Lisa's Sax
The Simpsons, season 9, episode 3. First aired October 19, 1997. 132 moments of about ten seconds each: open one for its frame, what happens and what's said.
← The Principal and the Pauper Treehouse of Horror VIII → The whole episode as text
About the episode
Bart accidentally flings the saxophone Lisa is practicing out her bedroom window, and traffic flattens it. Because Lisa can't remember how she got it, Homer and Marge look back to 1990, when a scornful teacher sours kindergartner Bart on school and a psychologist discovers that three-year-old Lisa is gifted. In sweltering weather, Homer spends the air-conditioner fund on her first saxophone, and in the present she gets a replacement.
- Written by
- Al Jean
- Directed by
- Dominic Polcino
- Guest stars
- Fyvush Finkel
- Chalkboard gag
I no longer want my MTV
- Couch gag
- Matrjoschka
- Production code
- 3F26 3G02
The synopsis is our own. Credits and guest stars from Wikipedia and the Simpsons wiki.
Every moment
-
No regular characters appear in this opening title sequence, which shows only animated puffy clouds…
“The Simpsons”
0:00–0:07 -
Bart is seen at the start, the scene opening on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant with its grey cooling…
0:07–0:15 -
Bart Simpson stands in a classroom at the chalkboard, which reads "I NO LONGER WANT MY MTV"…
0:15–0:23 -
Homer stands at a control booth beneath a CAUTION sign at the nuclear plant, holding a glowing green rod…
0:23–0:36 -
Lisa Simpson plays a saxophone in a school band room with orange walls, a bust of a composer and a window…
0:36–0:47 -
Bart Simpson skateboards through a town street, passing a bookstore where a woman with orange hair and a bag…
0:47–0:57 -
Maggie sits in a red seat gripping a steering wheel while Marge drives beside her
“Neep, neep.”
0:57–1:08 -
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie appear in the family living room, with a red couch, lamps…
1:08–1:19 -
Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson sit side by side at a table in the family's pink living room…
“Boy, the way the Bee Gees played.”
1:19–1:29 -
Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson sit side by side at the dining table in their pink living room, with framed…
“Guessing how much Elvis weighed Those were the days”
1:29–1:39 -
Homer and Marge appear faintly in a translucent overlay during the dissolve
“Watching shows like Gentle Ben Mister,”
1:39–1:48 -
Homer and Marge sit together at a table in the living room, with a staircase and framed portraits on the pink…
“we could use a man like Sheriff Lobo again Disco”
1:48–1:58 -
Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson sit side by side at a table in the living room, with a staircase and framed…
“Michael Jackson still was black.”
1:58–2:08 -
Homer Simpson and Bart Simpson are in the living room
“The Simpsons is filmed in front of a live studio audience.”
2:08–2:17 -
This is the Warner Brothers shield logo on a purple television screen, with an animated green frog-like…
“Proud to present on the WP,”
2:17–2:27 -
Krusty the Klown sits on a grey TV screen framed in purple
“It's the TV movie of the year, the Krusty the Clown story.”
2:27–2:34 -
Krusty the Clown appears beside a title card on a purple-framed television screen that reads…
“Booze, drugs, guns, lies, blackmail, and laughter.”
2:34–2:41 -
Krusty sits slumped in a chair in a room with a cork bulletin board, while a clown in a teal costume…
“I went through a five-year orgy of nonstop pills and booze with nothing to”
2:41–2:54 -
Bart sits on a brown couch in a pink-walled living room, first looking worried, then grinning, then speaking…
“All right. They're going to show his disastrous marriage to Mia Farrow.”
2:54–3:06 -
Krusty the Clown smokes a cigar on a television screen
“Whoever you are, just pass it along, kid.”
3:06–3:17 -
Lisa Simpson is at the top of the staircase of the Simpson home, holding a large saxophone and first peeking…
“But, Dad, I'm supposed to practice an hour a day!”
3:17–3:31 -
Bart and Lisa are in Lisa's pink bedroom with a blue bed and a window with a pink valance
“Look, Bart, I have to practice my saxophone and you can't stop me.”
3:31–3:44 -
Lisa Simpson sits on a blue bed in her pink bedroom and plays a golden saxophone, while Bart Simpson tries…
“Give me that sax! No! I said give me! I said no!”
3:44–3:54 -
Lisa Simpson and Bart Simpson in his orange shirt stand together at a window of a pink bedroom with shelves…
3:54–3:57 -
Lisa Simpson watches from an upstairs window of the Simpson house while a yellow saxophone lies in the street…
3:57–4:11 -
Homer and Lisa sit on a brown couch in the living room, with Bart appearing at the left edge in the final…
“Oh, Lisa, it doesn't look so bad.”
4:11–4:19 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in a pink living room beside Lisa, the girl with star-shaped spiky hair and a red…
“Oh, yeah?”
4:19–4:32 -
Lisa sits on a red couch cradling a battered green saxophone, and her face shifts from tearful and eyes-shut…
“Dad, you don't understand.”
4:32–4:42 -
Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson and Lisa Simpson sit together on the red couch in the family living room…
“Oh, well. It all happened in 1990.”
4:42–4:50 -
Homer sits in the middle of a red couch, with Bart on his left staring up at him and Lisa on his right…
“Back then, the artist formerly known as Prince was currently known as Prince.”
4:50–4:58 -
Homer sits on a red couch in a pink living room and grins with a sideways, scheming look in the early frames…
“And Bart was eagerly awaiting his first day of school.”
4:58–5:09 -
Lisa sits on a teal floor beside Marge, who wears a green strapless dress and a red beaded necklace…
“Aw, honey, I can't right now.”
5:09–5:22 -
Homer Simpson stands at the right edge of a pink room, wide-eyed and then scowling, while a thought bubble…
“Homer, you're dumb as a mule and twice as ugly.”
5:22–5:33 -
Marge hugs Bart at the front door of the house while Homer stands at the edge of the scene, and Bart…
“Oh, there's the bus.”
5:33–5:43 -
Principal Skinner stands behind a wooden podium on a red-curtained stage, speaking to a row of children…
“Welcome, kindergartners. I'm Principal Sinner.”
5:43–5:54 -
A woman with brown hair in a bun and a white blouse stands with her arms crossed in front of a red…
“nutritious meals. Yeah, right. Miss Phipps,”
5:54–6:06 -
Bart Simpson first sits anxiously in a purple bus seat, then joins a circle of young children on blue mats…
“There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o.”
6:06–6:18 -
Mrs. Krabappel stands indoors holding a clipboard and tapping a pen at her chin beside a partly visible wall…
“Added extra clap, not college material.”
6:18–6:29 -
Bart walks along a path past a chain-link fence where a stocky, angry red-bearded man in red overalls shouts…
“God, you understanding li-”
6:29–6:40 -
Bart stands at the foot of a staircase in the pink hallway holding a lunchbox, looking down and then up…
“Honey?”
6:40–6:52 -
Apu stands at a window in the first five images, smiling, closing his eyes, and then looking startled…
“For no reason hears a poo.”
6:52–7:02 -
Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie sit on a red couch in the living room, with Lisa and Bart arms folded and Maggie…
“And that, my children, is the story of Bart's first day of school.”
7:02–7:11 -
Lisa Simpson sits in front of a red couch and pink wall, first grinning wide, then looking flustered…
“Except you were supposed to be telling the story of how I got my saxophone.”
7:11–7:18 -
Homer sits on the red couch in a pink living room with Bart on the armrest and Lisa eating corn on the cob…
“Homer, I can't get the baby to burp. Could you try for a while?”
7:18–7:28 -
Homer Simpson sits on a red couch in a pink living room, holding a can of Duff beer and talking to Maggie…
“Come on, Maggie.”
7:28–7:34 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in a pink living room, holding baby Maggie, who has a pacifier and blue bow…
“Oh, my father gave me beer as a child.”
7:34–7:47 -
Homer sits on a red couch holding a Duff beer can, gesturing and talking, then tips the can back to drink
“And we never did.”
7:47–7:54 -
Marge and Lisa sit together on a dark red couch in a pink living room beside a red lamp and a framed painting
“can you tell me the story of how I got my saxophone and not have it turn into a story…”
7:54–8:02 -
Bart Simpson sits on a red couch in his orange shirt and blue shoes, gesturing as he talks, then closes…
“Hey, she's just giving the public what it wants.”
8:02–8:15 -
Bart Simpson stands in front of a light blue wall with his hands clasped at his chest, eyes wide and darting…
“Uh, line. D.”
8:15–8:25 -
Marge stands beside Bart, who lies in bed in his orange shirt and blue pants, staring at the ceiling
“Bart, would you like to read a book?”
8:25–8:37 -
Marge stands at the left edge in a yellow dress with a red bead necklace, her tall blue beehive hair framed…
“That's damn fine coffee you got here in Twin Peaks.”
