Shoeway to Heaven

Shoeway to Heaven is the 184th overall series episode of Married... with Children also premiere episode of Season 9 of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by Nancy Steen from a story by Carl Studebaker, the episode originally aired on FOX on September 4, 1994.

Synopsis

Al and Jefferson decide to cash in on 1970s nostalgia by selling shoes from that period.

• Note: Katey Sagal does not appear in this episode due to childbirth. Only her voice is heard over the phone.

Storyline

Peg has moved to Wanker County temporarily to look after her mom, who has suffered a heart attack. After finding a box of old shoes, Al and Jefferson turn the shoe store into a 1970s-themed retro shoe store, which is highly successful at first. Meanwhile, Kelly gets stung multiple times while filming a Verminator commercial, the effects of which acts as a truth serum, making her reveal what she really thinks about herself and her family.

Quotes

• Dominique: Hi, can someone help me?
• Al: Uh, yes... [brushes his hair aside and walks up to her] My name is Al Bundy...and I was born to rock your world!
• Dominique: Well, that answered none of my questions.

Recurring Cast/Regulars

• Ed O'Neil as Al Bundy
• Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy (Voice)
• Cristina Applegate as Kelly Bundy
• David Faustino as Bud Bundy
• Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
• Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
• Buck as Buck The Dog

Guest starring

• Tawny Kitaen as Dominique
• John Bloom as Billy Ray Wetnap
• Richard Stahl as Hyrum the Shoemaker
• Barbara Sammeth as Woman #1
• Jodi Taffel as Woman #2
• Rosie Taravella as Woman #3
• John O'Connell as TV Announcer
• Terry Murphy as Herself

Notes

Title

• The title of this episode is a reference to the 1971 song, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
  • The title can also be a reference to the 1980's TV series, Highway to Heaven

Trivia

• At the end of the episode, as Al patches up the hole, the text "IN LOVING MEMORY OF JAMES MAURA" appears on the screen.
  • James Maura was a costumer for MWC who responsible for dressing up the male actors. He had passed away from cancer in June of 1994, 3 months before the airing of this episode.
• Katey Sagal appears sparingly in the first four episodes of this season due to the birth to her daughter Sarah in August, 1994. Peg is said to be away taking care of her ailing mother in Wanker County, and her scenes consist of her making phone calls home. In this episode, only her voice is heard on screen.
• For this season, with the exception of Katey Sagal, a new set of clips with the actors is used in the opening. They include:
  • Ed O'Neill - Al sitting on the couch in a blue bathrobe from the end of "A Little Off the Top"
  • Katey Sagal - Same as previous season
  • Amanda Bearse - Marcy getting up from the Bundy couch and talking about her ideal world from "Ride Scare"
  • Christina Applegate - Kelly happily runs into the house and shuts the door. Although she can't be heard, she is clearly mouthing "I got the job! I got the job!" as she gleefully jumps up and down.
  • David Faustino - Bud talking on the phone with Naomi from "Sofa So Good"
  • Ted McGinley - Jefferson blowing a party whistle after Walter Traugott's death from "The D'Arcy Files"
    • Also for Ted McGinley, the credits for him now read: "And Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy"
• During the ending credits for this episode, instead of the still frame of Al and Peg on the couch, it now shows the wall covered up completely by bricks with Al still inside.
• Starting from this episode, Kelly has now noticeably shorter hair, with it cut just above her shoulders. She would keep it this length for the first half of season 9 before cutting it even shorter in "And Bingo Was Her Game-O"
• The top and jeans that Kelly wears at the beginning of the episode is the same one she wears in the opening credits for this season.
• This was the first episode of Married...with Children that was now taping at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
  • Previously, the series had been filmed at the Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood for seasons 3 through 8.
• Terry Murphy, who plays the reporter at the shoe store, was at the time one of the hosts of the syndicated tabloid show, Hard Copy. She had also been a real news reporter, previously working for the Los Angeles based television stations, KCBS and KABC during the 1980s.
• At the beginning of the episode, the house is shown to be a mess with clothing everywhere, though it is never explained why.

