The Old Man and the Lisa
The Simpsons, season 8, episode 21. First aired April 20, 1997. 137 moments of about ten seconds each: open one for its frame, what happens and what's said.
← The Canine Mutiny In Marge We Trust → The whole episode as text
About the episode
When Lisa challenges his boast about his wealth, Mr. Burns finds his fortune has shrunk, loses the rest on hopeless investments, and lands in the Springfield Retirement Castle after the bank sells his mansion to wrestler Bret Hart. He begs Lisa for help, and she starts him recycling. Burns makes a new fortune from it, but Lisa is horrified to find his plant grinding sea life into slurry.
- Written by
- John Swartzwelder
- Directed by
- Mark Kirkland
- Guest stars
- Bret Hart
- Couch gag
- Whack-A-Mole
- Production code
- 4F17
The synopsis is our own. Credits and guest stars from Wikipedia and the Simpsons wiki.
Every moment
-
Bart stands on the roof of a pink car with an arm raised while the brown greyhound Santa's Little Helper sits…
0:00–0:12 -
The living room is empty at first, with a brown couch, a sailboat painting, a lamp, a telephone and a striped…
0:12–0:23 -
No characters appear in this moment
0:23–0:29 -
Marge Simpson is in bed in a bedroom with pink walls and a dark wooden headboard
0:29–0:36 -
Bart and Homer, the bald man in a white shirt and blue jeans, sprawl on a pink couch in the living room…
“And now, the thrilling conclusion of Colonel Dracula joins the Navy.”
0:36–0:44 -
Homer, Marge holding baby Maggie, and Bart stand together in a pink arched doorway, with Homer and Bart…
“Lisa, what in the heck are you doing?”
0:44–0:54 -
Homer, Marge, Bart, Maggie and Lisa stand in the Simpson family kitchen, with Bart on the left in an orange…
“Well, recycling is useless, Lisa.”
0:54–1:06 -
Homer stands at left in a kitchen with a microwave and dish rack while Marge stands at right
“Mom, Mom, you're mixing polyethylene with polyurethane.”
1:06–1:19 -
Homer Simpson and Lisa Simpson stand in the Simpsons' kitchen with its purple cabinets and checkered floor
“Hey, I know where there's lots of paper.”
1:19–1:30 -
Homer Simpson stands in a purple kitchen holding several books, including one labeled Faulkner, and reaches…
“Oh, okay.”
1:30–1:43 -
Bart and Lisa are among a group of excited schoolchildren in a classroom, cheering with raised arms…
“Now, let's give a big Junior Achievers welcome to our guest speaker.”
1:43–1:55 -
Mr. Burns stands before a bush while Smithers stands to the left and a man in a purple shirt gestures…
“I'll keep it short and sweet.”
1:55–2:04 -
Mr. Burns stands in a office-like room in a dark teal suit and black tie, gesturing and speaking…
“These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business.”
2:04–2:17 -
Mr. Burns stands at the front of the Junior Achievers Club room beside Smithers, who wears glasses, a green…
“Well, I'm going to take advantage of this rare opportunity,”
2:17–2:30 -
Mr. Burns stands before a banner reading JUNIOR ACHIEVERS CLUB in a room with posters reading UP
“Are there any real questions?”
2:30–2:43 -
Lisa and Mr. Burns appear first over a dictionary page with the entries ragamuffin, redskin and rutabaga…
“I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that term, you adorable little ragamuffin.”
2:43–2:53 -
Principal Skinner stands at the left facing a row of seated children in a classroom with beige walls
“Hm. You never heard of recycling?”
2:53–2:59 -
Mr. Burns stands in a office next to a poster reading "I'M HIGH..." with a hang glider and a "CAPIT..."…
“Oh, so Mother Nature needs a favor.”
2:59–3:11 -
Lisa Simpson sits among classmates in a classroom, including a boy in a blue shirt, while Mr. Burns stands…
“But nature's not our enemy.”
3:11–3:21 -
Mr. Burns stands in a blue suit and black tie beside Lisa, the girl with star-shaped spiky hair and a pearl…
“Shut up, little girl.”
