Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob | |
---|---|
The Simpsons character | |
First appearance |
|
Created by | Al Jean Mike Reiss Sam Simon Matt Groening Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky Brad Bird |
Designed by | Matt Groening |
Voiced by | Kelsey Grammer |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger Jr.[1] |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Television personality Former Mayor of Springfield Former Mayor of Salsiccia Scientist Professor Actor Criminal |
Family | Dr. Robert Terwilliger Sr. (father) Dame Judith Onderdonk (mother) Cecil Terwilliger (brother) |
Spouse | Selma Bouvier (ex-wife) Francesca (wife) |
Children | Gino (son) |
Relatives | Patty Bouvier (ex-sister-in-law) Marge Simpson (ex-sister-in-law) |
Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale University and a champion of high culture, including the adoption of a transatlantic accent, similar to that of Grammer's portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane from the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He began his career as a sidekick on Krusty the Clown's television show, but after enduring constant abuse, Bob framed his employer for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets Busted", only to be foiled by Bart Simpson, and sent to prison. Bob started seeking revenge against Bart while in prison, and the two became feuding arch-enemies.
Bob made his second major appearance in
Despite his villainous deeds, Sideshow Bob shares some personality traits of Grammer's character Frasier Crane, and he has been described as "Frasier pickled in arsenic".[5] Several parallels have been explicitly drawn in The Simpsons between Bob and Frasier Crane—Bob's brother Cecil and his father were played by David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney, respectively, echoing the roles they played in Frasier. Grammer, who based Bob's voice on that of actor Ellis Rabb, has been praised for his portrayals of the character. In 2006, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his work in the episode "The Italian Bob".
As of season 35, Sideshow Bob has appeared in more than 40 episodes, had speaking appearances in 24 of these, and been featured as the main character in 14. The most recent of the latter, "
Appearances
On The Simpsons
The character of Sideshow Bob began his career as the non-speaking sidekick who would only use a whistle on
In "
After being
Bob is released from prison once again in "
Sideshow Bob escapes from prison for the first time in "
In the
Bob returned in "
Bob's aid is sought by Springfield police in "
In "
The entire Terwilliger family returns in "
In "
In "
Bob appears in "
In "
Bob also appears in "
In "
Bob returns in "
Bob also makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in "
In "
In the "
Other media
In addition to regular roles in the television series, Sideshow Bob has made several appearances in other Simpsons media. Kelsey Grammer recorded several Sideshow Bob lines for The Simpsons Movie, but the scene was cut; the deleted scene shows him amongst the angry mob, intent on killing Bart until he learns that the mob is apparently after Homer only, prompting him to leave in disappointment.[21] Sideshow Bob has made regular appearances in the monthly Simpsons Comics,[22] and several of Kelsey Grammer's singing performances have been included in The Simpsons CD compilations. His performance of the H.M.S. Pinafore in "Cape Feare" was later included on the album Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons,[23] and the song "The Very Reason That I Live" from "The Great Louse Detective" was included on The Simpsons: Testify.[24] A previously unaired song, "Hullaba Lula", originally written for "Day of the Jackanapes", was also included on that compilation.[24] The producers modeled the song after "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", but were forced to remove the song from the episode when they were unable to obtain the rights to it.[25]
In
In The Simpsons: Tapped Out, a city-building game released in February 2012, Sideshow Bob occurs as a bonus. Popping up every couple hours, the players are given a chance to tap on him to receive a small sum of money, and "send" him to jail. In a later update to the game, Sideshow Bob also has a stand in Krusty Land, where players get to pop balloons for a chance to win donuts and Krusty tickets. The Simpsons: Tapped Out Terwilligers content update was released April 14, 2015 and has several references to the Simpsons episodes with Sideshow Bob. This game event was split in 3 acts and ended June 4, 2015. New characters, skins and costumes include Sideshow Bob, Cecil Terwilliger, Gino Terwilliger, Francesca Terwilliger, Dr. Robert Terwilliger Sr., Judith Onderdonk, Captain Bob, and Opera Krusty. Most of the event action takes place at Monsarno Research and Opera House.
