Poke High (aka The Red Grange Story) is the third episode of season 3 of Season 3 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 38th 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 November 27, 1988.
Synopsis[]
Al tries to keep a Polk High School football player from breaking his football record while Kelly tries to get a date with him during a game.
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[]
- Beau Dremann as Matt
- Cynthia Songé as Ms. Mount
- Ria Pavia as Kitty
- Carey Eidel as Mr. Groggs
- Gregory White as Coach (as Greg White)
- Alan Bates as Football Player (uncredited)
- Frank Foti Jr. as Referee (uncredited)
Quotes[]
- Kelly: I can't believe it. I've failed.
- Al: Which class was it this time?
- Kelly: Oh daddy, I'm not talking about school. Why would I care about that?
- Peggy: Ok honey, now its time to do your chores.
- Al: Wait a second, Peg. We just had sex three nights ago. I'm still kind of woozy.
- Peggy: The garbage, Al. The longer of the two jobs.
- Al: And the more rewarding.
- [Al picks up the plastic garbage bag and it breaks, spilling garbage all over the floor]
- Peggy: Don't you even know how to do that?
- Al: [sarcastically] Aw, thanks, Peg. Now it's exactly like sex.
- Kelly: Mom, I flirted with a boy and he paid no attention to me.
- Peggy: Oh honey! [gets up and hugs Kelly] Well, you can't give up. You've got to keep on trying.
- Bud: Well, there's nowhere left to go once you've stood in the boys' shower wearing a sign that says, "Soap".
- Kelly: Hey, I play for keeps!
- Peggy: Well, Kelly, a good place to start is to pretend you have a common interest. Now, what is this guy like?
- Kelly: Football!
- Al: [smiling while reminiscing] Everyone wants a football player. I played football.
- Peggy: You know, football players aren't very bright and they usually end up doing menial jobs for minimum wage, desperately clinging to their former glory.
- Al: [reminiscing as he takes the garbage out] Yep, yep... They called me "Touchdown Bundy". I was great!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The episode title is a play on the Bundys' high school "James K. Polk High School" as Kelly spells it in the episode.
Trivia[]
- The Bundy phone number is displayed to be 555-2878.
- This was the first Fox airing with a share of more than 25.
- Al mentions that his nickname was "Touchdown Bundy" for the first time in this episode.
- In this episode, Bud is forced to tutor a dumb athlete that Kelly has a crush on and later, she does something that ends his football season. A similar concept was used in the season 8 episode, "Al Goes Deep", when Bud has to tutor the Trumaine University quarterback, Chad and Kelly has a crush on him. She ends up accidentally inuring him because of a cursed stuffed animal, ending his football season until Al steps in and plays in Chad's place.
Cultural References[]
- Kelly says that Bud spends his nights with a Penthouse, a flashlight and a pillow. Penthouse is the name of an adult magazine that is usually more explicit compared to Playboy.
- Bud was seeing hiding a copy of the January 1986 issue of Penthouse in the back of his pants in the Season 2 episode, "Father Lode".
- Peggy has a phone call with Reverend Felcher who was Archie Bunker's minister in All in the Family.
- Bud is shown to help Matt with the novel Of Mice and Men.
- Matt mistakes George from the novel Of Mice and Men with Squiggy from the T.V. series Laverne & Shirley.
- David L. Lander, who played Squiggy, later appeared on MWC as Al's high school friend, Eli, in Married... with Queen: The Sequel (Part 2)
- Al is mistakenly referred to as former Chicago Bears halfback Red Grange.
- Al states I'm going to Disneyland, a slogan used in advertisements for the theme park usually featuring the Super Bowl MVP saying the line after winning the game.
- The Polk High Panthers are playing their rivals, The Chester A. Arthur Aryans who come from "the rich, white neighborhood" as Al tells Steve.
- The rival high school is named after the 21st U.S. President, Chester A. Arthur
- "Aryan" is a common word in white power terminology that describes people of Nordic descent and having certain physical traits as a superior race.
- Two of the Aryans players name announced are "Himmler" and "Rommel", referring to Heinrich Himmler and Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel, who were high ranking officers in the German Army during World War II.
- Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel would be referenced again in the season 5 episode, "You Better Shop Around (Part 1)", when Al buys an air conditioner that was owned by Rommel and later, Peggy sarcastically calls Al "Desert Fox" after he caused a massive power outage, causing the neighbors to come to Bundy's front door with torches and pitchforks.
Music[]
- The song played throughout the game is On Wisconsin!, the theme song for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room/Kitchen
- Polk High Football Field
Goofs[]
- As of this episode it appears that Bud is in high school with Kelly, despite him being in 5th grade in season 1, and this is season 3. That would mean he skipped middle school, which is typically grades 6-8.
External Links[]
Poke High at the Internet Movie Database- Poke High on Bundyology
- Poke High - First Draft Script on albundy.net
- Poke High - Transcript on Springfield! Springfield!
- #39 Poke High - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