3:21–3:33 -
Mr. Burns and his thin assistant Smithers stand in an office corridor beside a door with a red alarm bell…
“I've... I've...”
3:33–3:42 -
Mr. Burns stands in a blue suit on a stage before a large heap of money, while Principal Skinner in a brown…
“I, um, have to go.”
3:42–3:53 -
Mr. Burns sits in a tall red chair behind a purple desk in his office while his thin assistant Smithers…
“I've called you all here because I need some honest answers.”
3:53–4:03 -
Mr. Burns sits at a purple desk in his office while a row of identical grey-suited men with red ties stands…
“Hmm.”
4:03–4:15 -
Mr. Burns sits in a tall red armchair behind a purple desk holding a manila folder, while a row of six…
“After all, you chose them. Mm-hmm.”
4:15–4:19 -
Two men in grey suits and red ties stand on either side of a glass dome on a wooden pedestal, with a cable…
“Here's where I stopped checking it last time.”
4:19–4:33 -
Mr. Burns stands in a wood-paneled room holding a long rope or leash in both hands while glaring at a thin…
“Oh, no. Oh, Smithers, why didn't you tell me about this market crash?”
4:33–4:43 -
Mr. Burns leans over a row of identical men in grey suits and red ties in a wood-panelled office lined…
“This calls for an aggressive trading strategy.”
4:43–4:50 -
Mr. Burns stands at left in a dark green suit and black tie, while Smithers stands at right in an olive suit…
“Transatlantic zeppelin, amalgamated spats, congreaves and flammable powders, U.S.”
4:50–4:58 -
Mr. Burns and his thin assistant Smithers in a purple bow tie stand before a row of identical grey-suited…
“That should set things right again, eh, boys?”
4:58–5:10 -
A short, brown-haired man in a purple button-up shirt and blue jeans stands outdoors in front of a brick wall…
“A half ton of newspaper and all we get is 75 cents?”
5:10–5:18 -
Homer stands at left facing a bearded man with long black hair in a pink and purple wavy-patterned shirt…
“It sounds like you're working for your car.”
5:18–5:31 -
Lisa Simpson sits in the back of a cream wood-paneled station wagon beside a grey-haired man in a purple…
“But we didn't do that badly. We collected enough paper to save one whole tree.”
5:31–5:41 -
Mr. Burns leans over his desk in a teal suit and points at a chart while Smithers stands beside him…
“Are you saying my money's all gone?”
5:41–5:52 -
Mr. Burns leans over a desk in a blue suit and black tie, glaring and pointing sharply to the side…
“I see it all now.”
5:52–6:03 -
Mr. Burns sits behind a desk in a tall red high-backed chair in a blue suit and black tie, with stacks…
“Then I'll fix this myself.”
6:03–6:15 -
Smithers and Mr. Burns are first seen at a desk with a nameplate reading C.M. Burns, where Smithers clasps…
“Well, the first thing you'll have to do is move out of the bank's house.”
6:15–6:26 -
Mr. Burns and his thin assistant Smithers in glasses and a bow tie appear in a grand mansion with white…
“Go on, get out of here.”
6:26–6:37 -
A blonde woman in a red suit with a pearl necklace and a briefcase stands talking with a muscular man…
“And I'm sure a pro wrestler such as yourself will appreciate all the closet space, Hitman.”
6:37–6:47 -
Mr. Burns holds a brown suitcase while his thin assistant Smithers steadies him by the back on a staircase…
“Ooh.”
6:47–6:59 -
A muscular man with long dark curly hair, visor sunglasses and a pink tank top flexes his arms in a pale room…
“Hey, I'll take it.”
6:59–7:05 -
Mr. Burns stands holding a gilded framed portrait of himself in a blue-walled room with a brown door and blue…
“Uh, would it be all right if I kept this portrait?”
7:05–7:15 -
Mr. Burns holds a gold-framed portrait of himself in a blue suit and looks down at it, then carries it out…
“Yeah, why indeed.”
