I'm Going to Sweatland is the second episode of Season 3 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 37th overall episode in the series. Written by Pamela Wick, Susan Cridland and Carl Studebaker, the episode was directed by Gerry Cohen and premiered on FOX on September 20, 1988.
Synopsis[]
When a perspiration stain on one of Al's shirts resembles a silhouette of The King of Rock & Roll, the Bundy household becomes a hot spot for Elvis Presley fanatics to visit.
Plot[]
To be added.
Cast[]
Regular Cast[]
- Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy
- Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy
- Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy
- David Faustino as Bud Bundy
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
- David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
- Buck the dog as Buck Bundy (uncredited)
Guest Stars[]
- Nancy Skelton as Dottie
- Justine Lenore as Edna
- Michelle Milantoni as Margo
- Rawley Valverde as Alejandro
- Ron Stein as Elvis outside shoe store
- Tifni Twitchell as Mrs. Webstock
- Ken Minyard as Ollie
- Robert Arthur as Lew (as Bob Arthur)
- Paul L. Casey as Elvis #1
- Arron Paris as Elvis #2
- Robert Lenz as Elvis #3
- Robert Kim as Oriental Elvis
- Raymond Turner as Black Elvis
- Casey Stengel as Elvis on Wheels
- Bruce Liberty as Clyde
- Sadie Chrestman as Samantha
Quotes[]
- [Al is surrounded by three fat women trying on shoes. They have several boxes of shoes piling up in the middle of the circle]
- Margo: They don't fit! [tosses a shoe into a nearby box]And your ad said "We fit every foot."!
- Al: Yes, ma'am, but our problem is, what we're dealing with is not what Webster meant by "Feet". Now, lets face it, girls, what we've got here are rib roasts with nails. Now, what I would suggest is surrounding your tootsies with those little brown potatoes, wrapped in foil and served with dry wine.
- Peggy: Al... Al, guess what I just saw?!
- Al: A mother with her children? [walks over to a pile of shoes]
- Peggy: No! Al, I just saw Elvis!
- Al: Elvis who, Peg?
- Peggy: Elvis Presley! The King! The Pelvis! [starts gyrating her hips like Elvis]
- Al: Peg, let me explain three things to you. Number one: Elvis is dead. Number two: Elvis wasn't any good when he was alive. And number three: if he was alive, he'd want you to clean my shirt!
- Peggy: You don't believe me?!
- Al: As much as I believed you when you told me cleaning promotes heart disease.
- Peggy: Well, that was a mistake. They meant smoking, but I didn't want to quit smoking.
- [At the Bundy residence, Marcy is folding laundry while Peggy smokes and talks about seeing Elvis]
- Peggy: I'm telling you, Marcy, I saw him!
- Marcy: Look, Peggy, a lot of people think that they saw Elvis. He was an idol, a sex symbol. And with men what they are today, is it any wonder we look to the dead for a little excitement. Believe me, Peggy, no one wishes he were alive more than I do. I've been to Graceland. [looks off to the distance and begins reflecting, gradually becoming more excited] I saw him in Vegas. His buns alive with magic... his voice, pulsing through me, reaching my secret places. [speaking faster and more excitedly] His hips, undulating, swirling, grinding, driving his essence into my very soul again and again...[becomes flustered and even more excited] faster and faster, until... until...
- [Marcy suddenly trembles and lets out a sigh as she lowers her head and goes limp, implying that she just had an orgasm]
- Marcy: Can I have a cigarette? [takes a quick puff from Peg's cigarette and becomes serious again] Anyhow, what I'm saying here is Elvis is dead and we should get on with our lives! [turns her head away from Peg and moans] Oh, God!
- Peggy: Do you realize that you've just had more sex today, in this house, than I've had in 16 years of marriage?! And it last longer! Oh, well, at least I got my health. [takes another puff from her cigarette]
- [Peggy shows Al the shirt with the sweat stain of Elvis Al made]
- Peggy: You know, you may have the brains of a shoe salesman, but you have the pores of Michelangelo! [hugs Al]
- Marcy: Al, do you know what this means?
