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You'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again is the 30th episode of season 3 of the Pinky and the Brain spin-off series and the 55th episode overall. It originally aired on April 25, 1998. In this change-of-pace cartoon, the mice battle incompetence from network executives, as well as the trials and tribulations of being Hollywood stars.

Notably, this episode was done as commentary by the show's crew against The WB and its programming block Kids' WB!, who had meddled with the production of both this show and Animaniacs. The initial concept around this episode was created to both meet and lampoon the network's own desires to retool the series into more of a "sitcom"-type series. (See below).

You'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again[]

You'll never eat food pellets in this town again title

Animation by Wang

Plot[]

In this change-of-pace setting, Pinky and the Brain are the stars of the a network show of the same name and famous celebrities. Brain is married to Billie (who's "real" name is Sheila, and hates playing Billie); who pretty much only agreed to marry Brain because he's famous. Pinky is in a relationship with a sockpuppet named Margaret, and the four live in a house in the same neighborhood as TV's Dick Clark. Trouble arises when the show is changed. Pinky and Brain become frustrated with this and quit the show. When Brain falls back onto his bumbling agent Nifty Bizarre's attempts to get some work, he goes to Pinky's "connections" as a last resort.

The mice are then given a job entertaining at a children's birthday party, where he becomes angry at the birthday boy for insulting him and is kicked out. Brain then becomes motivated to quit the Hollywood industry, and is eventually kicked out by Billie because of this. Brain is then forced to live in his restaurant. To his horror; he and Pinky find out that the network is rebooting Pinky and the Brain with the stars of The Dukes of Hazzard. To further add to the injury of it all, Brain's restaurant is brought by Yurkle (a parody of Steve Urkel from Family Matters). In the end, Brain wakes up and realizes it's all a bad dream, but Pinky still has his puppet Margaret and they still live next door to Dick Clark.

Crew[]

Songs[]

Trivia[]

  • This episode's title is a parody of Julia Phillips autobiography You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again.
  • Sandy Dreckman is obviously a dig at then-WB Network executive and founder Jamie Kellner, the man responsible for ending this show and Animaniacs. The official description for this episode on digital outlets like iTunes and Hulu even go as far as to refer to Sandy Dreckman as Kellner himself.
    • Additionally, part of his last name comes from the word "Dreck"; which means "rubbish, trash."
  • Series writer Jed Spingarn is caricatured in this episode as "Jed", one of the in-universe show's crew-members.
  • One of the network's proposed revamps of the show involves the duo meeting in a "funky coffee house." A Seinfeld-styled bass riff is briefly heard as they discuss this idea.
  • Yurkle is a parody of Steve Urkel from Family Matters.
  • Nifty Bazaar's appearance and voice (performed by Billy West) strongly resemble that of Gilbert Gottfried.
  • The song "Please Bop Me, Brain" is a parody of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe."
    • Additionally, the duo's failed variety show, The Pinky and the Brain Variety Hour, takes cues from variety shows such as The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
  • Pinky and the Brain's cameo gigs include parodies of Star Trek: The Next Generation/Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (parodied as Star Trek Deep Voyage 12) and NYPD Blue (parodied as NYDP Blues).
  • When pondering his "puppet connections," Pinky recalls that he used to lunch with the person who did Frank Oz's nails. Frank Oz is famous for his work on puppet productions such as The Muppets and Sesame Street.
  • The name for duo's gig at Timmy's birthday party, "An Evening with Pinky and the Brain", has been used for actual panels featuring their voice actors Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche (such as a 2013 Atlanta Film Festival panel).
  • During Timmy's birthday party, Brain insults the birthday child and tells him that W.C. Fields would've referred to him as an "ignorant, snot-nosed little brat." Fields was known for his supposed contempt for children.
  • When the network recasts Pinky and the Brain's roles, they enlist The Dukes of Hazzard (caricatures of Tom Wopat and John Schneider) to take their roles.
  • Brain waking up from his nightmare spoofs the ending to the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life.

Goofs[]

  • When watching the news report on the revamped Pinky and the Brain series, Pinky's eyes briefly turn pink.

Gallery[]

Production Notes[]

  • "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again" was initially scheduled to air on February 7, 1998.[1] However, the episode was delayed at the last minute due to sensitivity surrounding references to the late Sonny Bono, who had died a month prior to the episode's original scheduled airdate.[2] [3] The episode would later air on April 25, 1998.
  • This episode was the final one to have a story by Peter Hastings, who had grown frustrated with Warner Bros. executives attempting to change aspects of the show. His initial story idea actually resulted from the network's proposed primetime "sitcom" retooling of the show that didn't advance much. Additionally, it was going to serve as the pilot of the retooled series.[4] [5] Hastings managed to meet their requests while also making fun of the whole concept. The episode's plot references the network meddling heavily, featuring bumbling network executives attempting to change aspects of a show despite the fact it was already a success.
    • The episode also had to be reworked for the youth-oriented Kids' WB! block as the original script included more direct, apparent adult-themes than usual such as alcohol.[6]
    • Pinky and Brain's marriages to Sheila and Margaret also parody one of the network's "sitcom"-esque demands, which called for the mice to be in marriages with their own children. The request for them to have children lead to the creation of the episode "Brinky."[6]
    • "Pinky and the Brain... and Larry!" was also a veiled insult against network executives who had been trying to insert a third character into the show (something they would finally accomplish with the dreaded Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain much to the chagrin of cast and crew).

Cast[]

Voice Actors: Character(s):
Rob Paulsen Pinky, Yurkel, Additional Voices
Maurice LaMarche The Brain, Additional Voices
Tress MacNeille Billie/Sheila, Timmy, Mother
Dick Clark Himself
Charles Kimbrough Sandy Dreckman
Billy West Nifty Bizarre, Tour Guide
Pat Musick TV Mom
Mark L. Taylor Pollster #1
Philip Maurice Hayes Pollster #2
John Rubano Jimmy S.
Townsend Coleman Bobby Fenster

References[]

  1. (FEL) EOC's Update on Future PatB, Mark VI. Published by EOCostello on alt.tv.animaniacs February 4, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  2. (NEWS) "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets" scrubbed. Published by EOCostello on alt.tv.animaniacs February 5, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  3. Reply to # 98 by marinaro on alt.tv.animaniacs. Published March 24, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  4. (CORRECTED, AGAIN, FEL) PatB as of 2/5/98. Published by EOCostello on alt.tv.animaniacs February 5, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  5. Reply to P&B Win Primetime Emmy by Ron "Keeper" O'Dell on alt.tv.animaniacs. Published September 9, 1996. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Animanicast Episode #185 - PINKY AND THE BRAIN… AND LARRY (Featuring Charles M. Howell IV) (See 0:58:47 - 1:00:30)


List of Pinky and the Brain episodes
Season 1
Das MouseOf Mouse And ManTokyo Grows / That Smarts / BrainstemPinky and the Fog / Where No Mouse Has Gone Before / Cheese Roll CallBrainaniaTV or Not TVNapoleon BrainaparteA Pinky and the Brain ChristmasSnowballAround the World in 80 NarfsFlyAmbulatory Abe / Mouse of La ManchaThe Third Mouse / The Visit
Season 2
It's Only A Paper WorldCollect 'em All / PinkassoPlan Brain From Outer SpaceThe Pink CandidateBrain's SongWelcome to the JungleA Little Off the Top / Megalomaniacs AnonymousThe Mummy / Robin BrainTwo Mice and a Baby / The MazeBrain of the FutureBrinkyHoop Schemes
Season 3
Leave it to Beavers / CinebrainiaBrain NoirPinky and the Brain... And Larry / Where the Deer and the Mousealopes PlayBrain's Bogie / Say What, EarthMy Feldmans, My FriendsAll You Need Is Narf / Pinky's PlanCold Open- A New Direction / This Old MouseBrain StormA Meticulous Analysis of History / Funny, You Don't Look RhennishThe Pinky ProtocolMice Don't Dance / Brain DrainedBrain AcresPinky and the Brainmaker / Calvin BrainPinky Suavo / T.H.E.YThe Real LifeBrain's WayA Pinky and the Brain HalloweenBrainy JackLeggo My Ego / Big in JapanBut That's Not All, Folks!Operation Sea Lion / You Said a MousefulThe Tailor and the Mice / Bah, WildernessPinky at the Bat / Schpiel-borg 2000Broadway MaladyThe Megalomaniacal Adventures of Brainie the Poo / The Melancholy BrainInherit the WheezeBrain's Night Off / Beach Blanket BrainThe Family That Poits Together, Narfs TogetherPinky's Turn / Your Friend: Global DominationYou'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town AgainDangerous BrainsWhat Ever Happened to Baby Brain / Just Say NarfThe Pinky P.O.V. / The Really Great Dictator / Brain Food
Season 4
Brainwashed:

(Part 1 - Brain, Brain, Go AwayPart 2 - I Am Not a HatPart 3 - Wash Harder)
To Russia With Lab Mice / Hickory Dickory BonkThe Pinky and the Brain Reunion SpecialA Legendary Tail / Project B.R.A.I.N.
The Ultimate Animaniacs Super Special: (Star Warners)

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