Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride: Difference between revisions

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Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/south_park/episode_thumbnails/s01e04_720.jpg?width=285

Season	s01
Episode	e04
Written By	Trey Parker
Production Code	0104
Original Air Date	1997-09-03

Episode Chronology

Previous
Volcano
Next
An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig

Story[edit]

If you live in Latin America, you cannot see this episode in his original language

When Stan discovers his new dog Sparky is gay, he becomes so confused he loses his will to play in the Homecoming football game against Middle Park.

Description[edit]

Stan gets a new dog named Sparky, who turns out to be gay. Frustrated, he wishes out loud for a butch pet. Sparky overhears and runs away.

The distraction couldn't come at a worse time, because Stan quarterbacks the school football team, the South Park Cows, who are about to play the Middle Park Cowboys. Jimbo Kern bets that the boys can beat the game's absurd 72-point spread, and everyone in the town follows suit. They vow to make Jimbo pay if he steers them wrong.

Jimbo and Ned Gerblansky decide to improve the odds. Learning that John Stamos' brother, Richard Stamos, will sing "Lovin' You" at halftime, they wire the opposing team's mascot, a horse named Enrique, with a bomb that's set to explode when Richard hits the song's high F note.

Stan ditches the game to look for Sparky. On the edge of town he meets Big Gay Al, proprietor of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, where Sparky now lives. Big Gay Al takes Stan for a voyage on Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride -- an excursion into the history of gayness. Stan accepts Sparky just as he is, and they return to town together.

Meanwhile, back at the game, South Park is getting pummeled. At halftime Richard Stamos sings, but he fails to hit the fateful high F note and the bomb on Enrique doesn't detonate. Suddenly Stan and Sparky appear. Stan takes the field and lofts the ball to Kyle, who scores a touchdown as the clock runs out. The final score is 73 to 6 -- South Park beats the spread.

Stan leads the townspeople to Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, only to find it gone. However the pets are still there, and they joyously reunite with their former owners. Stan finally spots Big Gay Al, who thanks him for helping find homes for his charges. Then he steps into a suitcase, closes it and rockets off into space. Then Enrique finally explodes.

What I Learned Today[edit]

"It's OK to be gay! Being gay is just a part of nature and a beautiful thing!"

Memorable Quotes[edit]

"Stan's dog's a homo!" (Eric Cartman)
"I'm super, thanks for asking!" (Big Gay Al)
"Oh my! I haven't seen a Jew run like that since Poland, 1938!" (Sports Announcer)
"Football is like making love to a really beautiful women; You can't always score, but when you do it makes all the trying worth while." (Chef)
"We treat star athletes better because they're better people." (Mr. Garrison)
"You know what they say, 'you can't teach a gay dog straight tricks.'" (Chef)

Characters[edit]

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/stan-marsh.png?height=98
Stan Marsh

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kyle-broflovski.png?height=98
Kyle Broflovski

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/eric-cartman.png?height=98
Eric Cartman

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png?height=98
Kenny McCormick

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/clyde-donovan.png?height=98
Clyde Donovan

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/chef.png?height=98
Jerome "Chef" McElroy

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mrgarrison.png?height=98
Herbert Garrison

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/ned-gerblanski.png?height=98
Ned Gerblansky

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/jimbo-kern.png?height=98
Jimbo Kern

Character Debuts[edit]

Stan's homosexual dog Sparky is introduced along with Big Gay Al. We also meet Bill Allen and Fosse McDonald, the boys' classmates who like to call things gay.

Finally we can see Jesus Christ on his show Jesus and Pals.

Not counting the Unaired Pilot, this is the first time in the series where we hear Pip Pirrup speaking (though he does let out a scream after being lit on fire in Cartman Gets an Anal Probe).

