Prohibition in Springfield: Editing a Scene

One scene that I probably would have changed in the episode to make it more historically accurate would be one of the very first scenes: the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The producers made it seem like the reason behind the desire for Prohibition was that kids were getting drunk, and that was definitely not the reason Prohibition started in the 1920's. It really started to eliminate "bad" things such as gambling, prostitution, violence in saloons, workplace accidents, etc. Instead, the producers of "The Simpsons" decided to add a modern twist by letting Bart get drunk at a St. Patrick's Day parade and having the townspeople protest it. Also, the judge tried to defend the presence alcohol in the town by saying that all of our forefathers were drunks… and that probably wasn't very accurate. Besides some other scenes that were added in purely for comedic effect and probably could've been more historically accurate, i.e. the scene where Moe's Bar turns into a pet shop, the rest of the episode was surprisingly accurate and fact-based.

Prohibition in Springfield

The producers of the popular Fox television show "The Simpsons" did an excellent job in portraying 1920's Prohibition in Springfield. I would definitely say that the accuracies outweighed the fictional comedy because there were so many elements of the episode that were direct references to Prohibition in the 1920's. For example, speakeasies, or illegal bars, were mentioned and shown throughout the entire episode. Also, the producers made a note of the Mafia paying off the police officers, which really happened during the 1920's. The producers also made it obvious that people were drinking more during Prohibition in Springfield, which also really occurred. The episode also added in the fact that bars were charging more for liquor (although I doubt they were charging $45 for it!) Bootlegging was also added into the episode, and when the company couldn't sell beer they tried to sell soda instead, which was also based on true facts from the 1920’s. The episode was not completely fact, though; some elements were added in simply for comedic effect. For example, using bowling balls to transport liquor secretly, or turning Moe’s bar into a pet shop when the cops rolled around. Overall, though, I felt that the producers did an outstanding job of portraying facts about Prohibition in the 1920's, and the facts definitely outweighed the fictional comedic elements. I really enjoyed this episode; with a few modern twists and some comedic value, it was an easy and enjoyable way to learn about Prohibition in the 1920's.