Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?
The Simpsons, season 3, episode 24. First aired August 27, 1992. 136 moments of about ten seconds each: open one for its frame, what happens and what's said.
← Bart's Friend Falls in Love Kamp Krusty → The whole episode as text
About the episode
When a company physical shows radiation has left Homer nearly sterile, Mr. Burns heads off a lawsuit by tricking him into signing a waiver disguised as a $2,000 award. Homer's penniless half-brother, Herb Powell, asks for the money to build a baby translator, and Homer hands it over. The invention makes Herb rich again, and he repays the family with gifts, including Homer's coveted vibrating chair.
- Written by
- John Swartzwelder
- Directed by
- Rich Moore
- Guest stars
- Danny DeVito as Herb Powell
- Chalkboard gag
I will not fake seizures
- Couch gag
- Cartwheels
- Production code
- 8F23
The synopsis is our own. Credits and guest stars from Wikipedia and the Simpsons wiki.
Every moment
-
Which is the opening title sequence of The Simpsons
“The Simpsons”
0:00–0:10 -
Bart is in a classroom at Springfield Elementary School, first seen through a window beneath a sign…
0:10–0:20 -
Bart rides a green skateboard through the air above an orange building against a blue sky with green clouds
0:20–0:32 -
Marge and Maggie stand beside a metal cage-like railing while a spiky-haired boy is partly hidden behind it
“Oh,”
0:32–0:44 -
Homer drives a pink car along a leafy street, eyes shut at first, then opening them wide in alarm with a hand…
0:44–0:55 -
Marge and Maggie in her car seat drive a red car along a winding road past a purple tree and a hilltop house
“my God.”
0:55–1:07 -
Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and baby Maggie appear in the living room, with Homer and Marge on the armchair…
1:07–1:19 -
Homer stands in a line of yellow men in underwear, including a tall figure with spiky black hair who may be…
“Forgot there was a physical today, huh?”
1:19–1:29 -
Homer and Lenny stand in a locker room, Homer on the left before a blue wall and brown door and Lenny…
“Forgot there was a physical today, huh?”
1:29–1:36 -
A lab-coated man with curly brown hair, captioned as producer John Swartzwelder, reads from a clipboard…
“This can't be right. This man has 104% body fat.”
1:36–1:43 -
Homer and Marge stand in the Simpsons' kitchen beside a green refrigerator and a wall calendar
“How was your day at work, dear?”
1:43–1:53 -
Mr. Burns and Smithers appear first in an aerial view of the Springfield nuclear power plant, with its twin…
“Sir, I'm afraid Homer Simpson is sterile.”
1:53–2:02 -
Cartoon sperm with yellow heads, glasses and tails swim inside a round blue-grey view against a black…
“Now, compare this with a normal sperm sample.”
2:02–2:13 -
Mr. Burns and his thin assistant Smithers lean over a microscope in a lab beside a small specimen tray…
“I'm afraid radiation from the plant is the reason he's shooting blanks.”
2:13–2:26 -
Mr. Burns stands in a dark suit and orange tie in a doorway, while Marge faces him and a thin brown-haired…
“But to me, you're all vipers. You live on personal injury.”
2:26–2:36 -
Mr. Burns wears a dark suit and orange tie while a grey-suited man with blue hair and glasses stands…
“I'll have some coffee. Want it black, don't you?”
2:36–2:49 -
Mr. Burns stands in a dark blue suit and orange tie, first in front of a picture on the wall…
“Please continue. If you offer Mr. Simpson a token sum, say a couple of thou,”
2:49–3:02 -
Mr. Burns talks with a man with blue hair and green glasses seen from behind, beside a window with a red…
“You have any cream? No, yes, of course. Where are my manners?”
3:02–3:12 -
A bearded man in a tattered orange-brown coat sits on a red couch between a mustached man in a brown fedora…
“And those Disney sleazeballs shut me down.”
3:12–3:21 -
A red-capped, orange-haired old man stands at the left of a dim, cave-like room beside a curly-haired man…
“Some guys you just can't reason with. Well, I used to own a successful car company.”