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/sparky.png?height=98
Sparky

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/biggayal.png?height=98
Big Gay Al

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/bill-allen.png?height=98
Bill Allen

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/fossie-mcdonald.png?height=98
Fosse McDonald

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/celebrities/jesus.png?height=98
Jesus Christ

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/pip-pirrup.png?height=98
Pip Pirrup

Body Count[edit]

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png?height=98
Kenny McCormick

Locations[edit]

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/busstop.jpg
Bus Stop

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/marsh-house.jpg
Marsh Residence

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/publicbuildings-middle-park-elementary-school.png
Middle Park Elementary

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/school.jpg
South Park Elementary

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/sports-book.jpg
Sports Book

Songs[edit]

"Lovin' You" by Rudolph / Riperton sang by Jimbo

Original Songs[edit]

Gay is Okay!
Love the football
Now You're a Man!

Behind The Scenes[edit]

The episode explores and promotes tolerance of homosexuals, pushing the boundaries of conservative attitudes toward homosexuality at the time. Trey and Matt credit this episode and "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" for elevating South Park's credibility early on with their moral themes.

Where Did The Idea Come From[edit]

Trey and Matt wanted to write a scenario about a boy trying to convince his dog not to be homosexual. Also a childhood friend of Trey and Matt claimed Big Gay Al is supposedly based on a real life resident in Fairplay, Colorado who cross-dressed and lived out of town. On the contrary, Matt said the character came from the show's producer and writer Pam Brady.

Pop Culture References[edit]

Shout Outs[edit]

Sparky is voiced by George Clooney.

Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride is a parody of the ride It's a Small World, the popular attraction in several Disneyland theme parks. Both are water rides that feature animatronic dolls of different ethnicities dancing and singing. An animatronic version of Brian Boitano can be seen gaily ice skating.

Big Gay Al's peculiar departure at the end of the episode is an homage to a scene from the movie Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.

Even though the assignment was on "Asian Cultures", Cartman gives a presentation on the 1980's detective show Simon and Simon, saying "And so you see, Simon and Simon weren't brothers in real life. Only on television." He gets a D-.

Stan wishes his dog Sparky would be "a Rin Tin Tin". Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd who starred in multiple Hollywood films in the '20s and '30s and gained international fame.

Pwn'd[edit]

Full House star John Stamos' older brother, Richard. Though he probably doesn't count, because Matt and Trey made him up.

English actor Hugh Grant. When Pip who isn't equipped with a helmet gets pummeled during the game, one of the announcers says, "I haven't seen an Englishman take a blow like that since Hugh Grant." This is in reference to his 1995 arrest for having public oral sex with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown.

Bonus Factoids[edit]

Award Nominations[edit]

This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" was also nominated in the Outstanding TV - Individual Episode category for the 1998 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards. Lastly, this episode was submitted when South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.

Pointless Observations[edit]

This is the first episode in South Park that centers around the topic of homosexuality and it certainly isn't the last.
Mr. Garrison is called out for being gay for the first time. Chef mentions how "he, of all people, should be accepting towards gays," sighting his overt gay tendencies. Garrison denies it as he will continue to do until he finally confronts his homosexuality in "Fourth Grade".
A few equations written on Mr. Garrison's chalkboard do not mathematically make sense, such as "πr²=2πr". πr² calculates the area of a circle while 2πr calculates the circumference. They do not equal to one another unless r=0 or r=2.
Two Visitors can be seen in the bleacher crowd as the Middle Park team gets off its bus.

Season 1[edit]

