This Pun for Hire/Star Truck/Go Fish/Multiplication Song is the 77th episode of the original Animaniacs. It originally aired on November 4, 1995.
Theme Song
Last line
Yakko, Wakko and Dot: Novacainey...
This Pun for Hire
Animation by Akom Film Production
Plot
The Warners do a film noir parody, taking every cliché and killing them with many bad puns. They are recruited by Hello Nurse to find Dr. Scratchansniff and a statue.
Crew
- Written by Gordon Bressack, Charles M. Howell IV, Peter Hastings, and Tom Ruegger
- Directed by Audu Paden
Songs
- "Bette's Songs"
Trivia
- On Nickelodeon, after Minerva demands the Warners give her the bird, Dot's reply "We can't, this is a family show" was shortened to "We can't.ł
- When Yakko asks, "Tell me your story, sister", Dot replies with the opening lines of the Cher song "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves."
- A running gag in this cartoon is when Hello Nurse says something right, the Warners celebrate her being correct a la You Bet Your Life.
- Another running gag is when Yakko refers to "her", Bette Midler would come out of a door.
- Freakazoid, from the show of the same name, makes a cameo appearance in this cartoon.
- At the end of the cartoon, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen make cameo appearances. Yakko says they are, "The stuff that DreamWorks are made of." This is not only a reference to the then newly-formed movie studio of DreamWorks, but also to the ending of The Maltese Falcon.
- Ralph keeps saying "By Gad, sir", which is one of Kasper Gutman's lines in The Maltese Falcon.
- The statue is a plastered version of Squit.
- Hello Nurse says she claims the statue "in the name of Gulf+Western". Gulf+Western was renamed as Paramount Communications in 1989. Paramount Communications was purchased by Viacom in 1994, around the time the episode was written.
- Yakko accepts Hello Nurse's case on the condition that she does not put the show in the same time slot as 60 Minutes, because "we'll get creamed". Around this time, Pinky and the Brain was on The WB's Sunday night primetime schedule at 7/6c; around the same time as the highly-rated CBS newsmagazine, which hurt the show's ratings.
Quotes
- Yakko: Tell us, where did you last see your boss?
- Hello Nurse: In the Mambo Room at the Tropicombo Club. A band was playing Latin dance music. I was with the doctor, he mumbled something. The band had a big dumb guy playing drums and everyone was dancing under a pole, then the doctor vanished.
- Yakko: Now, lemme get this straight: He muttered some mumbo-jumbo during the Combo Samba in the Mambo at the Tropicombo. Then there was a jumbo dumbo playing the limbo on the bongos and then he was gone?
- Hello Nurse: That is absolutely correct!
- Yakko: Tell her what she's won!!!
- Wakko: Another date with me!
- Hello Nurse: How come I always get the booby prize?
- Dot: I'm not touchin' that one!
- Hello Nurse: Can you help me?
- Yakko: Of course we'll help you, but only if you do us one favor.
- Hello Nurse: What would that be?
- Yakko: Never put us on against 60 Minutes, we'll get creamed!
- Hello Nurse: I claim this statue in the name of Gulf+Western!
- Minerva: I claim this statue in the name of Rupert Murdoch!
- Ralph: Duh, by gad, sir, I claim it in the name of Matsushimi- err, Matsushudi- duuh... uh, for Seagrams!
- Yakko: Ah, I've got it! The mink is workin' for Fox, the pair o' legs is workin' for Paramount, and the guy who needs rehearsal is workin' for Universal!
- Dot: Thank you, Dr. Seuss.
Star Truck
Animation by Akom
Plot
The Warners find themselves on the ship from their favorite TV show in this Star Trek parody, and end-up helping the crew in a battle.
Crew
- Written by Earl Kress
- Directed by Audu Paden
Trivia
- This episode's title is a play on both Star Trek and the word starstruck - which means to be fascinated or greatly impressed by famous people, especially those connected with the entertainment industry. Fitting for this cartoon, as the Warners are starstruck with the cast of Star Truck.