7:15–7:21 -
Mr. Burns stands beside a bespectacled man in a green jacket, purple bow tie and name badge in an open…
“I'll make sure he forwards your social security check, sir.”
7:21–7:31 -
Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson sit at the kitchen table with Bart, Lisa and Maggie while they eat
“Homer, you didn't tell me Mr. Burns went broke and lost the nuclear power plant.”
7:31–7:45 -
Bart and Homer stand together in a purple kitchen with a microwave and red utensils on the wall, while Lisa…
“You found a candy bar? Oh, yes. Gather round my son and I shall tell you a tale.”
7:45–7:57 -
Homer and Marge stand at a kitchen counter with pink utensils hung on a rack
“They're not going to close the plant, are they?”
7:57–8:07 -
Lenny sits at a desk in a red wingback chair beside a small computer monitor and a LENNY nameplate
“Work harder, bye.”
8:07–8:19 -
Smithers sits at a round table in a pink dining room across from Mr. Burns, the frail, stooped old man…
“Well, sir, I have to get to work.”
8:19–8:29 -
Mr. Burns and Smithers are in a pink kitchen dining area with a framed landscape painting on the wall
“Uh, no, no.”
8:29–8:39 -
Mr. Burns appears first standing near a round table with a white cloth in a pink kitchen, then a yellow hand…
“Ah, here's a chance to earn my keep.”
8:39–8:51 -
Mr. Burns waits at a curb on a city street lined with brick and pastel storefronts, beside a green bench…
“Grocery store, please.”
8:51–8:57 -
Mr. Burns and Barney ride a bus together
“I am riding on the bus.”
8:57–9:09 -
Mr. Burns pushes a red shopping cart through a grocery store and studies a pink slip while Mrs. Krabappel…
“I'm shopping.”
9:09–9:21 -
Krusty the Clown stands beside a shopping cart in a supermarket cereal aisle, first holding up a box…
“Oh, excuse me, could you tell me where I might find the Burns ooze?”
9:21–9:32 -
Mr. Burns stands in a store aisle beside shelves of Count Chocula and Kwisp cereal boxes, first leaning…
“Yeah. I suppose this one looks a bit like me.”
9:32–9:39 -
Mr. Burns stands in a shop beside a glass-doored refrigerator stocked with milk and water bottles…
“Oh, thank you, Shopee.”
9:39–9:50 -
A cartoon yellow hand, with no other person visible, holds a red bottle in a supermarket aisle with a blue…
“Ketchup.”
9:50–9:57 -
Mr. Burns stands in a grocery aisle beside a red shopping cart, holding two ketchup bottles and gazing at them
“I'm in way over my head. He's talking to the ketchup now.”
9:57–10:10 -
Inside the Kwik-E-Mart, frail, stooped Mr. Burns with a hooked nose and grey hair at the sides holds two red…
“Could you come along with us, sir?”
10:10–10:21 -
Chief Wiggum grips the arm of Mr. Burns, the frail, stooped old man with a hooked nose and grey hair…
“Where are you taking me? What's happening?”
10:21–10:32 -
Mr. Burns stands outdoors in a white shirt on a sidewalk beside a green lawn and trees, with his eyes wide…
“But I'm shopping.”
10:32–10:44 -
Homer Simpson and Lisa Simpson stand in the kitchen beside an orange cabinet with glass doors holding wine…
“Dad, if you just drink one more, I'll have a full bag.”
10:44–10:53 -
Homer and Lisa stand in the kitchen beside a cork bulletin board and purple cabinets
“Hey, why don't you try the old folks' home?”
10:53–11:04 -
Mr. Burns sits across a cafeteria table from Grampa and a tan shirt with a bolo tie
“That's the activity room. We're not allowed in there.”
11:04–11:15 -
Mr. Burns sits at a table with Grampa and Grampa talks and points while Burns listens
“Best bet is to stake yourself out a good spot at the staring window.”
11:15–11:25 -
Several elderly residents stand in a line before an AVAILABLE ROOMS board, including a woman in a pink dress…
“Don't tear my heart, my achy-breaking heart.”
11:25–11:36 -
A group of older one-off characters stands in a yellow-walled room, with an elderly woman in a blue dress…
“That's the spirit.”
11:36–11:38 -
Mr. Burns is first seen in a close-up in a white shirt, scowling beside a blue lamp
“So this is how the Monty Burns saga ends.”
11:38–11:48 -
Marge stands facing Mr. Burns, the frail, stooped old man with a hooked nose and grey hair at the sides…
“If I hadn't surrounded myself with those spineless yes-men.”
11:48–11:57 -
Grampa sits in a brown armchair in a room with green walls and a red chair, while Lisa Simpson stands…
“Sorry, we're not allowed to read newspapers.”
11:57–12:11 -
Lisa Simpson stands in a green-walled office with a counter and a lamp while Mr. Burns smiles and leans…
“Ha, I'd never help you. You're the worst man in the world.”
12:11–12:24 -
Mr. Burns stands with clenched fists at a counter in a green-walled room with red bench seats, facing…
“Not now, Smithers. I've got an empire to rebuild.”
12:24–12:31 -
Lisa Simpson runs across a grassy park flying a pink kite with a cat face while Milhouse chases after it…
“Please!”
12:31–12:42 -
Lisa Simpson stands on a city street in front of a building numbered 111 and a yellow van, with a green car…
“Please!”
12:42–12:47 -
Lisa Simpson rides a carousel horse with a green saddle while Mr. Burns clutches a pole on a grey horse…
“Please!”
12:47–12:55 -
Homer stands at the left of a pink arched doorway facing Mr. Burns, a frail, very thin, stooped old man…
“Sir, we've never met before, but my name is Mr.”
12:55–13:02 -
Homer stands in the arched doorway of the pink house while Mr. Burns stands outside on the walkway…
“You mean Maggie?”
13:02–13:12 -
Homer and Mr. Burns stand at the foot of a purple-railed staircase in a pink hallway as Lisa sits…
“So, um, how's life in the gutter?”
13:12–13:25 -
Mr. Burns stands in a doorway beside a purple doorknob, pressing his hands together in a pleading gesture…
“Please.”
13:25–13:31 -
Lisa and Homer appear on a staircase with purple carpeted steps and red risers beside a pink wall…
“Well, if I did agree to help you,”
13:31–13:41 -
Lisa stands on the left by a staircase while Mr. Burns kneels on the pink-walled floor facing…
“Nothing evil. Nothing evil.”
13:41–13:49 -
Homer Simpson and Bart Simpson sit in the living room on a brown couch in front of a purple TV…
“See that, boy? Why aren't you making any business deals?”
13:49–13:56 -
Lisa Simpson in her red dress and Mr. Burns stand on a sandy beach beside the blue ocean
“You mean there are actually people who will pay good money for garbage?”
13:56–14:08 -
Mr. Burns stands on a sandy beach beside Lisa, the girl with spiky star-shaped hair, a red dress and a pearl…
“Each can will get you a nickel. Oh, don't poo-poo a nickel, Lisa.”
14:08–14:16 -
Lisa stands on a sandy beach beside Mr. Burns, the frail, stooped old man with a hooked nose, grey hair…
“With enough change left over to ride the trolley from Battery Park to the Polo Grounds.”
14:16–14:25 -
Lisa Simpson and the frail, stooped Mr. Burns stand on a sandy beach beside blue water
“You have to cut these six-pack holders up, otherwise fish get trapped in them.”
14:25–14:36 -
Mr. Burns hands a small item across the counter to a bearded man with a black ponytail and pink tie-dyed…
14:36–14:43 -
Mr. Burns first stands in a grassy park wearing a white shirt and khaki trousers, carrying a blue sack…
“My first dollar.”
14:43–14:52 -
Mr. Burns stands with Lisa, who wears an orange skirt and pearl necklace, beside stacked yellow, blue…
“Thanks to you, Lisa, and our hemp-smoking friend.”
14:52–15:03 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa in her red dress and pearl necklace stand by a chain-link fence beside a pile of litter…
“Well, Lisa, as my advisor, You're entitled to 10%.”
