Marvin Monroe
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Dr. Marvin Monroe is a recurring character from the series The Simpsons.
He is a goofy, strangled-voiced local psychiatrist, once Mr. Burns' therapist. Monroe also promoted a series of subliminal weight-loss audio cassettes.
The Tattoo Guy from Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire is called Mervin Monroe, and is Dr. Marvin Monroe's younger brother, according to a Simpsons Trading Card. However, it is debatable whether the set is canon or not.
In Dead Putting Society, "Monroe" appears on a list of children participating in a miniature golf tournament, implying that Marvin has offspring. While "Wiggum," another name on the list, was eventually established as Chief Wiggum's son, nothing more was revealed about the Monroe family.
There was a plot conceived for Marvin in the early years. Marvin's real name was actually Marilyn (making him Marilyn Monroe), and due to constant teasing he changed his name and became a psychiatrist. This plot was confirmed by Matt Groening, but was never actually used.
Marvin Monroe appeared in Simpsons Comics #112 (a Halloween special) getting murdered in a secret torture house under Moe's Bar.
Death and Resurrection
Monroe was thought to have died during the sixth season, with the first indication of his death being a "Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital" in the seventh season premiere. The 138th episode retrospective confirmed Monroe's death during "the past year," and subsequent episodes showed his grave and a school gym named in his memory. Monroe's offscreen disappearance is an example of Chuck Cunningham syndrome.
Monroe was voiced by Harry Shearer, who reportedly wanted him removed from the show because doing the character's voice hurt his throat. However, in a message posted to alt.tv.simpsons, Shearer expressed dismay at the character's unexplained death: "If it came as a shock to you, imagine how I felt. Sure, the voice was a bitch, but you know at least flowers, a card, something..." [link]
In a 2000 interview[link] with The Onion, then-showrunner Mike Scully finally explained the rationale behind Monroe's fate:
O: When did Dr. Marvin Monroe die?MS: I remember that very well. I was in the room, and we just needed a name for a hospital. Somebody pitched "Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital," and we laughed and put it in the show. Then, later, somebody said, "Well, this means he'll have to be dead from now on." We just kind of shrugged and said, "Okay." We didn't see a lot in his future anyway. But it kind of happened in reverse. We had the joke of the hospital first, then decided he would have to die because of that.
O: I figured it was Harry Shearer [who played Marvin Monroe] throwing his weight around and saying, "I don't want to do this one anymore." I remember reading that it was hard on his voice.
MS: No, no. They never do that. They never complain.
After a ten-year hiatus, Dr. Marvin Monroe made a brief appearance in the season 15 episode "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife", claiming to have been "very sick." No explanation was given for his headstone, or the facilities named in his memory. Monroe has not appeared since.
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