Twenty-five years ago, a classic episode of The Simpsons aired. "22 Short Films About Springfield" was the 21st episode of the seventh season and was notable for breaking the usual Simpsons structure. The show was in its prime, so the creators were able to take some liberties with the format. Now, 25-years later, the cast and crew reflect on the significance of this episode and its effect on the internet culture of today.
As the title purports, the episode featured 22 short stories focusing on different Simpsons characters, including side characters who were usually regulated to supporting roles. By this point in the show's run, many of the supporting characters, such as the stuck-up Principal Skinner and his hard-nosed boss Superintendent Chalmers, were recognizable and beloved by fans. One of these shorts, officially titled "Skinner & the Superintendent," told the story of Principal Skinner's disastrous attempt to impress his superior by inviting him over to lunch. Of course, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. He burns the original meal and in a desperate attempt to save face, Skinner runs across the street to a local Krusty Burger. He then tries to pass off the Krusty burgers as "steamed hams," a line that has become synonymous with the episode segment. The shenanigans result in Skinner lighting his kitchen on fire and then claiming it's merely the Aurora Borealis, one of the most hilarious and memorable exchanges in the episode.
For the 25th anniversary former showrunners Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, current showrunner Al Jean, and episode director Jim Reardon, along with prolific voice actor Hank Azaria, sat down with the Hollywood Reporter to discuss the creation of the episode and what makes it so popular today. For the episode, each writer picked stories out of a hat, and Oakley got "Skinner & the Superintendent." Oakley said, "I wrote it all one afternoon. Once I got the premise, it came out pretty fast because all I wanted was food that rhymes." In the interview, they also reveal that the classic episode almost spawned a spin-off. According to Oakley "It was going to be called 'Springfield.' And it wasn’t going to be just about the minor characters, there would be other things that were outside the normal Springfield universe. And the episodes would be free-form." Sadly, the spin-off never took form, with Oakley and Weinstein citing executive producer James L. Brooks' lack of interest as the reason.
Discussing the recent internet memeification of "Steamed Hams," the creators seem to be both perplexed and enthusiastic, admitting they don't really know why it's taken on such popularity but are happy and impressed with what they've seen. However, Superintendent Chalmers actor Azaria may have actually hit the nail on the head, saying "My assistant recently mentioned to me that she thought maybe one of the deeper meanings behind it became, in this day in age, people just say whatever lie they feel like saying. So, claiming the aurora borealis is in the kitchen makes about as much sense as other things people claim. And asking, "May I see it?" just sums up the moment we are in, where it is like, "Can you prove to me that’s true?"
While the episode was popular at the time, replicating and referencing hit films such as Pulp Fiction, it eventually faded into the background as the show moved on. That is until the internet got ahold of it. Decades after its release, "Steamed Hams" has become an internet darling, memed into the starlight again by fans creating their own hilarious and clever renditions. These include such classics as "Steamed Hams but There's a Different Animator Every 13 Seconds," a version re-done entirely out of LEGO, and a particularly impressive recreation done in the style of A-ha's "Take On Me."
The Simpsons is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter