The Lastest Gun in the West

Plot

After a vicious dog chases Bart home from school, he hides behind the gates of retired Western film star Buck McCoy's estate. Buck calms the dog and gives Bart a tour of his house filled with Western memorabilia, making Bart a fan of his cowboy persona. Bart begins dressing and talking like a cowboy at school, sparking a Western craze, which makes Homer jealous that Bart does not look up to him. Bart lands Buck a guest spot on Krusty the Clown's show to revive his career.

Buck admits to a drinking problem, and Bart declares he is no longer his hero. Marge and Homer try to help Buck by discarding his liquor and enrolling him in Alcoholics Anonymous, but Buck leaves rehab, saying he is too old to change. When Homer sees a news report about armed robbers at the National Bank of Springfield, he convinces Buck to save the day. A sober Buck disarms the robbers with trick roping, restoring Bart's faith.

Bart also declares Homer a hero. Buck tells Bart never to bother him again and returns home. The episode ends with the dog chasing Bart past Buck's house again.

Production

John Swartzwelder wrote the episode, and Bob Anderson directed it. The idea came from writer Ron Hauge, who thought it would be interesting for Bart to meet a retired Western film star and consider him the coolest person alive, even though the actor had seen better days. Hauge suggested Swartzwelder, an avid Western fan, as the appropriate writer. Swartzwelder also contributed the plot idea about the angry dog chasing Bart.

Buck McCoy's design was primarily based on Dennis Weaver, who voiced the character, with aspects of Roy Rogers and John Wayne. McCoy's costume in the fictional show McTrigger was based on attire from the real series McCloud. The dog's design went through several model changes before the staff settled on a very angry bull-terrier design. For the scene where McCoy shows films to the Simpsons, animators painted every other frame white and then blank to achieve a strobe light effect.

Dennis Weaver guest-starred as Buck McCoy; show runner Al Jean called him a terrific guy and said it was an honor to meet him. Karl Wiedergott portrayed a recovering alcoholic gold miner resembling Walter Brennan, and Frank Welker voiced the dog.

Cultural references

The episode title is a pun on "the fastest gun in the west." It contains numerous references and parodies of classic Hollywood westerns, cowboy characters, music, and themes. When McCoy rehearses for Krusty's show, he shoots a Krusty cardboard cutout repeatedly in the crotch, referencing an incident on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where Ed Ames hit a mannequin in the crotch with a tomahawk throw; Krusty's line "Ooh, right in the panhandle" echoes Carson's quips.

The interior of McCoy's house is loosely based on Will Rogers' house in Will Rogers State Historic Park. "McTrigger" parodies the 1970s police drama McCloud, in which Weaver played the lead; McCoy notes his character only seemed to "shoot hippies," leading to the series being retooled as Room 222, a show created by Simpsons producer James L. Brooks. Homer shows Bart a poster of himself dressed as Farrah Fawcett in her iconic red swimsuit poster. The rehab center, the John Ford Center for Alcoholic Cowboys, nods to film director John Ford and the Betty Ford Center.

Release

The episode first aired on Fox on February 24, 2002. Along with a rerun of Malcolm in the Middle, it placed Fox second for the night among adults aged 18 to 49. Nielsen Media Research reported a 5.9 rating, meaning 5.9% of that demographic watched it. The episode was released on DVD and Blu-ray as part of The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season on August 24, 2010.

After its broadcast, the episode received much negative feedback from fans. Show runner Al Jean, who thought the episode was great, said he never figured out why fans disliked it, speculating that Westerns have not been popular since the 1960s and fans may not care about them. Following the home video release, reviews were mixed. Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict called it a clunker and criticized the premise as lazy.

Nate Boss of Project:Blu said it was just jokes thrown together rather than a complete story. Casey Broadwater of Blu-ray.com described it as just plain dull. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide praised it for offering good laughs and called it an enjoyable experience. Ron Martin of 411Mania gave a positive review, calling it easily one of the best of the season.