8:37–8:50 -
A thin, bald yellow man in a tan shirt, red bow tie and brown trousers dances with a white horse…
“Brilliant!”
8:50–9:02 -
Homer Simpson sits on a blue couch in a dim living room, wearing his white shirt and blue pants, while Marge…
“Homer, I want you to look at this drawing Bart did.”
9:02–9:15 -
Homer Simpson sits on a blue couch reading a sheet of paper with a shocked, open-mouthed expression…
“Oh, all right.”
9:15–9:28 -
Homer stands in Bart's pink bedroom beside a blue bookshelf while Bart lies on the bed
“Oh, when a boy doesn't want to play catch with his old man, something is seriously wrong.”
9:28–9:38 -
Bart sits on a kitchen counter beside Marge, who has a tall blue beehive and a red bead necklace…
“Mrs. Simpson, physically, your son is as sound as a dollar.”
9:38–9:49 -
The Simpsons family, Marge with her tall blue beehive, Lisa in a red dress with spiky hair, and Homer…
“With nowhere else to turn, we went to see the school psychologist.”
9:49–9:56 -
A blue-haired, bespectacled middle-aged man in a brown suit, green sweater and red tie sits in a brown…
“Public school can be intimidating to a young child,”
9:56–10:06 -
A bespectacled man with blue hair in a brown suit and green sweater sits in an orange armchair in an office…
“Bart?”
10:06–10:17 -
Milhouse first sits in an orange armchair with eyes half-closed and mouth open, then leans over a table…
“more a faceless slug.”
10:17–10:29 -
Lisa sits at a desk across from a neatly dressed man with blue hair, glasses, a brown jacket, green sweater…
“Lisa?”
10:29–10:42 -
A tall-haired, thin man with blue hair, round glasses, a brown jacket, green sweater and red tie sits…
“That's very good.”
10:42–10:55 -
Lisa Simpson sits at a desk in an office with bookshelves, working on a jigsaw puzzle of a building…
“Wave of the future!”
10:55–11:02 -
Homer sits in a lavender room beside a window and a bookshelf, looking sideways and smirking as he daydreams…
“Wow.”
11:02–11:10 -
Lisa Simpson stands in a room with purple walls, a bookshelf and framed certificates, beside an older man…
“Nah.”
11:10–11:18 -
Homer sits at a desk beside Marge and Lisa, a small girl with spiky hair, who holds a small blue-and-white…
“I'll give you the address of a nice preschool.”
11:18–11:26 -
Homer and Marge stand at a wooden desk in a bright preschool classroom with purple carpet, while a seated man…
“Pass my heart and hope to die.”
11:26–11:38 -
Marge and Homer sit in blue chairs in a small office while Lisa plays with a small grey toy animal…
“Over 75% of our graduates go on to first grade.”
11:38–11:49 -
Homer and Marge Simpson sit across a wooden table from a woman with a black bun, glasses, a navy blazer…
“I'll give you 50 bucks. Our fee is non-negotiable.”
11:49–12:03 -
Homer Simpson sits at a desk in front of a window and cabinets, talking and gesturing with his hands…
“Excelente.”
12:03–12:13 -
Homer, Marge and Maggie walk together along a paved path toward a yellow school building with blue trim…
12:13–12:16 -
Homer Simpson sits on a dark red couch in a pink room with yellow curtains, wide-eyed and talking…
“Our family was suffering through its worst crisis ever.”
12:16–12:30 -
Lisa sits on the dark red couch beside Bart, who wears an orange shirt and blue shorts, while Homer slumps…
“And my gifts are still going to waste.”
12:30–12:43 -
Homer, Bart and Lisa sit on the red couch while Marge holds Maggie in the green armchair, and Grampa stands…
“Hello.”
12:43–12:52 -
Grampa first holds a set of dentures up to his mouth in the pink-walled room, then pulls them away, wipes…
“Give me those.”
12:52–13:04 -
Marge Simpson stands beside a green chair and holds baby Maggie, who wears a blue bow and sucks a pacifier…
“we were telling a story that took place when Barbara was five and Lisa was three.”
13:04–13:07 -
Homer, Bart, and Lisa sit together on a brown couch while Marge stands behind a green armchair…
“Oh, I know this story.”
13:07–13:17 -
In a living room with pink walls, framed pictures, a green armchair and yellow curtains at the window, Homer…
“And all over America, people were doing a dance called the Funky Grandpa.”
