Dud Bowl was the 193rd overall series episode of Married... with Children also the 10th episode of Season 9 of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by Kim Weiskopf, the episode originally aired on FOX-TV on November 13, 1994.
Synopsis[]
When Al and the guys have a wake for a former high school football teammate, a group of guys from a rival high school challenges them to the decide the ultimate Chicago city champion. Guest appearances by former NFL All-Pro players Bubba Smith, Lawrence Taylor, and Ken Stabler.
Storyline[]
After the funeral of a former football teammate at the Bullpen Sports Bar, Al is confronted by Jack Franklin, a former halfback for rival George S. Patton High back in the day. Both Polk High School and George S. Patton High finished their respective seasons undefeated and a championship game was never played. Looking to rekindle the old rivalry and establish bragging rights, Jack challenges Al and his former team from Polk High into a grudge football match between them. During the game, however, Al ends up being turned into a tackling dummy by ringers Bubba Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Ken Stabler, Rod Martin and John Reynolds on the opposing team.
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy
- E.E. Bell as Bob Rooney
Guest starring[]
- Bubba Smith as Himself
- John S. Reynolds as Himself
- Ken Stabler as Himself
- Lawrence Taylor as Himself
- Rod Martin as Himself
- Stan Ivar as Jack Franklin
- Drew Pillsbury as Thad
- Dean Norris as Rodent
- Chuck Le Fever as Speedy (as Chuck Lefever)
Quotes[]
- [At the Bullpen Sports Bar, Al and his Polk High Panthers are interrupted by another group of men. The leader introduces himself as Jack Franklin, the half back from George S. Patton High, causing the rest of Al's teammates to cringe]
- Jefferson: What's the deal with Patton High?
- Rodent: They were the only OTHER undefeated school in the league. We were supposed to play for the city championship but the game got cancelled.
- Jefferson: Why?
- Al: Why? Because they were cheaters, that's why. They used ringers. Guys 25, 30 years old.
- Jack: You had guys that old!
- Al: They were there honestly! They were stupid!
- [Al and the rest of the Polk High Panthers find out that their quarterback, Thad, had gender reassignment surgery and is now a woman. Al is in denial and begins to think that Thad is pulling a prank on his teammates.]
- Al: Ahahaha! I get it! Its a gag! Ahahaha! Ah, you were always a joker. That's a good one, Thad. But the ball is in my court now. Hehehe.
- [As the other teammates move closer to Thad, Al drops down to his knee and lifts up Thad's skirt to prove that he is just pulling a prank. Almost instantly, their smiles vanish upon seeing Thad's genitals and realizing that he was not joking.]
- Al: [reeling back, horrified] A-aw, Thad! [stands up]
- Thad: I had to do it, Al. All those years in school I felt like a woman trapped inside a man's body. I just got so tired of it. [laughs]
- Al: [confused] Y-yeah, but we... we all get tired of our cars too. We don't rip the doors off.
- [Jack and his teammates arrive at the Bundy residence to mock him and the Panthers after word got around about Thad's sex change]
- Al: [sternly] Jack Franklin. What brings you to the undefeated neighborhood?
- Jack: [mockingly] We heard your quarterback is a... "woman".
- [Jack moves Al aside and slows struts his way inside into the Bundy living room and mistakes Peggy for Thad, as he begins to look her over.]
- Jack: Not bad. [Peggy smiles as he takes a seat next to her] Kinda overdid the ta-tas, though. [gestures a pair of breasts, while Peggy's smile disappears]
- Al: THAT'S NOT OUR QUARTERBACK!
- Jack: [upbeat] Then who is she? [turns to face Peg, causing her to smile again]
- Al: I, uh... [shrugs] I don't know.
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to "Bud Bowl" a stop motion promotion used by Budweiser during the Super Bowl from the late 80s into mid 1990s
- During this period, the Bud Bowl was more entertaining than the Super Bowl since the latter game was generally a blowout.
