Moe Szyslak
Encyclopedia : M : MO : MOE : Moe Szyslak
Morris Lester Szyslak (pronounced SIZZ-lack, as opposed to the Polish pronunciation, SHISS-laak) is a fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria. Moe is the proprietor and only bartender of Moe's Tavern ("Where nobody knows your name"—a spoof on the Cheers theme song, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name") , the regular watering hole of Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard, and many others. Moe is most famously noted on the show for his short, violent temper and homicidal and suicidal tendencies. Hank Azaria says Moe's voice is based on that of Al Pacino with a sore throat.
Name and ethnicity
Moe's full name is Momar or Morris Szyslak (as stated by his waitress in "Flaming Moe's"). Though popularly believed to be of Italian descent, his ethnicity is still unclear, with several jokes in individual episodes suggesting different ethnic backgrounds. In "Flaming Moe's", he states that his forefathers were "bartenders to the Tsar". In a different episode, his "inner child" speaks to him with a heavy Italian accent; after hearing his inner child, he puts both his hands on his cheeks and yells "Mamma Mia!". In the commentary to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (Part 1), the creators revealed the last name Szyslak was given to him so he had the initials M.S. and could be suspected of being the one who shot Burns (it's also revealed that they came up with his last name by looking through a Phonebook.) In Bart-Mangled Banner, he insists he is Dutch. There is also ambiguity as to what religion Moe practises, or if he practises at all. In one episode, he claims to be a snake handler. In another, he mentions his Moonie wedding. It is known that he was once a Christian as a part of Reverend Lovejoy's church until he was banned. However, he is regularly to be seen as part of the congregation whenever the First Church of Springfield is featured. Moe claims that, as a child, he was one of the original Little Rascals; however, this would mean that he was born circa the 1910s, making him over ninety years old. On the other hand, flashbacks have depicted him as being comparatively young during Homer's youth. As a young man, Moe was a professional boxer named "Kid Gorgeous", although as his fights took their toll on his looks he subsequently renamed himself "Kid Presentable", "Kid Gruesome", and finally, "Kid Moe." The circumstances under which he left boxing was because he was knocked out 40 times in a row but blames it on poltics ("The Homer They Fall")Love life
Moe is usually single, although he had a girlfriend once for a short time named Renee (voiced by Helen Hunt; "Dumbbell Indemnity"), as well as a girlfriend in the short "The Love-matic Grampa". In the classic episode "Flaming Moe's", he slept with his female fellow bartender, Colette. Moe was in love and planned to elope with Edna Krabappel and is possibly continuing the affair as of Season 17 ("The Seemingly Never-Ending Story"). However, since Season 5 ("Secrets of a Successful Marriage") he has been infatuated with Marge Simpson, whom he commonly pet-named "Midge." Moe told Marge that he did not just like her, but that he actually loved her, in Season 16 ("Mommie Beerest") but she explained that Homer will always be her true love. It was also during this episode where he angrily declared that "One thing Moe Szyslak has never had is a partner. Nor a wife, a friend, a chum, a casual acquaintance, a pen pal, a parrot, a meaningful conversation, a brief hug, or eye contact." Moe's emotional and sexual infatuation with Marge is also highlighted in episodes like "Tales from the Public Domain","Mommie Beerest","The Wettest Stories Ever Told" and "". Moe is a convicted sex offender. In one classic scene at the Tavern, also featuring Homer and an anonymous drinker, the characters were sharing tales of bitter experiences with their partners when Moe shared that "the girl I'm stalkin' had me bumped back to 500 yards".Personality
Moe regularly threatens his customers, friends, and complete strangers. He has aimed a shotgun at Homer for not settling his bill and once even robbed Homer for his six hundred dollars pants while pointing the shotgun at him, and has also been more than willing to break Homer's legs for an insurance scam.Homer, Barney, Lenny, Carl and two rarely-speaking barflies named Sam and Larry are virtually his only customers. This has not stopped him from periodically banning them (especially Homer). He always lets them back in eventually, however.
