Trivia / The Simpsons S 6 E 5 Sideshow Bob Roberts

• Actor-Shared Background: Sideshow Bob is a Republican, like his voice actor Kelsey Grammer.
• Edited for Syndication: The scene where Sideshow Bob is at the Retirement Castle, promising not only to build the Matlock Expressway, but also to spend the rest of the afternoon listening to the old folks rambling.
  • The couch gag has also been altered after its first appearance. See Title-Only Opening on the main page.
  • Sideshow Bob's line "you snotty little bastards" is usually cut in British broadcasts.
• First Appearance: This episode is the first appearance of the Springfield Republican Party Headquarters, which is a creepy castle out of an old horror movie.
• Life Imitates Art: In 2019, following the Trump–Ukraine scandal, many supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to excuse his "alleged" blackmail of Volodymyr Zelensky by arguing attempted crimes are not illegal. In response, many detractors quoted Sideshow Bob's line the episode, "Hah! Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry? Do they?" In an editorial for The Washington Post, Bill Oakley commented;
  It’s hard to believe that the Sideshow Bob defense of Trump will be long-lived, as it fails to stand up to even the slightest scrutiny. It is literally a joke.
• Role Reprise: The voice on the Flintstone Phone is the late Henry Corden, who took over the role of Fred when Alan Reed died, and voiced him throughout the 80's & 90's in various specials.
• Write What You Know: According to the DVD Commentary, the talking Flintstones phone that Bart plays with in kindergarten apparently came about because one of the writers swears that he's seen one in real life, only for one of the other commentators to insist that no such toy exists.

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