3:21–3:32 -
Homer Simpson first appears in a red-haired costume with an orange shirt, red jacket, and rope belt, stirring…
“Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, I got hit by one of those.”
3:32–3:43 -
Herb speaks into a microphone on a stage, then the scene shifts to a crowd of bald, grey-haired…
“Herb? I let him design a car that would make or break my company.”
3:43–3:53 -
Homer sits at the wheel of a lime-green flying car on a red stage ringed by a seated audience, while a man…
“Ruins!”
3:53–4:04 -
A curly red-haired man in a tan hat and red jacket, holding a lit cigar, speaks to the viewer, then the scene…
“Hey, I invented that.”
4:04–4:15 -
Krusty stands beside a man in a brown coat and bowler hat with a moustache, while a heavy man with messy…
“Because all a man really needs is an idea.”
4:15–4:22 -
Bart Simpson stands in a pink living room beside a staircase with a framed picture on the wall, gripping…
“And now, the next event in our Living Room Olympics, the always controversial Couch Vault.”
4:22–4:31 -
Bart aims a long vacuum hose at the torn brown couch in the pink living room, then slumps into the shredded…
“What the hell are you two?”
4:31–4:41 -
Homer, Bart and Lisa stand in a pink living room, with Homer in a white shirt and tie
“The arm, the seat, the dream is over.”
4:41–4:45 -
Lisa Simpson and Bart Simpson stand in front of a rainbow-striped couch and a blue window
“All right, who did this? We were just sitting on the couch, quietly chatting,”
4:45–4:55 -
Homer Simpson, Bart and Lisa stand together in the pink living room, with Bart in an orange shirt and Lisa…
“Well,”
4:55–5:04 -
Homer Simpson first kneels on the torn brown couch in the living room, then sits upright on it, staring ahead…
“We've had a lot of great memories.”
5:04–5:13 -
Marge Simpson, Homer, Lisa, Bart and Ned Flanders stand holding hands in a row on a multicolored round rug…
“Except for huge gaps in the western states, Hands Across America was a complete success.”
5:13–5:22 -
Homer Simpson slumps over the back of the brown couch in the living room, his arms folded on the cushions…
“Well, I never thought I'd say it. They're dancing on the Berlin Wall.”
5:22–5:32 -
Homer Simpson lies draped over the back of a brown couch in the pink living room, arms folded on the cushion…
“Sorry, I ruined your date, Sergeant Carter.”
5:32–5:41 -
Lisa and Bart stand watching in a pink room with yellow curtains as Homer leans over a brown armchair lying…
“Well, Fred, you're going back where you came from.”
5:41–5:50 -
A disheveled, unshaven man with messy hair, a dark jacket and torn olive-green pants sits on a pink wooden…
“What's the matter with me? I used to have hundreds of ideas.”
5:50–6:01 -
A shaggy-haired man with purple-grey hair, a brown jacket and a lavender shirt, whose face resembles Homer's…
“Do you want to go home?”
6:01–6:10 -
Homer Simpson sits slumped at a control console in the power plant control room, with Carl, a Black man…
“Hey, pal, I heard about the couch. Yeah, you gonna be okay?”
6:10–6:22 -
Homer Simpson sits at a control console in a white shirt and pink tie with a badge, arms crossed, while Carl…
“That's right.”
6:22–6:34 -
Mr. Burns sits in a tall red chair behind a desk, with his thin assistant Smithers in glasses standing…
“Is this the one with the lazy sperm?”
6:34–6:44 -
Mr. Burns sits at a purple desk with a pen resting on a sheet of paper, while a row of men in grey suits…
“Would I? All you have to do is sign this form.”
6:44–6:52 -
Mr. Burns sits at a desk in a navy suit and orange tie, while Smithers stands at the left edge
“All right, well, it just explains that you've won, yes, that's it,”
6:52–7:02 -
Mr. Burns stands behind a desk in a dark blue suit and orange tie, his hands moving expressively as he speaks
“won the first annual Montgomery Burns Award”
7:02–7:11 -
Homer Simpson sits at a desk in front of a bookshelf, holding a pen over a sheet of paper, and glances up…
“Don't I get some kind of trophy at a big awards ceremony?”