Moe can often be seen at the forefront of the frequent mob gatherings that occur in Springfield, and appears to have a particular antipathy towards scientific theory. In one episode, Springfield unites against Lisa Simpson who questions the veracity of an angel skeleton. In a very short time, the citizens launch a mob attack against the town's scientific institutions, and Moe decides to destroy the skeleton of a woolly mammoth at the Springfield Natural History Museum, yelling "Take that, science!" Predictably, the huge skeleton falls over, crushing him. "Oof, I'm paralyzed," observes Moe. "I only hope medical science can cure me."
Adding to Moe's awkward, violent and often creepy behaviour are his obsessive tendencies. He's been known to stalk people around Springfield, such as the local mail lady, various celebrities, and Maude Flanders. "Moe Baby Blues" (Season 14) features a scene when Moe sneaks into Maggie Simpson's bedroom at night and admits that he personalized her room with a video camera and baby monitor. However, it was revealed that his intentions were harmless, and he only wanted to protect her. More recently, it was proven that Moe stole Homer and Marge's wedding albums and had replaced all of Homer's photos with pictures of himself, fantasizing that he is married to Marge (à la horror movie One Hour Photo). He did this in his bar while singing "Here Comes the Bride". This is a possible reference to Season 16 ("Mommie Beerest"). Moe also kidnaps Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne, only to co-produce a song with him that later receives radio airplay.
Moe claims that his annual Christmas tradition is to attempt suicide. He does, in fact, support this statement by trying to kill himself in nearly every Christmas episode of The Simpsons. However, all of these attempts backfire somehow, leaving Moe alive and even more depressed.
Moe does have a gentle side, however, having been known to read books for sick children and homeless people (he threatened Ned with violence should he reveal this fact). Moe has shown a love for cats and the rats who occupy the bar. In "Moe Baby Blues," when Moe was contemplating suicide by jumping off a bridge, he unexpectedly saved the life of Maggie and then found meaning to his own life by looking after her. In return, Maggie shows a lot of affection towards Moe... perhaps even more so than Homer as she quite obviously favors Moe's company. This is because Homer has a tendency to forget Maggie exists whereas Moe treats her like she's special. This has been Moe's most prominently redeeming feature to contrast his usual questionable behavior. In "The Way We Weren't", it emerges that Moe was left at summer camp by his parents, who never came back for him.
His favorite football team, as stated in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", is the Atlanta Falcons.
In a number of episodes, it has been mentioned that Moe apparently owns a cat named Mr. Snookums, who he cuddles and talks to in a highly sentimental and sugary manner. ("Oooh Mr. Snookums, I wuv you!")
Shady business
Moe has used his bar as a front for a number of illegal businesses, including a panda-smuggling ring, a killer whale-smuggling ring, a Russian roulette game (in an homage to The Deer Hunter), an unlicensed casino, and a speakeasy during a brief period in which Springfield belatedy enforced Prohibition. He has also helped to ransack all Springfield science institutes, and even (accidentally) broke into his own bar to steal the cash register amidst a townwide riot. When Homer informed him his pants were expensive, Moe ordered him to give them to him at gunpoint, saying "Yeah, I rob now." He operates as an unlicensed surgeon, using his own bar as an operating room, as it says on his business card "That's right, I'm a surgeon."His claim to fame was the "Flaming Moe," a lit specialty drink whose secret ingredient is Krusty-brand cough syrup. The "Flaming Moe" provided the bar with one of its few brief eras of incredible success. It stood to make him a fortune, until Homer, the true inventor of the drink, exposed the secret ingredient, allowing several competitor knockoff drinks to spawn.
Prank calls
Moe is frequently the victim of prank double entendre telephone calls from Bart Simpson, often followed by a violent threat of vengeance from Moe. Bart's calls to Moe have asked for:- Maya Buttreeks (my butt reeks)
- Anita Bath (I need a bath) (Both this and Maya Buttreeks were used by Bart as fictitious children's names when Moe was applying as a Substitute for Bart's Class in "The PTA Disbands")
- I.P. Freely (I pee freely) (Channel 6 anchorman Kent Brockman also uttered that name when inquiring about a source after reading the story: "A fistfight is in progress in downtown Springfield. Early reports indicate, and this is very preliminary, that one of the fighters is a giant lizard.")