13:17–13:27 -
Marge Simpson sits in a green armchair in the living room holding baby Maggie, who wears a blue bow and sucks…
“Yes.”
13:27–13:35 -
Homer sits slouched on the brown couch in the living room, one arm draped over the armrest and his feet…
“And so Springfield's heat wave continues,”
13:35–13:45 -
Homer Simpson sits on a brown wooden bench in a pink room, first fanning himself and then holding a box…
“Oh, so hot.”
13:45–13:56 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in the living room while Marge stands in a green dress beside him and then sits…
“Now listen, if we can't afford private school,”
13:56–14:04 -
Homer sits on the brown couch in the living room next to Marge, who has a tall blue beehive, a red beaded…
“They have some fun things you could do at the museum on Saturday.”
14:04–14:16 -
Homer Simpson stands at a foosball table in a marble-floored hall with a framed painting and a staircase…
“You lose, Michelangelos David. Who's next?”
14:16–14:26 -
Marge Simpson and Homer Simpson sit together on a brown couch in the living room beneath a framed sailboat…
“I guess it doesn't matter.”
14:26–14:38 -
Homer sits on a brown couch beside Marge, who has a tall blue beehive and a red bead necklace, as he talks…
“Oh, Marge, but we've needed a new air conditioner for years.”
14:38–14:47 -
Homer and Marge are in their pink living room beside a purple lamp, a teal telephone and a framed sailboat…
“I cannot believe this I'm trying to give our daughter a head start in life And you aren't”
14:47–15:00 -
Homer and Marge are in the living room
“Balzac No need for potty mouth Just because you can't think of one But Balzac is the name”
15:00–15:12 -
Homer Simpson sits on a brown couch in a pink-walled living room beside a purple lamp and a teal telephone…
“Lisa Alright, alright, I promise Must be another way to get an air conditioner.”
15:12–15:26 -
Ned Flanders stands outside a window and looks in at Homer, who is bald and wears a white shirt, sitting…
“Uh, Homer?”
15:26–15:36 -
Homer Simpson leans out of a pink-walled window and talks to Ned Flanders, who stands on the grass…
“Well, I admit it looks bad, Flanders.”
15:36–15:50 -
Homer watches a man in a green sweater with a moustache and glasses stand in a backyard beside a blue machine…
“Got him, Dad!”
15:50–16:01 -
Grampa talks in the living room while Homer stands beside the couch, Bart and Lisa sit on the couch…
“Grandpa, what are you talking about?”
16:01–16:11 -
Mrs. Krabappel sits in a classroom reading from a purple book to seated children
“And the ugly duckling was amazed to realize it had grown into a beautiful swan.”
16:11–16:19 -
Bart sits alone on a red bench on a school playground, chin resting on his hand, while Milhouse, who has blue…
“Hi.”
16:19–16:31 -
Bart Simpson and Milhouse sit together on a red wooden bench in a park
“I wish I was interesting like you.”
16:31–16:41 -
Milhouse peeks out from beside a tree trunk, then Bart appears at the same spot before standing on a long red…
“Yeah.”
16:41–16:52 -
Bart Simpson stands on a red wooden bench in a schoolyard while a crowd of students watches, including a girl…
“Now that is killer material.”
16:52–17:04 -
Principal Skinner and Bart stand on a grassy schoolyard near a tree, with Skinner scowling and pointing…
“I want you to knock off that potty talk right now.”
17:04–17:16 -
Bart stands on a long reddish-brown plank against a green background in the first several frames, staring…
“and the path you choose now may be the one you follow for the rest of your life.”
17:16–17:26 -
Principal Skinner stands with his arms crossed while Bart stands on a low wooden bench in a schoolyard…
“Eat my shorts.”
17:26–17:38 -
Principal Skinner in his grey-haired suit stands on a schoolyard beside a low wooden table with Bart crouched…
“B-buttman!”
17:38–17:52 -
Lisa and Homer lean on the bar in Moe's tavern while Moe polishes a glass across from them
“Well, Mo, this is it. Today's the day I get my new air conditioner.”
17:52–18:03 -
Lisa stands at the bar of Moe's Tavern beside Homer, the bald heavy man in a white shirt, while a stooped…
“She has a gift. You have 13 pickled eggs in this jar.”
18:03–18:13 -
Moe works behind his bar, then faces a thin man in a blue suit with round glasses and a green tie who holds…
“Here, have a margarita.”
18:13–18:26 -
Homer stands at the window of 'It Blows: The Air Conditioner Store', where air conditioners sit…
“Help us Homer.”