7:11–7:22 -
A row of identical yellow-suited chorus men and women in top hats, some unnamed one-off characters, performs…
“It's the first annual Montgomery Burns award for”
7:22–7:36 -
Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and a baby are seated in a balcony box, with Homer pressing his hands together…
“Yes,”
7:36–7:48 -
Mr. Burns stands behind a blue podium with a microphone on a stage with a staircase and a curved green…
“And now to present the award, here's former heavyweight champion,”
7:48–7:57 -
Mr. Burns stands at the right of a blue podium beside a bespectacled, bearded man in a black tuxedo and bow…
“Webster's Dictionary defines excellence as the quality or condition of being”
7:57–8:05 -
Mr. Burns stands in a tuxedo beside a blue podium, while a bespectacled, bearded man in a black tuxedo…
“And now the winner of the first annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding”
8:05–8:13 -
Homer Simpson in a black tuxedo and red bow tie sits beside Lisa Simpson, who wears a pink dress and tiara…
“Dad, you know you won. Don't jinx it. The winner, Homer Simpson.”
8:13–8:23 -
Homer stands in a balcony box between Bart and Lisa on the left and Marge with Maggie on the right, first…
8:23–8:33 -
Homer sits at a bar beside Carl, a Black man in a dark suit and black bow tie, both holding beer mugs
“Keep those pick legs coming, Mo. You clean me out, Smokin' Joe.”
8:33–8:42 -
Moe leans on the bar and scowls at Homer, who sits in a black tuxedo with a red bow tie, holding a beer mug…
“What's the matter, Homer? Come a bun too tight?”
8:42–8:55 -
Homer sits at a bar holding a glass of beer while Carl leans in beside him with an arm around his shoulder
“Homer, I know things are tough now. But one day you'll be walking along,”
8:55–9:04 -
Barney and a bearded Black man in a black tuxedo jacket and bow tie sit at a bar counter with a glass mug…
“Hey, Frasier, shut up! Bunny, you've been riding my back all night.”
9:04–9:11 -
Moe stands behind the bar drying a glass with a white towel while Homer sits hunched on a stool
“I think I'm gonna take a walk.”
9:11–9:18 -
Homer steps out of Moe's doorway, tugging at his cuffs and then walking onto the sidewalk past a legs-up…
“All right, a peanut!”
9:18–9:29 -
A red-haired man in an orange-brown jacket and green trousers, who looks like Homer but is not bald, stands…
“Then how come you're still a bum? All right, a man needs two things.”
9:29–9:41 -
Homer Simpson stands at night beside a hobo in a grey fedora and red jacket and a heavy man in a beanie…
“Local man Homer Simpson receives award and $2,000 check.”
9:41–9:50 -
A red-haired man in a dark jacket and green trousers runs alongside a moving train, passing a barrel of toxic…
“Uh-uh.”
9:50–10:01 -
Homer wanders a store and then stands with his arms raised beside a shelf of books, holding a gold…
“I feel so empty, so alone, so couchless.”
10:01–10:14 -
Homer sits in a blue chair beside a dark-haired man in a grey suit who holds a black remote with an orange…
“Give me full power. But, sir... Damn it!”
10:14–10:25 -
Homer Simpson, seen first from behind in blue trousers and grey shoes as he rushes forward through a black…
10:25–10:35 -
Homer Simpson sits in a huge blue recliner in the living room, first with his arms raised and then leaning…
“Dad?”
10:35–10:47 -
Marge Simpson and Homer Simpson stand in a store next to a large blue recliner with a red price tag hanging…
“This chair is $2,000.”
10:47–10:55 -
Homer Simpson sits in a blue reclining armchair in the living room, first talking and gesturing with one hand…
“I tried to fill it with family, religion, community service, but those were dead ends.”
10:55–11:06 -
Homer Simpson sits in a blue armchair in the living room, first grimacing, then gripping a black controller…
“All right, we won't get the chair. Now excuse me while I kiss the sky.”