- Oliver Klozof (all of her clothes off) (Marge heard Moe's vengeance threat; this name was also heard in an episode of City Guys)
- Ollie Tabooger (I'll eat a booger) (backfired; Homer was running the bar at the time and didn't understand the joke)
- Jacques Strap (jock strap)
- Seymour Butts (see more butts) (This is also used in Futurama and a real-life actor with a similarly pronounced name)
- Homer Sexual (homosexual) (Principal Skinner heard Moe's vengeance threat)
- Mike Rotch (my crotch) (This clip can be heard in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Phony Calls.")
- Bea O'Problem (B.O. problem)
- Amanda Huggenkiss (A man to hug and kiss)
- Hugh Jass (huge ass) (backfired; there was a Hugh Jass present, was in the Flaming Moe episode when the bar was crowded)
- Ivana Tinkle (I wanna tinkle)
- Moe Lester (molester) Moe asks for the customer, then stops and says, "wait a minute, that's me!" (suggesting that "Lester" is Moe's middle name)
- Heywood U. Cuddleme (hey would you cuddle me?) (This prank call was done on a telegraph, as the Simpsons were living in a house from 1895 when Bart did this one. A somewhat more gentle variant of "Heywood Jablome". The telegraphic response from Moe is equally hilarious and goes "I'm gonna drive a golden spike where your Union meets your Central Pacific")
- I'm a stupid moron, with an ugly face, and a big butt, and my butt smells, and I like to kiss my own butt. (When, in a Halloween episode, Bart had a Twilight Zone-esque power to transform people effectively blackmailing Moe into saying it despite the obviousness of the prank.)
- I.M Stilaweener (I am still a wiener; In Dial M for Moe comic.)
- Some of the prank calls Bart makes in the video game, include:
- *Stu Piddiddiot (stupid idiot)
- *Isobel Ringing (Is a bell ringing?)
- *Al Coholic (alcoholic) (This also appeared on the show, as the first prank call we see.)
- *I. M. Adope (I am a dope)
- Homer once called and asked for "Eura Snotball" (You're a snotball), the gag intentionally backfiring so Homer can threaten Moe.
- Mr. Burns once tried to call Smithers when he was on vacation and typed in SMITHERS (764-8437) on his "telephone machine". This is apparently Moe's tavern's phone number, and when Burns asked for "Smithers, first name Waylon", Moe presumed it was a prank and threatened him.
Episodes Starring Moe
This is a list of Simpsons episodes in which Moe Szyslak plays a substantial role in driving the plot, not simply a supporting role.- Flaming Moe's (Season 3, Episode 10) Moe hits the big time when he steals Homer's drink recipe.
- Dumbbell Indemnity (Season 9, Episode 16) Trying to impress a new girlfriend leads Moe into insurance fraud.
- Pygmoelian (Season 11, Episode 16) Plastic surgery allows Moe to become a soap star.
- Homer the Moe (Season 13, Episode 3) Homer and Moe become rival bartenders when Moe's Tavern goes postmodern and Homer opens his own bar in his garage.
- Moe Baby Blues (Season 14, Episode 22) Maggie becomes Moe's new reason for living after he saves her life.
- Mommie Beerest (Season 16, Episode 7) Marge becomes co-owner of the bar and unlikely friend to Moe.
- The Seemingly Never-Ending Story (Season 17) A major part of Moe's romantic life and past is revealed in this chain of stories.
- Moe'n'a Lisa (Season 18) With the support of Lisa, Moe discovers a talent for creative writing.
Appearances in other media
- Appears in The Simpsons comic series and Bart Simpson comic series.
- Stars in his own comic series with Maggie Simpson: Maggie & Moe Mysteries, appearing in Bart Simpson Comic #24 and Simpsons Comics #144.
