Sleepless in Chicago was the 191st overall series episode of Married... with Children also the 8th episode of Season 9 of the series. Directed and written by Katherine Green, the episode originally aired on FOX-TV on October 23, 1994.
Synopsis[]
Kelly becomes a brunette to do a public announcement and be taken seriously. Jefferson gets a nurse Barbie doll and Al gets the first issue of 'Big Uns' at an auction. They later realize the Barbie is worth $50,000. Jefferson needs Al to lie in bed next to Marcy while Jefferson tries to take Marcy's valuable Barbie doll and sell it off. Peg is worried that Al is missing.
Storyline[]
Jefferson learns that the nurse Barbie doll he bought for Marcy on her birthday at an auction is worth a small fortune - $50,000 - due to a misprint. So he asks Al a big favor: sleep next to Marcy for the night, lie in bed next to her and take the doll as he then goes out to sell her family heirloom off. In return, Al gets to keep a prized first edition of the magazine "Big Uns" that he bought at the auction with Jefferson's money.
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy
Guest starring[]
Quotes[]
- [Al is watching "The Adventures of Superman". Kelly arrives home wearing a brunette wig, cut in a short bob style and takes a seat next to him on the couch]
- Kelly: Hi, Daddy.
- Al: [focused solely on the television show] Look at this. The bad guys shoot Superman a dozen times, see the bullets bounce off, so they throw their guns at him. [Kelly lets out a sigh] It's like they can't kill him, so they think they'd give him a really bad bruise. [Kelly rolls her eyes] What a bunch of morons!
- Kelly: [sighs] Daddy, do you notice anything different about me?
- Al: No, son.
- Kelly: Daddy, it's Kelly.
- Al: [impatiently, while still focused on the show] Well, tell her to come in!
- Kelly: I am already IN! [Al turns and finally notices her] And I am wearing a brunette wig. "Why?" you ask? It's because I got picked to do a public service announcement. And I decided I should do it as a brunette, since blondes have a reputation for being dumb. Which we all know is just a stereo system.
- Al: Pumpkin, daddy is watching an important program. It's called Superman.
- Kelly: What's the big "S" stand for?
- Al: "Straight". Can't be too careful when you take your pants off in a phone booth. Now, go away, honey! I'm studying this kryptonite thing. If it'll stop Superman, it might just work on your mother.
- [A concerned Jefferson enters the Bundy residence, after Al had been trying to read the "Big 'Uns" magazine that he won at the auction.]
- Jefferson: I got a big problem, Al. Marcy hasn't let go of that Barbie doll since I gave it to her. [sits down next to Al, then sighs] I need you to do me a little favor.
- [Al pulls out the "Big 'Uns" magazine from under the couch]
- Al: Can I do it while I'm reading my magazine?
- Jefferson: You know... [gently takes the magazine from Al's hands] that magazine still belongs to me until you've paid me for it.
- [Jefferson looks over the cover for a moment before Al gently takes it back]
- Al: What is the favor?
- Jefferson: [pauses, then sighs] I need you to sleep with Marcy.
- [Al immediately reacts by slapping Jefferson's arm with the magazine in disgust]
- Jefferson: I don't mean "sleep" with her. Just lie next to her so I can have enough time to switch that Barbie with the regular Nurse Barbie. That 'Barbie-phile' we saw at the auction will give me $50,000 and the substitute. It'll just take an hour 'til I make the trade. How about it?
- Al: [flustered] But, Jefferson, Peg might wake up and notice me gone, and then it might ruin an otherwise... sickening marriage.
- [Al finally arrives at the D'Arcys' bedroom window and climbs in. Jefferson quickly sneaks over to Marcy, who is asleep, takes the Barbie and swaps it with a back scratcher with a blond wig on top]
- Al: [in a hushed tone] You sure she's not going to wake up?
- Jefferson: [quietly, while sliding his pants on] Positive. We just had sex three times. And uh,... [proudly smiling] I did her real good.
- [Al immediately pulls out a flask and begins chugging the alcoholic content down]
- [Al finds out that Peggy had thrown out his "Big 'Uns" magazine from the auction, after she started cleaning due to Al not being in bed with her]
- Al: Ohhh, no! [checking under the couch cushions] Where is it?!
- Peg: [shrugs, nonchalantly] I threw it out. [begins walking towards the staircase]
- Al: Oh, Peg! [whining, starts following her] Peg, I want my Big 'Uns!
- Peg: [turns to Al and smiles] Oh, hohoho! Oh, honey. [walks up to Al] You want Big 'Uns?' [forcefully grabs him by the lapels] I'll give ya' Big 'Uns!
- [Peggy slows drops backwards to the floor while holding onto Al as he begins to panic]
- Al: NO, I SAID "BIG 'UNS", NOT "THOSE 'UNS"!'
- Peg: [smiling] Oh, hohoho!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a parody of the 1993 romantic comedy film, Sleepless in Seattle.
Trivia[]
- Jefferson's middle name is revealed to be "Milhous” in the episode.
- The scene where Jefferson quickly shuts the Bundy's front door on Marcy just as she is about to knock would later be used for the season 10 credits to introduce Ted McGinley.
- Allan Trautman, who plays the Barbiephile, would later work on Unhappily Ever After, a show created by MWC co-creator Ron Leavitt. On that show, he served as the puppeteer for Mr. Floppy, along with playing various characters.
Cultural References[]
- The main theme of the episode focuses on Barbie Fashion Dolls and Al and Jefferson having to retrieve the doll. A similar premise was featured in season 2's "Guys and Dolls", where Al and Marcy's then-husband Steve Rhoades have to walk the streets of Chicago to retrieve her childhood Barbie after it was sold for money to buy baseball cards.
- Al's get excited when the 1960s crime drama series Dragnet appears on the TV screen.
- Ed O'Neill would later star in the 2003 reboot of the series.
- At the beginning of the episode, Al appears to be watching Adventures of Superman.
- Al mentions the FOX television show America's Most Wanted after the Barbiephile talks to them.
- One of the items for sale at the auction is the original nose of Michael Jackson, a reference to the singer's constantly changing appearance.
- Al refers to Peg as comic book character Popeye the Sailor, while she hums "Blow the Man Down".
- Jefferson’s middle name “Milhous” may be a reference to his shady past, as it was also the middle name of the famously dishonest U.S. Presidents, Richard Nixon.
Music[]
- Peggy plays "Blow the Man Down" and "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" on her concertina. She also hums "Blow the Man Down" as she comes down the staircase after Jefferson leaves with Marcy.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Auction House
- D'Arcy Residence
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Auction House Stage / Seating area
- Marcy & Jefferson's Bedroom
Goofs[]
- Marcy claims her parents never let her have a Barbie doll and gave her a Chinese back scratcher that she dressed up instead. But in the season two episode, "Guys and Dolls", she clearly states that she had one as a child instead of real friends and had been keeping it in its original box for 20 years.
- Jefferson says that Al's pajama top is all wet as he escorts him to the ladder at the window. Yet, its very clear that the pajamas are completely dry.