Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble | |
---|---|
The Simpsons character | |
First appearance |
|
Created by | Matt Groening |
Based on | Barney Rubble |
Designed by | Dan Haskett |
Voiced by | Dan Castellaneta |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Barnard Gumble |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Barney's Bowl-A-Rama (ex-owner) helicopter pilot, snowplow driver, astronaut, military service (unknown occupation and branch served in) |
Family | Arnie Gumble (deceased father) Mrs. Gumble (mother) Al Gumble (uncle) |
Barnard "Barney" Gumble[1] is a recurring character in the American animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
Barney is the
Barney can be seen in The Simpsons opening credits since 2009, passed out under a pile of leaves (but still holding his beloved bottle of Duff Beer) and being awoken by Bart Simpson skateboarding over his stomach, causing him to let out his trademark belch.
Role in The Simpsons
Barney's father, Arnie Gumble, was a
.Two episodes give different reasons for his alcoholism. "
In "
Barney was rescued from a tar pit by Bart's pet elephant Stampy in "Bart Gets an Elephant" and he also started a snowplowing business rivaling Homer's in "Mr. Plow". Barney's commercial defamed Homer, causing Homer to lose his customers. As revenge, Homer fooled Barney into plowing a driveway on Widow's Peak, a treacherous mountain just outside Springfield. When Homer saw a news report showing that Barney had become trapped in an avalanche, Homer immediately drove to the mountain and rescued Barney. The friends resolved their differences and agreed to work together. However, a heat wave hit Springfield at that exact moment, driving them both out of business.[4] However, in the episodes "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" and "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" it is shown that Barney still drives his Plow King truck.
After being forced to spend a sober night at
Barney made a
In "
Character
Creation
Barney was inspired by Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone's best friend and next-door neighbor from the animated series The Flintstones.[10] The writers originally wanted the character to be Homer Simpson's sidekick and next-door neighbor, but instead, while still portraying him as Homer's best friend, they decided to make him an alcoholic. Ned Flanders would become the next-door neighbor instead.[10] "Barney was taking the standard sitcom sidekick and just making him as pathetic as possible," said Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons.[11] The writers drew further inspiration from Crazy Guggenheim, a character played by comedian Frank Fontaine on The Jackie Gleason Show.[11] Part of the reason the writers went in that direction, according to Groening, was because of "a sort of unspoken rule about not having drinking on television as a source of comedy. So, of course, we went right for it."[11] The writers also patterned the character after Norm Peterson (George Wendt), a character from the sitcom Cheers.[12]
In some early
Voice
Barney Gumble is voiced by Dan Castellaneta.[17] Early on in the show, Castellaneta discovered that it was not easy for him to do Barney's trademark belch every time a script called for it, so he identified his best belch and told the producers to make that the standard, the belch also appears on an episode of The Pitts.[18] Castellaneta has voiced Barney every time he has appeared in the series, with the exception of the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", in which some of Barney's singing is provided by a member of The Dapper Dans, who recorded lines for all four members of the Be Sharps.[19] Their recordings were intermixed with the cast's, often with a cast member singing the melody and the Dapper Dans providing backup.[19]
Sobriety
Castellaneta thought of the idea of Barney sobering up early in the series. He wrote a script together with his wife
After a long discussion about how the episode should end, the writers decided that they did not want Barney to return to being drunk at the end of the episode. Barney stayed sober for several seasons. The animators modified the appearance of the character, straightening his hair, among other things, to indicate his sobriety. Castellaneta altered his voice for the character by no longer slurring.[20] Barney was still seen at Moe's Tavern, but only drinking lattes.[22] The character's new addiction to coffee was suggested by writer-producer David Mirkin, who has friends who stopped drinking alcohol and became addicted to coffee.[20]
Reception
Filmcritic.com ranked Barney 18th on their 2008 list of "The 21 Best Movie Alcoholics of All Time". Recognizing the character for his appearance in The Simpsons Movie, Filmcritic called him "the most awesomely funny town drunk in pop culture".[23] IGN ranked Barney fifth on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters" in 2006, stating that, "he's been a dependable source of humor through his many drunken asides, burps included...Occasionally he's sobered up...But let's face it, for comedy's sake, The Simpsons is better off with a drunken Barney mouthing off at Moe's."[24] Author Chris Turner (Planet Simpson) said, "Making [Barney] sober falls into the trap of all the stuff The Simpsons satirizes, all those simple sitcom narratives where everything is wrapped up in half an hour and everyone learns a lesson in the end."[25]
