The 5 pitches that led to the musical Planet of the Apes

Season 7 of “The Simpsons” is among the finest tv seasons ever. Not solely was the sequence nonetheless in its “golden age” and delivering basic gag after basic gag on the time, however season 7 can also be notable for holding a number of the the most beautiful episodes of Milhouse within the present’s historical past, together with the good “Summer time of 4ft. 2,” wherein the extent of emotional abuse Milhouse endures stays some of the hilariously darkish jokes the present has ever tried.

Moreover, Season 7 gave us “A Fish Referred to as Selma,” wherein washed-up actor Troy McClure marries Marge’s sister as a part of his comeback try. On his manner again to stardom, McClure stars within the ridiculous musical “Cease the Planet of the Apes, I Need to Get Off!” ” which options a fantastic musical quantity named after the character Dr. Zaius from the unique movie. This scene alone might arguably make “A Fish Referred to as Selma” one of many the best “Simpsons” episodes of all time. Even now, the show still references what remains its greatest musical moment of all time – perhaps aside from the tune Monorail.

With “Cease the Planet of the Apes”, the present manages within the area of two minutes to parody the 1968 movie “Planet of the Apes”, the pop hit by Austrian artist Falco, “Rock Me Amadeus”, the 1961 musical “Cease the World, I Need to Get Off!” and the thought of ​​musicals typically, with the musical’s actors’ unctuous performances stirring musical theater’s worst impulses. There’s even a bit the place a monkey breakdances, which, because it occurs, was one in every of a number of wacky pitches launched after showrunners Invoice Oakley and Josh Weinstein determined to construct on the craziest concepts of their writers.

THE the first version of the screenplay for “The Fish Called Selma” didn’t even feature the musical “Planet of the Apes”. The present’s writers merely knew they wanted Troy McClure’s massive return, however as soon as the musical concept surfaced, it set off a series response within the writers’ room that noticed 5 “loopy” pitches mix into this second of satirical genius.

Invoice Oakley and Josh Weinstein had been with “The Simpsons” for the reason that third season, however grew to become showrunners for the seventh season, bringing with them a substantial quantity of expertise and writing knowledge. As Weinstein defined in a thread on Twitter/XAmong the best writing suggestions he ever acquired was to at all times depend on loopy concepts, or as he places it: “By no means reject an concept, irrespective of how loopy or silly it could appear.” Lean on it. Perhaps it is nothing. OR it turns into the Dr. Zaius scene.”

As the previous showrunner defined, each author on the present contributed to the ultimate musical, with every pitch inspiring the following. Weinstein then revealed that the “Cease the Planet of the Apes” scene was truly “a mixture of 5 separate ‘loopy’ ‘silly’ pitches,” which he and Oakley entertained to see the place they’d lead.

In line with Josh Weinstein, the thought for “Stopping the Planet of the Apes” started with screenwriter Steve Tompkins, who mentioned, “What if we did a ‘Planet of the Apes’ musical?” “”, with Weinstein commenting: “It is both loopy or a silly concept or each, however all of us cherished it and we might all sense the potential, so I say let’s no less than discover it and see if it leads wherever. leaves. ” In fact it went someplace, with Tompkins’ concept inspiring his fellow writers to see how ridiculous they may make this explicit parody.

Weinstein having by no means seen the 1968 unique ‘Planet of the Apes’: A Movie That Needed More Makeup Artists Than Hollywood Could Provide — he requested the writers’ room to take a look at some key info concerning the movie earlier than pitching his personal concept: “So you realize this Falco tune?” This was the genesis of “Rock Me Amadeus”. Thus the tune “Dr. Zaius” was born. However that was solely the start.

The third argument got here from veteran Simpsons author George Meyer, who prompt “interspers[ing] [the] tune with corny/silly vaudeville-style jokes, just like the piano gag. The piano gag refers to Troy McClure asking midway by the tune if he can nonetheless play the piano, to which Dr. Zaius replies, “In fact you’ll be able to,” just for McClure to sing, ” Nicely, I could not earlier than.” A standing determine is then introduced on stage and the actor performs a short interlude earlier than the tune resumes.

With the principle concept cemented and a few hilarious additions from George Meyer and Josh Weinstein, “Cease the Planet of the Apes” started to take form. However at this level the pitch machine was in movement and different writers began pitching equally ridiculous however hilarious concepts. The fourth of them got here within the type of Dr. Zauis accompanied by a nurse. “Somebody speaking since he is a physician, have his nurse begin the tune with ‘Oo, assist me, Dr. Zaius,'” Weinstein wrote on his Twitter/X feed. “I don’t even know if there’s a nurse within the film, however positive, that’s a good way to start out.”

Lastly, the previous showrunner known as out one other author, whose title he has since forgotten, by pitching the concept the massive musical quantity “Dr. Zaius” embrace “quite a lot of breakdancing strikes.” For what? As a result of, as Weinstein says, “on the time, that gave the impression to be a pattern in lots of flashy Broadway musicals.” This was the fifth and closing primary pitch which fashioned the “Cease the Planet of the Apes” parody. However Weinstein nonetheless added just a few honorable mentions to his thread.

In “A Fish Referred to as Selma” we transfer from the efficiency of “Dr. Zaius” to the climax of the musical itself, throughout which Troy McClure sings “I hate each monkey I see, from the Chimpan- A to the Chimpanzee”, which stays some of the stunning traces within the musical historical past of the “Simpsons” – maybe within the total historical past of the sequence. Josh Weinstein recalled how this explicit addition actually took issues to a different stage within the writers’ room. “Someplace in the midst of this complete course of,” Weinstein wrote, “[author and ‘Futurama’ showrunner] David Cohen launched the “Chimpan-A to Chimpanzee” line, which was one of many few/solely occasions we immediately knew a line would change into a basic. His speech took everybody’s speeches to a brand new, increased stage. In line with Weinstein, Cohen’s contribution was the second when everybody within the room realized they needed to comply with by on the “loopy” and “silly” concepts they’d been pitching.

Though the arguments on the time might have been “silly,” the enduring enchantment of “Cease the Planet of the Apes” reveals how seemingly insane concepts can truly imply rather more than they appear. The musical comedy in “A Fish Referred to as Selma” stays one of many best parodies in “Simpsons” historical past, and one look on the feedback beneath Weinstein’s thread ought to be sufficient to persuade you that this ridiculous concept for a musical was a lot greater than only a “silly concept.” It stays a fan-favorite second in a sequence that is stuffed with a number of the finest moments in tv historical past.

For Weinstein, all of this merely validated his concept of ​​embracing seemingly ridiculous concepts. The author ended his thread with: “When you have an concept and proper after it involves you you are feeling like there’s one thing particular there, lean into it. The worst that may occur is to waste a couple of minutes or just a few hours? One thing that speaks to lots of people and makes them pleased.