- On the ship, there are restrooms for men, women, and Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.
- A running-gag throughout this cartoon is Squaty's fluctuating weight, which makes fun of James Doohan's own changing weight later into his career.
- When the Warners first arrive in the ship, they shout out “We’re here!” in a reference to the 1982 horror film Poltergeist.
- When the Warners first meet Captain Kork, a parody of Captain Kirk, on the ship's bridge, they reference the plots of actual Star Trek stories: "The City on the Edge of Forever," "Spock's Brain," the three episodes featuring Harry Mudd, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
- Dr. McBones's line "They're in bed, Jim!" is a send-up of Dr. Bones McCoy's recurring line "He's dead, Jim!"
- Spork performs a "Vorgon Mind Meld" on Wakko, a parody of the Vulcan Mind Meld technique featured in many installments of the Star Trek franchise.
- Squatty's donut obsession and progressive weight gain over the course of the episode references actor James Doohan's progressive weight gain over the course of his career portraying "Scotty" in the Star Trek franchise. Doohan was originally fit and trim during the original series, but became progressively heavyset in his old age as the films continued. Doohan also began maintaining a mustache late in his career, which Squatty references with a donut-frosting mustache at the episode's end.
- Yakko points out Ricardo Montalbán "and his big plastic chest" when Korn, a parody of the Trek villain Khan, appears on screen. When Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released, rumors spread that Montalban wore a prosthetic chest but the film's director assured that this wasn't true.
- Montalban got to work closely with several Animaniacs cast and crew-members on Freakazoid! in the role of Armondo Guitierrez.
- Yakko accidentally sits on a Tribble, a small, furry Star Trek creature, a reference to Kirk sitting on a Tribble in the episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".
- When Captain Kork promises not to sue the Warners, he holds up a tub of "Prom-iss" margarine. William Shatner made commercials for Promise Margarine in the mid-1970s.
- When talking to a now-overweight Squatty, Dot references Jenny Craig inc, a nutrition and weight-loss management company founded in 1983, but went defunct in 2023.
- Pinky and the Brain make a cameo near the end of this segment.
Go Fish
Animation by Wang Film Production
Plot
Wakko plays Go Fish with himself, but becomes a sore loser when he accuses himself of cheating.
Crew
- Written by Paul Rugg
- Directed by Audu Paden
Trivia
- At one point, Dot says about Wakko, "Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver." This is a reference to the television show, Leave It to Beaver.
Randy Beaman
Animation by StarToons
Plot
Colin talks about the time Randy Beaman faked his own death with ketchup.
Multiplication
Animation by Akom
Plot
In Miss Flamiel's class, Yakko sings about multiplying 47 by 83.
Crew
- Music and lyrics by Randy Rogel
- Directed by Liz Holzman and Al Zegler
Songs
Trivia
- When Yakko sings "It's fun and it's easy, just buy a calculator and you can multiply too" the multiplication is solved completely, even though he had only done the first part. When he starts explaining the second part, it's displayed correctly again.
Production Notes
- One cartoon was scrapped from this episode: Dot's song "Dear Mister Gingrich." It was recorded to a piano arrangement; but never storyboarded, animated or orchestrated.[1]
Cast
Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
Rob Paulsen | Yakko Warner, Dr. Scratchansniff, Pinky, Mr. Squadoo |
Jess Harnell | Wakko Warner |
Tress MacNeille | Dot Warner, Hello Nurse, Miss Flamiel, Bette Midler, Uhura |
Maurice LaMarche | The Brain, Captain Kork, Mr. Spork, McBones |
Paul Rugg | Freakazoid |
Frank Welker | Ralph T. Guard, Steven Spielberg, Squaty, Korn |
Julie Brown | Minerva Mink |
Colin Wells | Colin |
References
- ↑ Ron "Keeper1st" O'Dell - Lost Animaniacs Clips: "Dear Mister Gingrich." Retrieved July 8, 2022.