I'm a Little Bit Country
"I'm a Little Bit Country" | |
---|---|
South Park episode | |
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Trey Parker |
Written by | Trey Parker |
Featured music | A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll by Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond |
Production code | 701 |
Original air date | April 9, 2003 |
Guest appearance | |
Norman Lear as Benjamin Franklin | |
"I'm a Little Bit Country" is the fourth episode
The episode aired around the time the
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker.
Plot
When Mr. Garrison agrees to let anyone protesting the war out of school early for a rally, all the kids pretend to care about the cause so as to get out of school early, even though they know little to nothing about the war. Some of the townspeople are protesting against the war, while others are supporting it. While the rest of the school races to enjoy their day off, the boys lag behind to watch the protest and end up being interviewed for their views on what the Founding Fathers would think about the protests and the war in Iraq that the protests were about.
It becomes clear that they do not know who the Founding Fathers were, and angered at the embarrassment, Garrison gives his class an assignment to figure out what the founding fathers' views of the war would have been. While Stan, Kyle, and Kenny begin to study for their project, Eric Cartman decides to take a different approach, trying to induce a flashback of the colonial era to get out of studying, first by saying clichéd flashback-inducing dialogue, and then by dropping a large rock on his head.
The people of the town are divided about the war, and after splitting in two, they both plan rallies: one pro-war (
Eventually, Cartman electrocutes himself in water with a
While both protests rage on,
The hawks and the doves learn to appreciate their differences and how they're both needed in the system of saying one thing and doing another and sing a song about it. In it, they celebrate their differences and their achievement (100 episodes); ending the song with the line, "For the war, against the war—who cares! 100 episodes!" Kyle ends the episode by saying "I hate this town. I really, really do."
Production
Matt and Trey noticed that while all the pro-Iraq War songs were by country artists, all the anti-war songs were by rockers. This made them think of the old Donny and Marie standard, "I'm A Little Bit Country, I'm A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll" Thus the entire episode hinged on getting rights to use the song—rights that weren't secured until the last possible moment.[2][3]
Benjamin Franklin is voiced by TV producer Norman Lear (who also served as a creative consultant for this episode).[4] The flashback was inspired by Lear's touring around schools with a copy of the Declaration of Independence.[2]
Release and reception
"I'm a Little Bit Country", along with the fourteen other episodes from The Complete Seventh Season, were released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on March 21, 2006. The sets included brief audio commentaries by Parker and Stone for each episode.[5]
Keith Finn of the
References
- ^ Though sometimes marked the first episode of the season, it aired fourth.
- ^ a b c Parker, Trey (November 2004). South Park: The Complete Seventh Season: "I'm a Little Bit Country" (DVD Audio Commentary). Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Official South Park Studios Wiki, retrieved October 7, 2020
- ^ "Norman Lear Fast Facts". CNN. 30 September 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Schorn, Peter (March 14, 2006). "South Park: The Complete Seventh Season DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- Daily Nebraskan. October 31, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
External links
- "I'm a Little Bit Country" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "I'm a Little Bit Country" at IMDb