"Bart Gets Famous" is the twelfth episode of Season 5.
Synopsis[]
While on a boring field trip to the box factory, Bart makes a break for it to Channel 6 Studios, home of Bart's favorite show, Krusty the Clown, and gets a job as Krusty's assistant — then becomes an accidental star after screwing up during a live sketch and blurting, "I didn't do it!"
Full Story []
When Bart's class goes on a field trip, what Bart is expecting to be a day full of fun is soon dashed when Mrs. Krabappel bitterly guesses Principal Skinner is taking them to the Springfield Box Factory (again). Bart tries to use his imagination to pretend they're going somewhere else, but (due to his overindulgence in TV), it doesn't work. As they drive, most of the students and Mrs. Krabappel stare with their faces against the windows at other classes also on field trips but to much more exciting places (like Toy Town, the Fireworks Testing Range, and the Slide Factory) before pulling up at the box factory. The tour is something which everyone except Skinner and Martin find to be exaggeratedly dull. This includes Bart, who gets bored with the tour and sneakily escapes from the class to go to the Channel 6 TV studio nearby, where he wanders by a beach scene and Bumblebee Man. Back at the box factory, no one can find Bart. Skinner calls Homer who comes to the box factory, thinking that Bart was killed in one of the giant box-making machines.
Meanwhile, Bart meets up with Krusty, who is outraged that he does not having his Danish (Bart ate the last Danish, which was meant to be for Krusty). Because of this, Bart steals a Danish from Kent Brockman and gives it to Krusty, who then becomes grateful and asks him to become his assistant (Krusty has forgotten all the other times Bart has helped him out, from saving his career to renewing Krusty's relations with his father). When Bart returns home, Homer is relieved that he does not have to tell Marge that Bart was killed in a box accident; Bart even says "That's my lucky red hat sittin' on top of a double-corrugated, eight-fold, one 4-gauge box," to hide the fact he sneaked off during the field trip (neither Homer nor Marge ever found out Bart sneaked off). Afterwards, Bart continues his work as Krusty's assistant. Bart soon learns that being a crew member is not all suspense and glamour, as he gets taken for granted by the cast and put upon to do many things for Krusty, who calls him at all hours. Bart's name is only a small mention in the credits, so no one believes he helps Krusty. However, before Bart decides to quit, Krusty offers to let him say one line in a sketch. Bart messes up his lines and destroys all of the props on the stage. When the crowd's focus comes on him, he tries to get out of it, saying, "I didn't do it", which causes the audience to laugh and applaud. Seeing this, Krusty immediately uses Bart and his "I didn't do it" catchphrase in later sketches, and eventually creates a franchise out of it.
As Bart continues with his "I didn't do it" catch phrase, it begins to launch into all sorts of fame such as marketing, trinkets, and public appearances. Homer tries to market Lisa as a quipper, but she refuses, explaining that if she ever becomes famous for something, she wants it to be for something and not for some "obnoxious fad." Bart overhears this and begins to fear that the fad will wear off, so he tries to act intelligent (as during his interview on Conan O'Brien's show), but is ordered to just say the line. After having a nightmare where he is a has-been, Bart considers retirement, but Marge says while it may be monotonous for him, he is making people happy. Bart appears on the Krusty show repeating the one line, but hardly anyone laughs and leaves when Bart tries to win back the audience. Krusty tells Bart that his fifteen minutes of fame are up and he's now a has-been. As Bart walks home, he overhears on a taxi radio that, much like the song, "Kung-Fu Fighting," Bart being the "I Didn't Do It" boy was just a one-note fad that had its moment, but is now considered stale and uninteresting.
Marge gives Bart a box of memorabilia from when he was famous as a reminder that he was "Springfield's special little guy," Lisa is relieved that Bart is back to normal and not identified by a stupid catchphrase. The episode ends with Homer accidentally breaking a lamp and setting off a chain of catchphrase reactions (Homer goes, "D'oh!", Bart screams, "Ay, caramba!", Marge groans, Maggie sucks on her pacifier, Flanders comes in with a "Hi-diddily-ho!", Barney belches, Nelson laughs, and Mr. Burns says, "Excellent!"). Lisa resigns herself to her room, with Homer wondering what kind of catchphrase, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room" is.
Citations[]
Krusty the Clown Show Characters, Locations and Key Episodes