- Is a playable character in the racing video game The Simpsons Road Rage.
- Appears in Grand Theft Auto-style video game The Simpsons Hit & Run.
Moe's Tavern
Moe's Tavern is located on the corner of Walnut Street, neighboring King Toot's Music Store. Across the street is the Moeview Motel, and a factory formerly owned by Bart Simpson, until it collapsed. The inside of the bar has a few pool tables and a dartboard. It is very dank and "smells like tinkle." Because female customers are so rare, Moe frequently uses the women's restroom as an office. Moe claimed that there haven't been any ladies at Moe's since 1979 (though earlier episodes show otherwise). A jar of pickled eggs perpetually stands on the bar. In "Who Shot Mr. Burns," Moe's Tavern was forced to close down because Mr. Burns' slant-drilling operation near the tavern caused unsafe pollution. It was stated in the "Flaming Moe's" episode that Moe's Tavern was on Walnut Street. The phone number would be 764-8437, since in "Homer the Smithers," Mr. Burns tried to call Smithers but did not know his phone number, and tried the buttons marked with the letters for SMITHERS. The bar serves Duff Beer and Red Tick Lager, a beer flavored with dogs.Moe's may actually be an illegal speakeasy, since in the episode "Pygmoelian" Lenny noticed that the bar's liquor license expired in 1973, was valid only in Rhode Island and was signed by Moe himself (although Moe had intended to get it updated to the current year, the correct state, and real).
In one episode it has been shown that Homer was able to walk to Moe's Tavern only a few doors down from his house. This did not make sense as it has been shown many times the surroundings of where Moe's is situtated is not close to the Simpsons house.
Moe's Tavern is based on a real bar called Fireside. It is located near Loyola Marymount University where writer/producer David Mirkin went to college. ([View] on Google Maps)
On the Middle East Broadcasting Center on the Arab version of the show, where The Simpsons is known as Al Shamshoon, they drink soda at Moe's Tavern because alcoholic beer is forbidden in Islam.
His bar features a love tester (which was briefly inhabited by Grampa Simpson in a fictional spinoff series), a bull-riding machine, a racing washing machine and dryer sold to him by Herb Powell, and a pool table, to which Barney Gumble once made sweet love.
In the episode "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", we also find out that Montgomery Burns was once an employee of Moe's Tavern after he lost the nuclear plant in a bet. He later found and stole Moe's treasure to buy back the plant.
Incarnations
Moe's Tavern has been reinvented a few times over the years. During these times, at least, he had many more customers, including females.- When Homer's cocktail drink in the episode "Flaming Moe's" was popular, Moe renamed his tavern "Flaming Moe's."
- In "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," a flashback shows the bar with the name "Moe's Cavern" in reference to the Cavern Club where the Beatles got their start.
- Moe's was briefly converted into a family restaurant called "Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag" in "Bart Sells His Soul."
- In "My Sister, My Sitter", it appears that Moe has moved to a new location on the Squidport named "Moe's Brewing Co." Homer is amazed that Moe's moved to a fancier place. In fact, it was actually a long tunnel that lead to the original Moe's. A visitor remarked, "Hey, this isn't faux dive. This is a dive," to which Moe replies "You're a long way from home, yuppie-boy. I'll start a tab."
- In the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment", during a brief period of Prohibition, Moe's Tavern is converted into a speakeasy. The sign on the front reads "Moe's Pet Shop", and the bar and booths flip over to display pet cages when the feds show up to bust the speakeasy.
- Moe revamped his tavern for yuppie hipsters, renaming the bar "M" in "Homer the Moe," a parody of the famous "W" hotel in Chicago.
- Since Homer took a mortgage on his house to save Moe's, Marge partners up with Moe to revamp the bar as an English pub called "The Nag & Weasel" in "Mommie Beerest."
- When Homer convinced the town that the rapture was coming in "Thank God It's Doomsday", Moe sold his bar to Japanese businessmen who converted it into a sushi restaurant named "Tokyo Roe's".