18:26–18:35 -
Patty and Selma stand smoking with folded arms at a scalloped purple bay window while Homer watches…
“Yeah, help us you fat yutz.”
18:35–18:48 -
Homer first stands at a shop window displaying a window air conditioner with a $200 price tag, then turns…
“A musical instrument?”
18:48–19:00 -
Homer and Lisa stand outside King Toot's Music Store, where a shop window displays a saxophone, a tuba, drums…
“Just give me a sign.”
19:00–19:11 -
Homer and Lisa stand in the Percussion Center music shop, with keyboards, a cassette bin marked Cassettes 1…
“What do you like, Lisa?”
19:11–19:22 -
Homer stands outside the 'IT BLOWS THE AIR CONDITIONER STORE' window, glancing nervously and turning…
“$200?”
19:22–19:33 -
Lisa and Homer stand in a music shop, with Lisa holding a green saxophone
“Would you like an inscription, sir?”
19:33–19:47 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in a pink living room between Bart in an orange shirt and Lisa in a red dress…
“And that inscription is still there today.”
19:47–20:00 -
Marge sits in a green armchair holding baby Maggie, who wears a blue bow and a pacifier, in a pink living…
“What origin? We get him for $1.95 down at the Safeway.”
20:00–20:09 -
Bart, Homer, Lisa and Marge are in the family living room, with Maggie held in Marge's lap
“You know, Homer, I think we have some money in the air conditioner account again, hmm?”
20:09–20:19 -
Bart sits on the left end of the brown couch in his orange shirt while Homer stands in the middle…
“Yeah, not to mention looking like a pig, eating like a pig.”
20:19–20:27 -
Homer and Lisa sit together on a red couch in a pink living room with a framed painting and a red lamp nearby
“Well, don't worry about me, Dad.”
20:27–20:39 -
Homer sits on the brown couch in the living room with a phone held to his ear, while Marge with her tall blue…
“Well, sir, we got a scorcher today.”
20:39–20:50 -
Lisa sits on a blue bed holding a large gold saxophone with engraved lettering and smiles at it
“Dear Lisa, may your new saxophone bring you years of...”
20:50–20:55 -
Lisa sits on her bed playing a gold saxophone with a note…
“Dear Lisa, may your new saxophone bring you years of...”
20:55–21:05 -
Lisa plays a saxophone on a stage in front of a seated audience that includes Marge, with her blue beehive…
21:05–21:14 -
Lisa is the main figure: first she plays a saxophone on a night balcony with a columned monument beyond…
21:14–21:24 -
Lisa sits alone on a wooden bench on a grassy lawn in front of a tan school building with purple-trimmed…
“You're a good father.”
21:24–21:34 -
Maggie sits at the left edge of a green couch against a pink wall, watching an old wrinkled man with white…
“Where's Maggie?”
21:34–21:44 -
Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson sit together on a brown couch in the living room
“He's blind as a bat. That's right.”
21:44–21:49 -
In a pink living room with a sailboat painting, Homer and Marge sit on a brown couch while Maggie sits…
“That's true.”
21:49–21:59 -
No animated characters appear in this moment; it is a black title card sequence with no people on screen
21:59–22:09 -
No animated characters appear in this moment; the scene is a black screen with gold credit text…
22:09–22:19 -
No animated characters appear in this moment; it is a black end-credits sequence in gold lettering…
“Lisa!”
22:19–22:29 -
Which is a sequence of end credits on a black background
“Enough sex on my phone already!”
22:29–22:39 -
Silhouetted audience members sit in rows of seats in a dark movie theater, with a large, bushy spiky-haired…
22:39–22:50
Who's in it
Bart Simpson, Homer Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Moe Szyslak, Milhouse Van Houten, Grampa Simpson, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Dr. Hibbert, Nelson Muntz, Kent Brockman, Otto Mann, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, Groundskeeper Willie, Santa's Little Helper, Lewis Clark, Wendell Borton, Jimbo Jones, Todd Flanders, Rod Flanders, Sherri Mackleberry, Terri Mackleberry, Hans Moleman, Lunchlady Dora, Yellow Weasel, Bleeding Gums Murphy, J. Loren Pryor, Ms. Phipps, Snowball I, Jer, Princess, Chin Ho, Fyvush Finkel, Kindergarten Teacher, Mia Farrow, Miss Tillingham, Worm-eating boy
Everyone who appears in it, from the Simpsons wiki. Every character