- Al: That the tough part of my day is not over yet?
- Peggy: No, Al! It means I really did see Elvis in the mall. It means he is alive and it means he's trying to contact me! Oh honey, I finally understand the real purpose of my life; Its to use you... not as I have been, but as an extension to "The King".
- Marcy: [excited] He's alive! He's alive! She saw him!
- Al: [smiles mockingly] You wanna see Elvis?! [moves in between Peg and Marcy] I'll show you Elvis!
- [Al rolls up his dress shirt collar and then puffs his cheeks while using his flexed arms to indicate being an obese Elvis. He turns to Peg, gestures having a heart attack and throws himself onto the couch, laying there for a moment before sitting up]
- Al: Now that we've seen Elvis and felt his presence, let's honor him by doing something he really loved to do: EAT DINNER! [gets up and tucks up the newspaper under his arm] Now I'm going to do something that Al Bundy loves to do!
- [Al begins walking to the staircase to go to the bathroom. He then stops halfway up and turns to face Peg and Marcy]
- Al: [slyly grinning] Oh, uh, I'll let you know if I conjure up any superstars!
- [Steve stops by the Shoe Store where Al slept at to talk about Marcy, Peggy and the Elvis fans sleeping in front of both of their houses]
- Steve: Let me get to the point of my visit, Al [walks to the register and opens his briefcase] I'm suing you! My wife won't leave your house.
- Al: Well, neither will mine, but they threw me out of court!
- Steve: This Elvis thing is ruining my life! I used to have a wife that enjoyed my company. We'd come home from work, we'd talk, we'd laugh, we'd shared little banking anecdotes. That was before your wife and your sweat stain ruined my life. Now, Marcy's at your house and its pretty difficult to discuss supply side economics with a woman whose riding on the shoulders of a black man singing "Viva Las Vegas".
- Al: [nonchalantly] So what's your beef, Steve?
- Steve: I want my wife back!
- Al: Steve, if it was up to me, you'd have your wife back... [bitterly] and mine too. But its not up to me! [walks around the register and takes a seat] Our women have gone insane! And I've learned, much like when they're shopping, sick, or horny... best to stay out of their way!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title is a reference to Graceland, the residence where Elvis Presley lived until his death and currently serves as a tourist attraction.
- The title may also be a reference to the line "I'm going to Graceland" from Paul Simon's song "Graceland."
- It may also be a parody of the phrase I'm going to Disneyland / Disney World!, that was used in Disney commercial starting in 1987 and feature the Super Bowl MVP after winning the game saying the phrase.
Trivia[]
- Peggy mentions that her and Al have been married for sixteen years.
- Marcy mentions that Steve has a scar from an appendectomy.
- Peggy mentions Youngstown, Ohio. This is Ed O'Neill's hometown.
- Katey Sagal met Elvis Presley in real life as her father, Boris Sagal, directed a movie starring Presley titled Girl Happy.
- Although Peg and Marcy are shown to be big fans of Elvis, Katey Sagal admitted during a 1993 interview that she wasn't a big Elvis fan when she first met him, as she was more into the British rock band, The Rolling Stones and viewed him as a "greaser". [1]
- The idea of seeing an image of Elvis in Al's sweat stained shirt is a psychological phenomenon known as Pareidolia.
- In the credits, Rod Stein is credited as playing "Elvis ?" while the others Elvis actors do not have the question mark.
Cultural References[]
- The main topic of this episode is about Elvis Presley, an American actor and singer who died in 1977 at the age of 42.
- Peggy claiming to have seen Elvis in the mall is a reference to "Elvis sightings", a phenomenon in which it is theorized that that the singer did not actually die in 1977, but faked his own death and randomly appears in public.