Regular customers
It appears that Moe's tavern has only six regular patrons, namely Homer, Barney, Lenny, Carl, Sam and Larry. Moe once pointed out that due to their frequent habit of drunk-driving, "92% of all traffic accidents in this city are caused by you six guys."Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble is single, an alcoholic (after being introduced to beer by Homer Simpson as a teenager), and living in an incredibly messy apartment near the state penitentiary (or sometimes right above Moe's bar), Barney arguably remains Homer's best friend. His desperation for alcohol has been the source of many jokes. He remains friendly and good-natured despite his unfortunate condition. In early episodes, he appears to be a parody of Barney Rubble, similar appearance, hair color, clothing color, just much larger in size. In some ways, Barney also resembles "Norm" from Cheers, the heavy-set guy at the end of the bar. He manages to make a living selling his body for medical experiments, which has led to some interesting changes. Barney has demonstrated considerable talents as a singer, filmmaker, astronaut, orator, painter, helicopter pilot, and snow plow driver, but keeps getting foiled by his various addictions. He has drunk a can of turpentine, a bottle of brake fluid, a can of varnish, and even a cup of quarters at Mr. Burns' Casino.
In "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses," Barney finally kicked the alcoholism and transferred his addiction to espresso, which led to the disappearance of his trademark belch. He had a relapse in "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" and was back on the sauce in "My Big Fat Geek Wedding" (in a scene that was a parody of Jimmy Stewart's Harvey). By the end of season 15, he was back in all his fat, lovable, belching glory.
Barney's bar tab was so large that Moe had to send it to NASA to get it calculated. It totalled $14 billion. Initially, it was believed to be $80 billion, but that was revealed to be the cost of the Voyager space craft.
Other regulars
The scene is usually set in Moe's Tavern when Homer Simpson is there. While there, we often see Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson and occasionally Charlie, Homer's colleagues at the nuclear plant. People with problems also stop by for advice (e.g. Apu's romantic gifts, Principal Skinner's cold feet at the altar, etc.).The two barflies usually seen are Sam and Larry. Sam always wears a cap and Larry has a balding head. Sam appeared to get shot by Moe, but has appeared since. Virtually nothing is known about them, not unlike various barflies on the series Cheers.
Celebrity patrons
- Aerosmith — "Flaming Moe's"
- Stephen Hawking — "They Saved Lisa's Brain" and "Don't Fear the Roofer"
- U2 — "Trash of the Titans"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Krusty Gets Kancelled"
- Jay Leno — "The Last Temptation of Krust"
- Wade Boggs — "Homer at the Bat"
- Johnny Carson — "Krusty Gets Kancelled"
- Joe Frazier — "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
- Jamie Farr — Fear of Flying (An autographed photo with the Legend: 'To Moe, the Inspiration for Corporal Klinger...now where's my beer?')
Performances
A small stage stands at one end and has been host to a few performances- Aerosmith — "Flaming Moe's"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Krusty Gets Kancelled"
- The Be Sharps — "Homer's Barbershop Quartet"
- Krusty the Clown — during his "rebel comic" phase in "The Last Temptation of Krust"
Others
Barflies named Sam and Larry, the owner of King Toots, all the characters in the show voiced by Jon Lovitz drinking at once, a man with glasses that are out of focus, Hugh Jass, an unnamed person who has a cowlick and easily passes out, a gay man who was under the impression that it was a gay bar, a woman from Seasons 2-4 have appeared, and Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo (a man seen in "The Last Temptation of Homer" whose name Homer uses as an alias and Moe insults the name, Shabadoo bursting into tears and running out of the bar).Also a possible patron was a man who looked like Homer but had a moustache and wearing top hat and tails named "Guy Incognito" was wanting to order a drink one time but Moe thought it was Homer (Homer was banned from Moe's in that episode) in disguise and kicked him out not realising his error. Homer sees this man lying in the gutter out the front of Moe's and realises he looks just like him but instead of investigating this further, Homer chases after a dog with a puffy tail.
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.