11:06–11:18 -
Ned Flanders opens the purple front door of his house to a visitor, a man with shaggy brown hair and a dark…
“Hmm...”
11:18–11:29 -
Ned Flanders stands in a purple doorway greeting a disheveled, unkempt man in a dark jacket and olive…
“Oh, that's where you're wrong, friend. Aren't we in luck?”
11:29–11:40 -
Ned Flanders stands in a doorway with his wife, a woman with a tall reddish-orange hairdo and a pink vest…
“Hey, wait a minute. Dad, can I anoint the sores on his feet?”
11:40–11:54 -
At sunset, Ned Flanders in his green sweater and glasses stands with a curly-haired boy in a blue shirt…
“Marching as to war!”
11:54–12:04 -
Herb stands beside a pink arched door with a purple knocker and a window with an arched top
“What am I gonna say?”
12:04–12:14 -
Homer stands at the brown arched front door of a pink-walled house, then lies face down on the doorstep…
“Herb?”
12:14–12:25 -
Homer and Herb, who looks like Homer with brown hair and a blue suit and tie, are in a pink room…
“You're so glad to see me. I'm sorry, Homer, but I'm still mad at you.”
12:25–12:36 -
Herb stands in a pink hallway beside a staircase with Homer, who is bald and wears a white shirt, at left…
“I'll try, but I'm not making any promises.”
12:36–12:46 -
Marge with her tall blue beehive stands near a staircase in a pink room, wide-eyed and speaking, then Herb…
“Can't complain.”
12:46–12:57 -
Homer stands in the pink living room with Herb in a blue suit holding Maggie, Marge with her tall blue…
“On, off, on, off. Homer, he knows how to work a light switch.”
12:57–13:07 -
Marge smiles at the left edge while Homer eats from a spoon at the kitchen table beside a bowl, a plate…
“Mmm, this is really good, Marge. I got the recipe from the Utility Grade Beef Council.”
13:07–13:18 -
Bart and Lisa sit at a restaurant table with a man in a blue suit and grey tie who looks like Homer…
“Discarded pizza boxes are an inexpensive source of cheese.”
13:18–13:26 -
Herb in a blue suit and Lisa sit at a restaurant table with plates of food and water glasses, and Herb…
“Hey, if I wrote to you, what was I supposed to say?”
13:26–13:37 -
Herb leans over a blue crib rail to look down at Maggie, the baby lying inside with her head turned toward him
“Whether you're driving near or far, Powell makes a pow-pow powerful car.”
13:37–13:50 -
Homer leans over a crib and points at Maggie, who sucks a pacifier and wears a blue bow, before the family…
“One, two, three, Ventnor Avenue. And while on Ventnor Avenue,”
13:50–14:02 -
Lisa Simpson sits at a table beside a Monopoly box, laughing with her eyes shut and then gesturing…
“Of course, there is the unpleasant matter of the bill.”
14:02–14:10 -
Homer Simpson and Herb sit close together in a pink room with a red lamp, a green plant, and a purple dresser…
“That's all I got. Broke again, eh, Herb?”
14:10–14:18 -
Bart and Marge kneel on green carpet in front of a red brick fireplace
“Maybe we should play another game.”
14:18–14:28 -
Lisa Simpson stands beside a pink wall and yellow curtain, holding a glossy advertisement titled Great Books…
“Well, I think we should invest in a set of the great books of Western civilization.”
14:28–14:36 -
Lisa Simpson sits indoors in front of a pink wall, a yellow curtain and a window, holding a printed sheet…
“Each month, a new classic will be delivered to our door.”
14:36–14:43 -
Homer sits on a green couch against a pink wall, raising one finger while talking, then glancing sideways…
“Wait, Marge, didn't you want to spend that money on a vibrating chair?”
14:43–14:53 -
Bart, Marge with her tall blue beehive, Lisa, Homer with folded arms, and Herb in a suit sit together…
“Well, I really think we need to replace the washer and dryer.”
14:53–15:05 -
Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa are in a pink living room, with Marge, Bart and Lisa kneeling around a board game…
“Nah.”