Character
Creation
Sideshow Bob first appeared in "
Bob has no lines of dialogue during the first half of "Krusty Gets Busted"; the character's only communication takes the form of a slide whistle. This was designed to make Bob appear simplistic, so that when he finally spoke, viewers would be surprised to hear his sophisticated vocabulary.[33] An early version of the script for "Krusty Gets Busted" called for James Earl Jones to voice Bob, but the producers instead selected Kelsey Grammer.[34] For Bob's voice, Grammer performed an impression of theatre actor and director Ellis Rabb. Grammer had once worked for Rabb, whose "lamenting tones became [the] foundation for Sideshow Bob".[35][36]
Sideshow Bob's full name is Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger.
Development
For
Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, the showrunners for the seventh and eighth seasons, believed that every season of the show should contain an episode starring Sideshow Bob. However, by the seventh season, Bob had already been the focus of four episodes, and writers were having trouble developing new ways to include him.[44] Weinstein describes Bob's dialogue as difficult to write, due to his unique and refined style of speaking.[45] Despite these challenges, however, creators of The Simpsons usually look forward to "Sideshow Bob episodes"; the writers consider them enjoyable to write,[46] and former director Dominic Polcino describes them as "a treat" to work on.[47] In "Black Widower", Sideshow Bob notes that he is a "life-long Republican".
Kelsey Grammer initially expected Sideshow Bob to be a one-time role, and calls him "the most popular character I've ever played".[35] Grammer usually joins the show's "table readings" (wherein cast members read each script together for the first time),[48] and former executive producer David Mirkin described working with Grammer as very pleasant, due to his lively sense of humor. Grammer, Mirkin says, is capable of perfect readings, but noted that the actor dislikes performing Sideshow Bob's evil laugh.[49] In a 2007 interview, Simpsons executive producer Al Jean listed Grammer as one of his favorite guest stars (second only to Phil Hartman), saying "his voice is so rich."[50] Writer George Meyer commented that "writing for Kelsey is great, he can give the kind of purple, florid, melodramatic speeches that most of the characters would never give. And he can sing."[51]
The show's writers admire Grammer's singing voice, and try to include a song for each appearance.
Bob's prisoner number is often 24601, which is Jean Valjean's prisoner number in Les Misérables.[54] Another trademark for Bob is a visual gag of stepping on a rake and being struck in the face with its handle; this joke first appeared in "Cape Feare". To fill time, the writers added nine consecutive iterations of the same joke in quick succession.[48] The sequence has become known as the "rake joke" and was described by Entertainment Weekly as showing "genius in its repetitive stupidity."[55]
Family
The episode "
Cecil returns in
Reception
The character of Sideshow Bob and Grammer's voicework have received many accolades. In 2006,
Kelsey Grammer has consistently received praise for his voicework, and has been described as "brilliant",
Most of the episodes featuring Bob have been well received by fans and critics. "
The character's line in "Sideshow Bob Roberts", "Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry?", briefly became an Internet meme after a similar defense of President Donald Trump was repeated after the Trump–Ukraine scandal.[76]
Analysis
In
Bob's intelligence serves him in many ways. During the episode "Cape Feare", for example, the parole board asks Bob why he has a tattoo that says "Die, Bart, Die". Bob replies that it is German for "The, Bart, The"; members of the board are impressed by his reasoning.[80] Believing that "nobody who speaks German could be an evil man", they release him.[10] However, his love of high culture is sometimes used against him. In the same episode, Bob agrees to perform the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore in its entirety as a last request for Bart. The tactic stalls Bob long enough for the police to arrest him.[80]
References
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- ^ a b Vitti, Jon; Moore, Rich (October 7, 1993). "Cape Feare". The Simpsons. Season 5. Episode 83. Fox.
- ^ a b Oakley, Bill; Weinstein, Josh; Kirkland, Mark (October 9, 1994). "Sideshow Bob Roberts". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 108. Fox.
- ^ Feresten, Spike; Polcino, Dominic (October 26, 1995). "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming". The Simpsons. Season 7. Episode 137. Fox.
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Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard: Just as the rush-hour traffic in the Terwilliger Curves never seems to go away, culturally sophisticated jailbird Sideshow Bob Terwilliger just keeps coming back in his quest to exact revenge on Bart.
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Bibliography
- Arnold, David L. G. (2003). "Use a Pen, Sideshow Bob: The Simpsons and the Threat of High Culture". In John Alberti (ed.). ISBN 978-0-8143-2849-1.
- OL 433519M.
- OCLC 55682258.