Trivia[]
- The funeral in the opening scene is that of Al's former Polk High football teammate Skippy, who was previously seen in the episode "Hood 'n the Boyz".
- The actor who played Skippy in "Hood 'n the Boyz", Chuck Lefever, plays Speedy in this episode, who is attendance at his previous character's funeral.
- Also Speedy previously appeared in season 3's "Married... with Queen: The Sequel (Part 2)", but was played by a different actor who was balding and heavyset.
- Former NFL player Bubba Smith plays one of ringers for the opposing team. He had previously appeared on Married... with Children in the season 5 episode All Night Security Dude as Al's former high school rival, "Spare Tire" Dixon.
- The filming location for the "Grushow Memorial Field" is the football field known as Monarch Stadium at Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen, California.
- In several shots, Grant High School and its team logo, the Lancers, can also be seen. The school is adjacent to the college and has been featured in several television shows and music videos.
Cultural References[]
- The Polk High Panthers rival team, Jacqueline Onassis High First Ladies, is a reference to
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who served as First Lady when her then-Husband John F. Kennedy was President of the United States from 1961 to 1963.
- The team's former name "George S. Patton High" is in reference to U.S. Army General George S. Patton.
- After Jefferson tells the Polk High Panthers that the game is back at the sports bar, the announcer mentions the NFL on FOX several times to remind viewers about FOX now showing coverage of NFL games. The episode aired during the first season of the NFL on FOX.
- This was previously seen in the preceding episode, "No Pot to Pease In".
- The highlight shown when the camera zooms in is that of San Francisco 49ers defender Deion Sanders celebrating an interception returned for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons, Sanders' former team. The game, played on October 16, 1994, was won by the visiting 49ers 42-3.
- The field that the teams are playing on is named "Grushow Memorial Field". This may be a nod to Sandy Grushow, a network executive who original started at the fledging FOX network in 1988 and was one the people responsible for the network's succeess in the early 1990s.
- At the time the episode was filmed, he had stepped down from being President of Fox Entertainment Group in September 1994, two months before this episode was filmed. [1]
- After Rodent mentions that some of the "First Ladies" look rather big, Al mentions Barbara Bush who served as First Lady when her husband, George H. W. Bush served as U.S. President from 1988 until 1993.
- During their huddle, Al tries to encourage his teammates by saying that "This one's for us and Baywatch's Pamela Anderson!"
- Baywatch was a syndicated television drama show that focused on the lives of lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County and in its later seasons, Hawaii.
- Pamela Anderson is an actress and Playboy Playmate who starred on Baywatch as C. J. Parker.
- She had also appeared twice on MWC in season 5, during Al's fantasies in "Al... with Kelly" and "Route 666 (Part 2)". She also appeared on the MWC spin-off, Top of the Heap as Ramona.
- The ringers for the Jackie O First Ladies were professional NFL players:
- Ken Stabler - Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
- Lawrence Taylor - Linebacker, New York Giants (playing as "Morty Fishbein")
- Bubba Smith - Defensive End, Baltimore Colts (playing as "Eddie Yim")
- Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds - Linebacker, Los Angeles Rams
- Rod Martin - Linebacker, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Music[]
- "Amazing Grace" is sung by the Polk High Panthers during Skippy's funeral.
- The theme from the Western film, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is heard twice when Al is confronted by Jack Franklin following Skippy's funeral.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- The Bullpen Sports Bar
- Grushow Memorial Field
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- The Bullpen Sports Bar Seating Area
- Grushow Memorial Field / Stadium Bleachers
Goofs[]
- After Al catches the ball and is thrown by 24 and 10, part of a tumbling mat can be seen behind the two players as they catch Al and toss him behind them.
- When the two teams run onto the field and Jefferson tells Speedy "Go get 'em!", in the overhead shot, there are two players with #35 on their jerseys running together. In football and most other sports, it is against the rules for two players to be wearing the same jersey number in the same game, so as to make it easier for fans, coaches, announcers, and officials to differentiate between the players on the field.
References[]
- ↑ Fox's Grushow resigns. UPI.