15:05–15:18 -
At the dining table, Homer sits in a red chair in the foreground while Marge, with her tall blue beehive…
“Okay.”
15:18–15:31 -
Homer stands before an arched doorway with shelves, talking and gesturing with one hand, then looks wide-eyed…
“Take it easy, Homer.”
15:31–15:41 -
Herb grins with eyes closed and waves one hand in a pink room with an arched doorway and shelves
“Oh, Homer.”
15:41–15:51 -
Marge Simpson with her tall blue beehive and Lisa Simpson at the right edge watch Herb lean over a table…
“Homer, this is my invention.”
15:51–15:57 -
Homer sits with his eyes shut and mouth open in front of a red ribbon-like backdrop, and later Herb sits…
“What the?”
15:57–16:10 -
Lisa and Bart sit at a dining table in a pink room, with Maggie in her high chair and Marge…
“It measures the pitch, the frequency, and the urgency of a baby's cries.”
16:10–16:16 -
Maggie sits at a table on the left beside Marge, who has a tall blue beehive and a green top, while Homer…
“Then it tells whoever's around in plain English exactly what the baby is trying to say.”
16:16–16:24 -
Maggie sits at a bar counter beside Homer and Marge with her tall blue beehive and red beads
“Oh, that's a very clever idea.”
16:24–16:32 -
Lisa sits at a table with Homer, in his white shirt, on the left and Bart, in his orange shirt, on the right…
“I think we owe a debt to Uncle Herb. He took us into his home and Dad destroyed him.”
16:32–16:42 -
Homer leans over a yellow table in a pink room with an arched doorway, a red lamp and a dish on a shelf
“All right, Herb. I'll lend you the 2,000 bucks.”
16:42–16:50 -
Homer cradles Maggie, the baby with a blue bow and pacifier, who is holding a paper or clipboard, in a pink…
“Let's see. What could you be trying to say?”
16:50–16:57 -
Homer holds baby Maggie, who wears a blue bow, in a pink room with an oscilloscope and blue toy cars…
“Nothing downstairs.”
16:57–17:05 -
Carl starts by raising his hands beside a yellow curtain, then stands with his hands on his hips over Maggie…
“I'm scared. Hmm.”
17:05–17:12 -
Lisa leans over a prone Homer on the floor in front of the brown couch while Bart sits on the couch back…
“The amplitude of the sine wave is insufficient for burp me.”
17:12–17:24 -
Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie sit together on a red couch in a pink living room, with Homer in a white…
“Not really. We peeked inside while you were in the john.”
17:24–17:36 -
Homer, Bart, and Lisa sit on a red couch in the pink living room, with Marge and baby Maggie visible…
“Marge, you don't have to humor me. Well, it's pretty ingrained.”
17:36–17:49 -
Herb scowls in a pink living room while Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Marge holding Maggie with a pacifier watch…
“buttocks. Homer, could you stop thinking about your ass?”
17:49–18:01 -
Homer is seen in the first frame with his arms raised beside Herb, who looks like Homer with brown hair…
“You see? It tells you exactly what's on the baby's mind.”
18:01–18:14 -
Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and baby Maggie gather in a pink living room with a red sofa, while Herb stands…
“Well, Homer, now what do you think? I don't know, Herb.”
18:14–18:26 -
Homer starts at a cluttered workbench of gadgets with a green-lit box and a round metal dish, then stands…
“I have soiled myself.”
18:26–18:37 -
Marge first sits wide-eyed with a strained grin in a dim purple interior, then her eyes shift sideways…
“Don't worry.”
18:37–18:46 -
Marge stands beside a moustached man and a toddler as Santa's Little Helper leaps and circles…
“This radio-controlled plane gives your baby the chance to fly, just like my son here.”
18:46–19:00 -
Ned Flanders stands at the front of a classroom holding a remote on a long pole while a red toy airplane…
“He can execute the barrel roll, loop-de-loop,”
19:00–19:11 -
Herb stands beside a grey-haired older woman in front of a pink wall with a BABY TRANSLATOR sign…
“I only want to eat candy.”
