Homer vs. Patty and Selma

Mel Brooks as Himself
Susan Sarandon as Ballet Teacher

"Homer vs. Patty and Selma" is the 17th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 26, 1995. In the episode, Homer loses all his money in pumpkin stocks and must turn to Patty and Selma for a loan. Meanwhile, Bart takes up ballet lessons, and his instructor is voiced by actress Susan Sarandon.

Sarandon had wanted to guest star on The Simpsons because her children were fans of the show; she made a later appearance in the series in the episode "Bart Has Two Mommies" as the voice of a computer. Mel Brooks also makes an appearance in "Homer vs. Patty and Selma", and had previously accompanied his wife Anne Bancroft to the recording studio when she had a role in the episode "Fear of Flying". The episode's script was written by Brent Forrester, and it was his first writing credit on the series. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland, with David Mirkin serving as executive producer.

Chris Turner cites scenes from the episode in describing Homer's characteristic qualities in his book Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Turner notes that the episode illustrates Homer's impulsiveness, silliness, and "physical stupidity". Contributor Raja Halwani writes in the compilation work The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer that the episode shows Homer's tendency to habitually lie to Marge, and cites Homer's covering for Patty and Selma when they are caught smoking as a positive aspect of his character. The episode received positive mention from Turner in Planet Simpson, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood in their book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, and Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide.