Welcome back to this week’s Throwback Thurs!

20 years ago on this date, we saw the town of Springfield become engrossed in a film competition – with guest star Jay Sherman one of the judges, after Springfield is rated the lowest popular city in the whole country.

This encourages the whole of Springfield to enter, including Hans Moleman’s film of getting hit in the ?$%&£! by a football (or rugby ball, if you’re from the UK), Mr. Burns’ of his fictional life, which sees him in a variety of roles, and Barney’s of his alcoholism story, which won the town’s heart so much it won – after much convincing Homer, who was also on the panel, to vote for it by Marge.

But despite his movie being about keeping off the booze, the prize turns out to be a lifetime supply of Duff, which Barney tells them to hook up to his veins.

Poor Barney. At least he finally managed to sober up again, for longer than he did briefly when he drove Homer’s car to New York, five years later.

(P.S. Did you know that Jay Sherman only guest starred because he thought it would promote his new series The Critic, and that Matt Groening ordered his name be removed from the episode’s opening and closing credits because he didn’t want to be associated with the episode?)

And, last but not least, we have our other commemorations/birthdays/other things that happened on this day. On this day in 1955, Penn Jillette, the illusionist who guest starred as himself in “The Great Simpsina”, was born. Also, in 1969, Sabine Bohlmann, the German voice of Lisa, was born.

That’s it for this Throwback Thursday! See you next week!