- Later, Peggy said that he was spotted buying lug nuts from a hardware store in Youngstown, Ohio. During the late 1980s, when this episode originally aired, there were claims that he was spotted in Kalamazoo, Michigan doing rather mundane things such pumping gas, standing in line to buy an electric fuse and in one case, eating a Whopper Sandwich at Burger King, as he was a noted fan of the fast food chain. [2][3]
- Marcy brings in a group of Elvis impersonators, people who dress and act like the singer in the various eras of his career. Although there have been impersonators when he was still alive, the phenomenon grew more after the singer's death, ranging from amature/hobbyist level to professional level performers, known as "Elvis Tribute Artist" who making their living from impersonating and performing as Presley at various venues.
- Marcy tells Peggy that she has been to Graceland, the residence where Elvis and his family lived at. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Marcy mentions that she saw him perform in Las Vegas which lead to her having an orgasmic experience. Starting in 1969, Elvis became a resident performer at the International Hotel (which later became the Hilton Las Vegas) and remained there until 1976.[4][5]
- In the later half of the episode, there are references to the Elvis' songs, "Hound Dog", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Love Me Tender", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Viva Las Vegas"
- Bud has "2 Gross of 'Skinny Elvis Pens'" and "2 Gross of 'Fat Elvis Pens'", referring to Presley's weight change, being rather slim in his prime, and notably heavy in his final years.
- Peggy sings "Heartbreak Hotel" after claiming to make Elvis pick between her and his eventual wife, Priscilla Presley.
- Peggy claiming to have seen Elvis in the mall is a reference to "Elvis sightings", a phenomenon in which it is theorized that that the singer did not actually die in 1977, but faked his own death and randomly appears in public.
- Peggy tells Alejandro to meet her at Kmart the following day at 10am after dropping her shopping bags.
- Kmart is a big box retailer that is headquartered just outside of Chicago, Illinois. At the time this episode aired, the retailer was a successful chain that had stores across the U.S. and several other countries. As of 2022, only 3 stores still operate within the U.S., while KMart Australia still has 200 stores in operation.
- Marcy mentions to Peggy that she would cheat on Steve with Elvis or professional boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. Mancini and Ed O'Neill grew up together in Youngstown (also mentioned in the episode).
- Marcy mentions that she had a dream with American actor Clark Gable that was ruined by Steve having his appendix burst.
- Buck has a sign that read "Feed the Dog who saw Lassie $5" referring to the fictional TV dog.
- Steve mentions that he had planned to talk to Marcy about Supply-side economics.
Music[]
- Peggy sings "Heartbreak Hotel" after claiming that she made Elvis pick between her and Priscilla Presley.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room/Kitchen
- Shoe Store
Goofs[]
- When Marcy holds up the shirt with the image of Elvis' face, as she says "It's Elvis' face!", the shirt is straight and right below her chin. The camera immediately switches to a close up shot of her face and now, the shirt is held up at an angle and further away from her chin.
- When the blonde woman calls Peggy back to show the group how Elvis snarled when he found out about Al being a shoe salesman, the group surrounding Peggy is much smaller than earlier and appears to be just several women in various age ranges. When Al comes home and is suprised when he sees Peggy and what is going on, the camera cuts back to Peggy who is now surround by the much larger group from before the commercial break, consisting of elderly men and women taking her picture. Then, as Al goes to confront her and she introduces him as "The Man with the Golden Glan", the group is now back to the smaller group of women.
References[]
- ↑ Katey Sagal - Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1993)
- ↑ Suspicious Minds: The Bizarre, 40-Year History of Elvis Presley Sightings. Mental Floss.
- ↑ Gary James' Interview With Kalamazoo Michigan resident Louise Welling. Classic Bands.
- ↑ HISTORY OF ELVIS IN LAS VEGAS
- ↑ Elvis Presley in Las Vegas (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). Feeling Vegas.
External Links[]
I'm Going to Sweatland at the Internet Movie Database- I'm Going to Sweatland on Bundyology
- I'm Going to Sweatland - Transcript on Springfield! Springfield!
- #38 I'm Going to Sweatland - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
