"Brush with Greatness" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 18 |
Directed by | Jim Reardon |
Written by | Brian K. Roberts |
Production code | 7F18 |
Original air date | April 11, 1991 |
Guest appearances | |
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Episode features | |
Chalkboard gag | "I will not hide behind the Fifth Amendment"[1] |
Couch gag | The couch tips over with the family sitting on it and Maggie sits in its place.[2] |
Commentary | Matt Groening Brian K. Roberts Al Jean Jim Reardon |
"Brush with Greatness" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 11, 1991. In the episode, Marge enrolls in an art class after Lisa encourages her to revive her former interest in painting. When she wins first prize in a local art competition for a portrait of Homer on the couch in his underwear, Mr. Burns commissions her to paint his portrait. In the subplot, Homer is determined to lose weight after getting stuck in a water slide at an amusement park.
The episode was written by Brian K. Roberts and directed by Jim Reardon. Beatles member Ringo Starr guest starred as himself, while Jon Lovitz starred as Marge's art teacher, Professor Lombardo. The episode features cultural references to films such as Rocky and Gone with the Wind.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics, who praised its central focus on Marge, as well as Starr's role. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 12.0 and was the second highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.