15:03–15:11 -
Mr. Burns leans on his knee beside Lisa, the girl with star-shaped spiky hair, red dress and pearl necklace…
“I'm just happy knowing that future generations will enjoy unspoiled median strips and”
15:11–15:18 -
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie sit on their brown couch in the living room, with Santa's Little Helper…
“And from our It's Funny When It Happens to Them file,”
15:18–15:32 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in a pink room beside a teal telephone and a purple lamp, clenching his fists…
“Please be Flanders. Please be Flanders. Please be Flanders.”
15:32–15:35 -
Mr. Burns pushes a red wagon full of cans through a brick alley, then reaches into a pair of grey trash cans
“Excuse me, Mr. Burns.”
15:35–15:48 -
Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa sit together on a brown couch in a pink living room, with a framed seascape…
“Wow, he went from stinking rich to just plain stinking.”
15:48–16:01 -
Marge sits beside Bart at the left edge, and then Homer, Bart, Marge and Lisa sit together on a couch…
“He's different now. Yeah, he's broke.”
16:01–16:15 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa in her red dress and pearl necklace stand in a green-walled room beside a wall vent…
“Oh, you've really turned my life around these past few weeks, Lisa.”
16:15–16:27 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa stand together in a cluttered storeroom with boxes, a bundled stack of papers tied…
“Mr. Burns, if you want people to do a good job, you can't bully them.”
16:27–16:34 -
Grampa stands in a cluttered recycling center beside a bald, bearded heavy man in a green vest, who holds…
“People, if we meet this week's quota,”
16:34–16:44 -
Lisa sits in a kitchen reading the Springfield Shopper, whose front page headline reads…
“Wow, even I didn't know he was so committed to recycling.”
16:44–16:56 -
Lisa, Maggie, Bart and Homer sit at the blue-clothed kitchen table while Marge stands behind them…
“Lisa, nobody likes a gloater, right, homie?”
16:56–17:05 -
Mr. Burns stands at a wooden podium with microphones and talks while raising a finger, then grips a long…
“Yes, thank you, everyone. But 10% of your applause should go to my little partner,”
17:05–17:15 -
Mr. Burns stands in a blue hallway beside Lisa, the girl with star-shaped spiky hair in a red dress…
“Oh, ain't that cute?”
17:15–17:28 -
Lisa Simpson and Mr. Burns stand inside a bright blue industrial plant with tall green and blue bottle-glass…
“The whole plant is environmentally sound.”
17:28–17:39 -
Mr. Burns and Barney stand beside a window of green bottle-patterned glass while Lisa peeks in at the left
“Hey!”
17:39–17:51 -
Lisa Simpson and Mr. Burns are in a blue-walled room with a large pile of cash against the right wall, a red…
“I'm so proud of you, Mr. Burns. You're getting your fortune back,”
17:51–18:03 -
Lisa Simpson peers through a large white plastic six-pack ring while Mr. Burns and wearing a white shirt…
“I couldn't watch your demonstration of the fish caught in the plastic rings without”
18:03–18:13 -
Mr. Burns stands in a white shirt beside a machine, gesturing with his hand and then pointing at a pile…
“I figured if one six-pack holder will catch one fish,”
18:13–18:26 -
Mr. Burns stands at a railing beside Lisa, who has star-shaped spiky hair and wears a red dress and pearl…
“I call it the Burns Omni-Net. It sweeps the sea clean.”
18:26–18:36 -
Lisa Simpson appears in the lower right and later close-up, staring in alarm beside blue pipes in a factory…
“Oh dear God.”
18:36–18:40 -
Mr. Burns stands beside Lisa, who wears a red dress and a pearl necklace, in a factory room
“I call our product Little Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry.”
18:40–18:48 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa stand together in a factory with green barrels of reddish contents in the foreground…
“a powerful explosive and a top notch engine coolant.”
18:48–18:55 -
Lisa Simpson and Mr. Burns are in a dim industrial room with blue brick walls, pipes, and a green barrel
“I think I'm going to be sick. Oh, a spoonful of slurry will cure what ails you.”