Britain's
Merchandising
Playmates Toys created three Barney Gumble action figures as part of the World of Springfield toy line.[30] The first one, released in August 2000, depicts Barney in his usual appearance. The second, Barney in his Plow King jacket from "Mr. Plow", was released in January 2003.[31] The third, a Toys "R" Us retail exclusive, was released in July 2003 as part of a Be Sharps play set.[32] The song "A Boozehound named Barney" from the episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" was included on the Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons album.[33] Barney plays a role in The Simpsons Ride, launched in 2008 at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood. During the pre-show, Barney appears in a suit of the character Scratchy to entertain the people waiting in line, but he staggers around drunk and drinks in public, which led to Krusty firing him for drinking on the job. Barney later reappears during the ride portion where he appears outside Moe’s Tavern, letting out his signature belch as the Simpson family chases an enlarged Maggie through Springfield. [34]
References
- ^ a b Keeler, Ken; Dietter, Susie (March 5, 1995). "A Star Is Burns". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 18. Event occurs at 20:32. Fox.
- Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace (January 23, 1992). "Lisa the Greek". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ a b Vitti, Jon; Reardon, Jim (November 19, 1992). "Mr. Plow". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Long, Tim; Nastuk, Matthew (December 5, 2004). "She Used to Be My Girl". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Martin, Jeff; Kirkland, Mark (September 30, 1993). "Homer's Barbershop Quartet". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Mirkin, David; Baeza, Carlos (February 12, 1994). "Deep Space Homer". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Sternin, Joshua and Jeffrey Ventimilia; Gray, Milton (March 29, 1998). "Simpson Tide". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ Lacusta, Deb and Dan Castellaneta; Affleck, Neil (April 9, 2000). "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses". The Simpsons. Fox.
- ^ a b c Groening, Matt (2001). Commentary for "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e Rhodes, Joe (October 21, 2000). "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves". TV Guide.
- ^ Castellaneta, Dan; Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Moore, Rich; Reiss, Mike; Silverman, David (2003). Commentary for "Flaming Moe's", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Jean, Al (2001). Commentary for "Some Enchanted Evening", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Moore, Rich (2001). Commentary for "Homer's Night Out", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Silverman, David (2001). Commentary for "Life on the Fast Lane", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt; Silverman, David (2005). Commentary for "And Maggie Makes Three", in The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 165.
- ^ Jean, Al (2002). Commentary for "Blood Feud", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Martin, Jeff; Reiss, Mike (2004). Commentary for "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season DVD. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d Affleck, Neil; Castellaneta, Dan; Lacusta, Deb; Maxtone-Graham, Ian; Meyer, George; Scully, Mike (2008). Commentary for "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ISBN 978-0-06-050592-9.
- ^ Loerzel, Robert. "D'oh! Now He's Van Gogh". robertloerzel.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- ^ Antani, Jay; Brenner, Jules; Brenner, Paul; Cabin, Chris; Croatto, Pete; French, Blake; Meyerson, Eric; Null, Christopher & Don Willmott (2008). "The 21 Best Movie Alcoholics of All Time". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
- ^ Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Brian Zoromski (October 6, 2006). "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters". IGN. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-86547-988-3.
- ^ Horgan, Sharon; Dennis Kelly (March 22, 2008). "Under the influence". The Guardian. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- ^ "The Family Dynamic". Entertainment Weekly. January 29, 2003. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (August 10, 2004). "Emmy speaks for Homer". Variety. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees". PRISM Awards. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ "Series 2". The Simpsons Action Figure Information Station. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
- ^ "Series 11". The Simpsons Action Figure Information Station. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
- ^ "Toysrus exclusives". The Simpsons Action Figure Information Station. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (April 9, 2008). "Simpsons ride features 29 characters, original voices". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- Bibliography
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