treehouse of Horror XXVII" "The Fat Blue Line"

v t e The Simpsons episodes Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Season 1 "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" "Bart the Genius" "Homer's Odyssey" "There's No Disgrace Like Home" "Bart the General" "Moaning Lisa" "The Call of the Simpsons" "The Telltale Head" "Life on the Fast Lane" "Homer's Night Out" "The Crepes of Wrath" "Krusty Gets Busted" "Some Enchanted Evening" See also Treehouse of Horror list The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy" Category

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