18:55–19:08 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa stand facing each other in an industrial plant of blue pipes, catwalks and a large green…
“I don't understand.”
19:08–19:15 -
Mr. Burns and Lisa in her red dress with pearl necklace stand before a tangle of blue pipes, pink conduits…
“I'm supplying it to them at a tidy profit, and not a single sea creature was wasted.”
19:15–19:22 -
Lisa Simpson stands before a factory whose smokestacks bear her face, then Lisa is seen small in a warehouse…
“Oh!”
19:22–19:33 -
Lisa Simpson stands outdoors against a bright blue sky with streaky clouds and green bushes as a woman…
“But you told us to recycle.”
19:33–19:43 -
Lisa carries a blue recycling bin of bottles and cans along a suburban street, past a woman in a pink dress…
“Stop!”
19:43–19:53 -
Lisa Simpson is first seen beside stacked green barrels labeled "LI'L LISA SLURRY" on a flatbed truck
“Ugh, I can't get the smell of slurry out of my clothes.”
19:53–20:03 -
Lisa stands in front of a brown couch in a pink living room with an orange lamp, while Marge with her tall…
“Ugh, I can't get the smell of slurry out of my clothes.”
20:03–20:16 -
Marge Simpson opens the front door of the pink house and Mr. Burns peers in
“Simpson, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?”
20:16–20:29 -
Mr. Burns stands with his hands clasped and a sly grin beside Smithers, his thin assistant with glasses…
“Well, Lenny's reign of terror is over.”
20:29–20:37 -
Mr. Burns stands in a pink room with a brown archway and talks and gestures with his hands, first with one…
“Burns. Oh, I think you will.”
20:37–20:46 -
Mr. Burns stands in a pink room with an arched doorway and gestures with one hand while Smithers waits nearby
“Oh, don't congratulate me.”
20:46–20:55 -
Lisa Simpson stands beside Bart, who has his hand on her shoulder, in front of a pink wall while a hand…
“Lise, have I told you lately that I love you?”
20:55–21:02 -
Lisa Simpson stands beside a brown chair against a pink wall in a room
“Oh, but I can't accept that, knowing where it came from.”
21:02–21:10 -
Marge, Homer, Bart, and Lisa stand together in a pink living room, with Bart in an orange shirt and Lisa…
“Lisa, you do whatever your conscience tells you.”
21:10–21:23 -
Marge with her tall blue beehive and red beads and Lisa in her red dress and pearl necklace first stand…
“You did the right thing, sweetheart.”
21:23–21:35 -
Lisa Simpson stands beside a hospital bed at the left edge, her hands on the sheet, while a man's hands rest…
“I'm sorry, Dad.”
21:35–21:44 -
Lisa Simpson stands beside a hospital bed at the left edge, with a figure in a blue top and green skirt…
“Um, Dad,”
21:44–21:54 -
The scene is a black title card sequence from the end credits of The Simpsons
21:54–22:03 -
No Simpsons characters appear in this sequence; it is a black title card sequence with no people or animation…
22:03–22:12 -
Which is a sequence of black end-credit cards with gold lettering
22:12–22:21 -
A black closing credits sequence with gold text on a plain black background
22:21–22:30 -
A black closing credits sequence with gold text on a black background
22:30–22:39 -
Silhouetted audience members, including a figure with a tall bushy head on the left, sit in rows of theater…
“Shhh.”
22:39–22:49
Who's in it
Bart Simpson, Homer Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Moe Szyslak, Milhouse Van Houten, Grampa Simpson, Principal Skinner, Barney Gumble, Chief Wiggum, Krusty the Clown, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Mrs. Krabappel, Dr. Hibbert, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, Jasper Beardsley, Martin Prince, Ralph Wiggum, Luann Van Houten, Ruth Powers, Old Jewish Man, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Kyle Williams, Bret Hart, Dance Leader, Grocery Clerk 1, Grocery Clerk 2, Hippie
Everyone who appears in it, from the Simpsons wiki. Every character