e1 Cartman Gets an Anal Probe
e2 Weight Gain 4000
e3 Volcano
e4 Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride
e5 An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig
e6 Death
e7 Pinkeye
e8 Damien
e9 Starvin' Marvin
e10 Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo
e11 Tom's Rhinoplasty
e12 Mecha-Streisand
e13 Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Story==
+If you live in Latin America, you cannot see this episode in his original language
+When Stan discovers his new dog Sparky is gay, he becomes so confused he loses his will to play in the Homecoming football game against Middle Park.
 ===Description===
-Stan gets a new dog named Sparky, who turns out to be gay. Frustrated, he wishes out loud for a butch pet. Sparky overhears and runs away.
+[[Stan]] gets a new dog named [[Sparky]], who turns out to be gay. Frustrated, he wishes out loud for a butch pet. Sparky overhears and runs away.
-The distraction couldn't come at a worse time, because Stan quarterbacks the school football team, the South Park Cows, who are about to play the Middle Park Cowboys. Jimbo bets that the boys can beat the game's absurd 72-point spread, and everyone in the town follows suit. They vow to make Jimbo pay if he steers them wrong.
-Jimbo and Ned decide to improve the odds. Learning that John Stamos' brother, Richard, will sing "Lovin' You" at halftime, they wire the opposing team's mascot, a horse named Enrique, with a bomb that's set to explode when Richard hits the song's high F note.
+The distraction couldn't come at a worse time, because Stan quarterbacks the school football team, the South Park Cows, who are about to play the Middle Park Cowboys. [[Jimbo Kern]] bets that the boys can beat the game's absurd 72-point spread, and everyone in the town follows suit. They vow to make Jimbo pay if he steers them wrong.
-Stan ditches the game to look for Sparky. On the edge of town he meets Big Gay Al, proprietor of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, where Sparky now lives. Big Gay Al takes Stan for a voyage on Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride -- an excursion into the history of gayness. Stan accepts Sparky just as he is, and they return to town together.
+Jimbo and [[Ned Gerblansky]] decide to improve the odds. Learning that John Stamos' brother, [[Richard Stamos]], will sing "Lovin' You" at halftime, they wire the opposing team's mascot, a horse named [[Enrique]], with a bomb that's set to explode when Richard hits the song's high F note.
+Stan ditches the game to look for Sparky. On the edge of town he meets [[Big Gay Al]], proprietor of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, where Sparky now lives. Big Gay Al takes Stan for a voyage on Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride -- an excursion into the history of gayness. Stan accepts Sparky just as he is, and they return to town together.
 Meanwhile, back at the game, South Park is getting pummeled. At halftime Richard Stamos sings, but he fails to hit the fateful high F note and the bomb on Enrique doesn't detonate. Suddenly Stan and Sparky appear. Stan takes the field and lofts the ball to Kyle, who scores a touchdown as the clock runs out. The final score is 73 to 6 -- South Park beats the spread.
 Stan leads the townspeople to Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, only to find it gone. However the pets are still there, and they joyously reunite with their former owners. Stan finally spots Big Gay Al, who thanks him for helping find homes for his charges. Then he steps into a suitcase, closes it and rockets off into space. Then Enrique finally explodes.
 ===What I Learned Today===
-"It's OK to be gay!  Being gay is just a part of nature, and a beautiful thing!"
+"It's OK to be gay!  Being gay is just a part of nature and a beautiful thing!"
 ===Memorable Quotes===
-* "Stan's dog's a homo!" (Cartman)
+* "Stan's dog's a homo!" ([[Eric Cartman]])
-* "I'm super, thanks for asking!" (Big Gay Al)
+* "I'm super, thanks for asking!" ([[Big Gay Al]])
 * "Oh my! I haven't seen a Jew run like that since Poland, 1938!" (Sports Announcer)
-* "Football is like making love to a really beautiful woman.  You can't always score, but when you do, it makes all the trying worthwhile."  (Chef)
+* "Football is like making love to a really beautiful women; You can't always score, but when you do it makes all the trying worth while."  ([[Chef]])
-* "We treat star athletes better because they're better people."  (Mr. Garrison)
+* "We treat star athletes better because they're better people."  ([[Mr. Garrison]])
-* "You know what they say you can't teach a gay dog straight tricks." (Chef)
+* "You know what they say, 'you can't teach a gay dog straight tricks.'" ([[Chef]])
 ==Characters==
+{{Character list
+| Name = Stan Marsh
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/stan-marsh.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Kyle Broflovski
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kyle-broflovski.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Eric Cartman
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/eric-cartman.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Kenny McCormick
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Clyde Donovan
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/clyde-donovan.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Jerome "Chef" McElroy
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/chef.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Herbert Garrison
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mrgarrison.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Ned Gerblansky
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/ned-gerblanski.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Jimbo Kern
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/jimbo-kern.png
+}}
+<char name="Richard Stamos" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/richard-stamos.png"/>
+<char name="Sylvester" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/groups/groups-special-education-sylvester.png"/>
 ===Character Debuts===
-Big Gay Al. Though he comes off as some sort of  magical Willy Wonka-type being, in later episodes he'll morph into just another South Park citizen. Albeit a South Park citizen with a penchant for flashing his nips. Also Sparky, who returns sporadically in future seasons. As everyone in the entire universe already knows, George Clooney provided his Sparky's "voice."
+Stan's homosexual dog [[Sparky]] is introduced along with [[Big Gay Al]]. We also meet [[Bill Allen]] and [[Fosse McDonald]], the boys' classmates who like to call things gay.
-While they aren't mentioned by name, two of the Boys' 3rd grade classmates have their first lines of dialogue:  Fosse, characterized by his scraggily, Charlie-Brown-like hair, and Bob, a brown-haired boy with thick eyebrows.  They can be seen in many future episodes, mostly as background characters laughing at gay jokes.
-Jesus also makes his official television debut as the host of the public access show "Jesus and Pals".  Jesus played a large role in the animated "South Park" short Parker and Stone created before the television show ("The Spirit of Christmas"), and they re-introduce him here for the first time.
+Finally we can see [[Jesus Christ]] on his show <i>Jesus and Pals</i>.
+Not counting the Unaired Pilot, this is the first time in the series where we hear [[Pip Pirrup]] speaking (though he does let out a scream after being lit on fire in [[Cartman Gets an Anal Probe]]).
+{{Character list
+| Name = Sparky
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/sparky.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Big Gay Al
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/biggayal.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Bill Allen
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/bill-allen.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Fosse McDonald
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/fossie-mcdonald.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Jesus Christ
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/celebrities/jesus.png
+}}
+{{Character list
+| Name = Pip Pirrup
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/pip-pirrup.png
+}}
+<char name="Enrique the horse" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/animals-enrique.png"/>
 ===Body Count===
-Kenny dies on the football field, after being decapitated and torn to pieces while making a run for the end zone.  Also, Middle Park's horse mascot, Enrique, gets killed in explosive fashion.  Interestingly, after he's killed, Kenny suddenly reappears in a shot of the football team.
+{{Character list
+| Name = Kenny McCormick
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png
+}}
 ==Locations==
+{{Location list
+| Name = Bus Stop
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/busstop.jpg
+}}
+{{Location list
+| Name = Marsh Residence
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/marsh-house.jpg
+}}
+{{Location list
+| Name = Middle Park Elementary
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/publicbuildings-middle-park-elementary-school.png
+}}
+{{Location list
+| Name = South Park Elementary
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/school.jpg
+}}
+{{Location list
+| Name = Sports Book
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/sports-book.jpg
+}}
+==Songs==
+* "Lovin' You" by Rudolph / Riperton sang by Jimbo
-==Original Songs==
+===Original Songs===
-The happy, gay-friendly "We're All Gay and It's OK!" plays during Big Gay Al's boat ride.  Also, the hard-rocking ballad "Now You're a Man" by DVDA plays during the credits.
+* [http://southpark.cc.com/clips/149822/big-gay-boat-ride Gay is Okay!]
+* [http://southpark.cc.com/clips/149741/love-the-football Love the football]
+* Now You're a Man!
 ==Behind The Scenes==
+The episode explores and promotes tolerance of homosexuals, pushing the boundaries of conservative attitudes toward homosexuality at the time. Trey and Matt credit this episode and "[[Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo]]" for elevating <i>South Park</i>'s credibility early on with their moral themes.
+===Where Did The Idea Come From===
+Trey and Matt wanted to write a scenario about a boy trying to convince his dog not to be homosexual. Also a childhood friend of Trey and Matt claimed Big Gay Al is supposedly based on a real life resident in Fairplay, Colorado who cross-dressed and lived out of town. On the contrary, Matt said the character came from the show's producer and writer Pam Brady.
 ==Pop Culture References==
 ===Shout Outs===
-Big Gay Al's peculiar departure at the end of the episode is an homage to a scene from the movie Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.
+Sparky is voiced by George Clooney.
-Even though the assignment was on "Asian Cultures", Cartman gives a presentation on the 1980s detective show "Simon and Simon", saying "And so you see, Simon and Simon weren't brothers in real life.  Only on television."  He gets a D-.
+Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride is a parody of the ride It's a Small World, the popular attraction in several Disneyland theme parks. Both are water rides that feature animatronic dolls of different ethnicities dancing and singing. An animatronic version of Brian Boitano can be seen gaily ice skating.
+Big Gay Al's peculiar departure at the end of the episode is an homage to a scene from the movie <i>Seven Faces of Dr. Lao</i>.
+Even though the assignment was on "Asian Cultures", Cartman gives a presentation on the 1980's detective show <i>Simon and Simon</i>, saying "And so you see, Simon and Simon weren't brothers in real life.  Only on television." He gets a D-.
+Stan wishes his dog Sparky would be "a Rin Tin Tin". Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd who starred in multiple Hollywood films in the '20s and '30s and gained international fame.
 ===Pwn'd===
-John Stamos' older brother, Richard. Though he probably doesn't count, because Matt and Trey made him up. Also Hugh Grant. When Pip, who isn't equipped with a helmet, gets pummeled during the game, one of the announcers says, "I haven't seen an Englishman take a blow like that since Hugh Grant."
+<i>Full House</i> star John Stamos' older brother, Richard. Though he probably doesn't count, because Matt and Trey made him up.
-Brian Boitano can be seen gaily ice-skate-dancing during the "We're All Gay and It's OK!" song on Big Gay Al's boat ride.
+English actor Hugh Grant. When Pip who isn't equipped with a helmet gets pummeled during the game, one of the announcers says, "I haven't seen an Englishman take a blow like that since Hugh Grant." This is in reference to his 1995 arrest for having public oral sex with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown.
 ==Bonus Factoids==
+===Award Nominations===
+This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" was also nominated in the Outstanding TV - Individual Episode category for the 1998 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards. Lastly, this episode was submitted when <i>South Park</i> won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.
 ===Pointless Observations===
-Two alien "visitors" can be seen in the bleacher crowd as the Middle Park team gets off its bus.
+* This is the first episode in <i>South Park</i> that centers around the topic of homosexuality and it certainly isn't the last.
-Mr. Garrison is called out for being gay for the first time in this episode.   Chef mentions how "he, of all people, should be accepting towards gays," sighting his overt gay tendencies.  Garrison denies it, as he will continue to do, until he finally confronts his gay side in "Fourth Grade" (412).
+* Mr. Garrison is called out for being gay for the first time. Chef mentions how "he, of all people, should be accepting towards gays," sighting his overt gay tendencies.  Garrison denies it as he will continue to do until he finally confronts his homosexuality in "[[Fourth Grade]]".
+* A few equations written on Mr. Garrison's chalkboard do not mathematically make sense, such as "πr<sup>2</sup>=2πr". πr<sup>2</sup> calculates the area of a circle while 2πr calculates the circumference. They do not equal to one another unless r=0 or r=2.
-==Public Reaction==
+* Two Visitors can be seen in the bleacher crowd as the Middle Park team gets off its bus.
-Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Also nominated in the Outstanding TV -- Individual Episode category for the 1998 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards.
 {{Season_List_01|Episode=04}}