Cultural References

• After Kelly screams and runs around the set from being bitten by the Samoan Dragon Beatles, he tells the viewers "Boy, I tell you I rather have my ass caned in Singapore than get bit by one of them!". This in reference to the using of caning as a form of corporal punishment in Singapore.
  • It may also be a specific reference to the case of Michael P. Fay, an American who was caned in Singapore in March 1994 after being charged with vandalism. His sentence included 4 months in prison, a fine and six lashings, which were reduced down to four, due to coverage by the American media and both the U.S. and Singaporean government wanting to maintain a good relationship between the two countries.
• After Jefferson falls into the wall and finds the crate, Al wonder if it Al Capone's lost treasure. Al Capone was a Chicago based gangster who was rumored to have hidden some of his wealth in a hotel vault. It would later become the subject of a 1986 television special called The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults.
  • That special, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, netted 30 million viewers but he found only a few bottles and some gin.
  • But Geraldo did recover from that episode as he would host a talk show called Geraldo from 1987-1998.
• Jefferson wonders why would Al Capone hide his wealth in the back of a woman's shoe store and Al suggests that Capone was dating J. Edgar Hoover. J. Edger Hoover was the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was believed to be a homosexual and noted cross dresser.
  • Hoover's cross dressing had been mentioned in several previous episodes of MWC.
  • Contrary to what Al thinks, wouldn't J. Edgar Hoover and Al Capone be enemies given that one was a "respected lawman" and the other a mobster?
• Al mistakenly list some popular things from the 1960s including:
  • The Avengers - British espionage series. Al and Jefferson are fans of show as seen two episodes later in "Kelly Breaks Out".
  • Shelby Cobra - British-American sports car, more commonly known as the AC Cobra outside of the U.S.
  • "Bad Moon Rising" - A 1969 song by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
• After trying to correct himself, Al mistakenly list off popular things from the 1980s:
  • Miami Vice - Crime drama series that ran on NBC from 1984 to 1990. Ed O'Neill had previously guest starred on the show's first season as undercover FBI agent Arthur Lawson.
  • DeLorean - Sports car noted for its gull-wing doors and brushed stainless-steel outer body panels. It has become commonly associated with the 1980s film trilogy, Back to the Future where it served as the time machine for the characters.
  • "Ebony and Ivory" - A 1982 song by Paul McCarthney and Stevie Wonder.
• After mixing up the 1960s and 1980s, Terry Murphy corrects Al and tells him that the 1970s had:
  • Ford Pinto - American subcompact car that gained notoriety for several deadly fires that occurred in rear-end collisions, due to the placement of the gas tank.
  • Diff'rent Stroke - 1970s sitcom that ran on NBC from 1978 to 1985. MWC guest star Alan Thicke wrote the show's theme song while one of the stars of the series, Gary Coleman, previously appeared on MWC as the inspector / himself in "How Green Was My Apple".
  • Billy Beer - A short-lived brand of beer that was named after and promoted by Billy Carter, the brother of then-U.S. President, Jimmy Carter.
• The joke was that the 1970s had mostly bad things compared to the 60s and 80s.
• After Marcy looks at the shoes and asks Al what she was doing the last time she wore those types of shoes, Al quips "Inspiring Helen Reddy to write her new song 'I am Poultry'?".
  • Helen Reddy was an Australian-American singer and activist, who was best known for her feminist theme song "I Am Woman".
    • A portion of "I Am Woman" was performed by Peggy in the season one episode "Thinnergy."
• Marcy lists off several songs from the 1970s when she talks about what and her friends did during that decade:
  • "Who'll Stop The Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • The song was referenced twice during season 4, when Al sings part of the lyrics in "Hot off the Grill" and the the name of an episode during the later half of the season.
  • "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone
  • "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas
• After Al separates Marcy and another woman for fighting over a pair of shoes, he calls her "Super Freak", in references to the 1981 song of the same name by Rick James.
• Kelly compares Marcy to Alvin from the animated series Alvin and the Chipmunks.
  • Al then says that Marcy was more like Simon from the group.
• In the commercial that Kelly is on for Pest Boys, Billy Ray Wetnap says "Its Manny, Me, and Ma". This is an allusion to the Pep Boys auto parts chain whose mascots are Manny, Moe, and Jack.
• At the end of the commercial, Billy Ray says the motto is "The only good bugs is named 'Bunny', although we'd kill him too if you paid us"., referring to cartoon character, Bugs Bunny.

Music

• A soundalike version of "For The Love of Money" by the O'Jays is heard when Al is introduced by the news reporter and again at the end as Al encases himself in the wall.

Locations

• Bundy Residence
• Gary's Shoes & Accessories for Today's Woman
• Al Bundy's House of Sole Shoe Store
• Television Studio

Sets

• Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
• Gary's Shoes Entrance /Seating Area / Backroom
• Al's House of Sole Entrance / Seating Area / Backroom
• Pest Boys Commercial Set

Goofs

• During the fashion show Dominique falls off the stage when a heel breaks off the shoe she was wearing. The shoemaker comes out from the backroom and is told that one of his shoes broke. However, Dominique was shown walking off with a pair of the original shoes that Jefferson gave her in exchange for promoting the store earlier in the episode.