19:11–19:23 -
A crowd gathers in an office hallway as a tan-dressed woman with a brown bob and white collar and a blonde…
“I'll take two. I'll take a dozen. I represent the Precious Baby Discount Stores.”
19:23–19:34 -
Homer in a white shirt, Marge with her tall blue beehive and red bead necklace, and baby Maggie…
“Homer, here's a check for $2,000.”
19:34–19:42 -
Herb and Lisa stand together in a pink room beside a red coat rack holding a purple coat and a framed painting
“Lisa, this is the first volume of the great books of Western civilization.”
19:42–19:54 -
Homer stands in a pink-walled room beside Bart, who wears a red cap and an orange shirt
“Now, Bart, I know you're too young for that machine gun you wanted,”
19:54–20:05 -
Bart Simpson sits on a maroon couch in front of a mantel with framed family portraits, holding a small white…
“Wow, the NRA.”
20:05–20:13 -
Herb stands in a pink hallway with an arched doorway and a framed portrait of Marge, gesturing and talking…
“Maggie, who brought me my fortune.”
20:13–20:22 -
Herb and Marge stand with baby Maggie in a pink hallway that has a framed portrait and a teapot on a table
“I'll get you something nice. Now, Marge...”
20:22–20:34 -
Moe and Barney are in the bar, with a blonde woman in an orange top and a man in a green cap and vest raising…
“and I sold the old ones for 50 bucks. No!”
20:34–20:42 -
Herb stands at left in a pink room beside a red side table and framed picture, facing Homer, who wears…
“Herb, I don't think there's a vibrating chair in that bag for me.”
20:42–20:48 -
Herb and Homer stand together at an orange front door with a purple knocker
“What do I get? What do I get? It's not another punch in the face, is it?”
20:48–20:57 -
Herb stands face to face with Homer, who wears a white shirt and blue pants, outside a building…
“I forgive you.”
20:57–21:05 -
Herb stands with Homer, the bald, heavy man in a white shirt, outside a building with arched windows…
“Give me a hug, brother.”
21:05–21:13 -
Homer and Herb stand on a street beside a beige Seatery delivery van with a 'NEW Spine Meter 2000' sign…
“Home where I bought you the damn chair.”
21:13–21:24 -
Homer lounges in a blue armchair while Marge knits on the brown couch, Lisa stands reading a red book…
21:24–21:27 -
Homer appears as a series of stretched, wiggling yellow cartoon figures drifting across a pale grey…
21:27–21:37 -
No Simpsons characters appear in this sequence; it is a black title-card sequence in the style of the show's…
“We'll be right back.”
21:37–21:47 -
No Simpsons characters appear in this moment; it is a black title card sequence of yellow credit text…
21:47–21:56 -
A black closing credits sequence of yellow text on a plain black background
21:56–22:06 -
A black closing credits sequence with yellow text
22:06–22:16 -
No Simpsons characters appear in this moment; it is a black closing credits roll
22:16–22:26 -
The scene is a black screen of yellow end credits listing production coordinators Miles Lewis Horst and Julia…
“Shh.”
22:26–22:35 -
Dark silhouettes of unnamed audience members sit in rows of a cinema, with one large curly-haired figure…
“Shh.”
22:35–22:45
Who's in it
Bart Simpson, Homer Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Moe Szyslak, Barney Gumble, Grampa Simpson, Principal Skinner, Krusty the Clown, Ned Flanders, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Waylon Smithers, Mr. Burns, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, Reverend Lovejoy, Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, Todd Flanders, Maude Flanders, Rod Flanders, Larry Dalrymple, Helen Lovejoy, Professor Frink, Sam, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Springfield bears, Akira Kurosawa, Blinky, Herb Powell, Joe Frazier, Tom Brokaw, Baby Translator Customer 1, Baby Translator Customer 2, Candy Baby, Candy Baby's mother, Crying Baby, Crying Baby's mother, Leash Boy, Mickey Mouse Bum, New Coke Inventor, Power Plant Doctor, Precious Baby Discount Stores representative, Professor Frink's son
Everyone who appears in it, from the Simpsons wiki. Every character