"'Round Springfield" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | 125 |
Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
Written by |
Al Jean and Mike Reiss (story) Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia (teleplay) |
Showrunner(s) | Al Jean and Mike Reiss |
Production code | 2F32 |
Original air date | April 30, 1995 |
Chalkboard gag | "Nerve gas is not a toy" |
Couch gag | The family’s heights are reversed; Maggie is now the largest while Homer is the smallest. |
Commentary | Al Jean Mike Reiss Joshua Sternin Jeffrey Ventimilia Steven Dean Moore |
Guest appearance(s) | |
Ron Taylor as Bleeding Gums Murphy |
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Season 6 episodes
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Seasons | |
Ron Taylor as Bleeding Gums Murphy
Steve Allen as himself
Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz
"'Round Springfield" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 30, 1995. In the episode, Bart is rushed to the hospital after eating a jagged metal Krusty-O and decides to sue Krusty the Clown. Whilst visiting Bart, Lisa meets her old mentor, jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy. She is saddened when she later learns that Murphy has died, and resolves to honor his memory. Steve Allen (as himself) and Ron Taylor (as Bleeding Gums Murphy) guest star, each in their second appearance on the show. Dan Higgins also returns as the writer and performer of all of Lisa and Bleeding Gums' saxophone solos.
It was written by Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, based on a story idea by Al Jean and Mike Reiss and was the first episode directed by Steven Dean Moore. Jean and Reiss, who were previously the series' showrunners, returned to produce this episode (as well as "A Star Is Burns") in order to lessen the workload of the show's regular staff. They worked on it alongside the staff of The Critic, the series they had left The Simpsons to create. The episode marks the first time in which a recurring character was killed off in the show, something the staff had considered for a while. The episode features numerous cultural references, including Carole King's song "Jazzman", the actor James Earl Jones and the Kimba the White Lion/The Lion King controversy.