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Futurama Easter Egg - Phil Hartman

The late Phil Hartman had two semi-regular charecters on The Simpsons. and became a friend to creator Matt Groening. When Futurama was being created Groening made a charecter especially for Hartman. He would't even have to audition for it. But after he died the part was recast and Fry's unspoken first name became Phillip in honor of the great actor. Also Fry's middle initial J. is in honor of Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward.
On an interesting note: this egg was added to the database on Phil Hartman's birthday September 24.

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User Rating:
7.1
  7.1/10 with 164 votes
Contributed By: PiRat314 on 09-24-1999
Reviewed By: Webmaster
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Comments

Serina writes:
Bart's middle name is Jojo. Nancy Cartwright thought it up once and it stuck. You can verify it "The Simpsons Cartoon Spectacular" or something like that. The cover has a lot of Characters doing the Can-can. Check it out! ~Sarah
9 of 10 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Powers322 writes:
Phil was also ment to be the voice of Cap. Branigan, who thinks Lella is in love with him.
8 of 11 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Trivimaster writes:
Homer (from the Simpsons) also has the middle initial J and in the episode where he wants to become a hippie he finds out that his middle name is actually "Jay".
3 of 5 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Jodi writes:
Troy McClure is a Phil Hartman character. A little off topic...there was a Treehouse of horrors (halloween) episode when Snake was getting the chair and they wanted Phil Hartman to do it, had the voice and everything, but then he died so they didn't find it right. Anyway, The J initial is a tribute to Rocky J Squirrel and Bullwinkle J Moose. I read in a Simpsons Illustrated that after Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart) said 'If my name isn't Bartholomew J. Simpson' Matt asked her what the J stood for and she said JoJo. It's also in her book she wrote. That's basically it. Oh yeah and there are way too many 'eggs' in the Simpsons, that's half of the humor, next time your in a book store look for the episode guides, skim through it and you will see the 'stuff you may have missed' section.
3 of 5 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
dadoctah writes:
The middle initial J for cartoon characters goes back farther than Rocky and Bullwinkle. In 1955's "Hare Brush", you get to hear the immortal line: "I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht." (For reasons too complicated to go into, it's Bugs Bunny who says it.)
2 of 3 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
T.J. writes:
ITS LIONEL HUTZ!!!!! not lionel huntz show some respect
4 of 7 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Deep Black writes:
In answer to Cross's question, yes Phil Hartman did the voice of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz :)
2 of 3 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Ragzouken writes:
The J in arnold J Rimmer is revealed in some episode to stand for Judas.
2 of 3 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
adampudsy writes:
Bart's middle initial is also J. This apparently stands for Jojo, but I can't confirm this - I've never heard it mentioned on the show (I got it from Simpsons questions on the wrappers of kitkats).
1 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
The thing about Fry's first name was in an article in TV Guide.
1 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Dolorem writes:
It's weird cuz if you listen to Zap's voice, it sounds like someone doing a Phil Hartman impression. Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
1 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
sircrayons writes:
Bart's middle name was JoJo. But that was a mistake, more or less. It was published in one of the books (don't remember which), but it was later "retracted." Bart, Homer and Jay share a middle name with Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose (yes, Homer is "Jay", but it's the initial that counts).
1 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
sally writes:
grandpa too!! once, quite possibly the episode in which he goes out with Marge's mother, he refers to himself as Abraham J. Simpson.
1 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
gorizo writes:
In "The Problem with Popplers" (Futurama, season 2, episode 18), Fry's real first name is revealed as being Philip. So there.
2 of 4 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
kelub writes:
Ummm... no one said anything about Phil Hartman doing Fry's voice. They simply said his first name is in honor of him. The original post said that there was a character made just for him... and as stated above, it is Capt. Zap Brannigan.
2 of 4 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
N8 writes:
Phil Hartman _was_ meant to be the voice of Zapp Brannigan (got that from a TV Guide interview w/Matt Groening a while back), but he died before the pilot was completed. So, Billy West (who already does the voice of Fry) took on the role instead. That's why Fry's first name is Philip (a tribute to Mr. Hartman) and why Zapp Brannigan sounds like a bad Phil Hartman impersonator. (another tribute)
2 of 4 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
stephanie writes:
In regard to Cross's comment, yes, his name was Troy McClure, to my knowledge.. I watch the Simpsons every time it comes on.. I'm a big fan.
0 of 1 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
I think the J. thing is just part of Matt Groening's humour (as mentioned earlier). J is a very ordinary middle inital, it sounds good. Homer C. Simpson doesn't have the same ring does it? Completely off the subject, in the britcom Red Dwarf, the character Rimmer takes great delight in calling himself Arnold J. Rimmer. It just has more majesty to it, it makes the name sound more important.
2 of 5 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
DOPE writes:
Stimpson J. Cat..... funny, Stimpson/Simpson, J. ....
2 of 5 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
daigoro writes:
Yes Cross, he was. I'm a voice actor geek!! Out of every Tom Kenny and Mona Marshal, I could always identify Phil Hartman's voice. It was distinct. Except in Kiki's Delivery Service where he played Kiki's cat (name anyone?) but you can always tell it's him. Thanks for the memories, Phil.
0 of 1 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Smoke writes:
Zapp Brannigan (correct spelling btw) is a captain. Therefore, saying Cap. Brannigan is okay, b/c "Cap." is an abbreviation for "captain."
1 of 4 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Nightcrawler writes:
The chracter for Phil was Zap not also zap he was the only one. Matt merely gave Fry the name Phillip in his honor Phil was never going to be fry's voice
0 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
FrkyLooser writes:
I think that Fry also have a J as his middle name.Philip J. Fry.
2 of 6 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
i was here writes:
september 24 eh? same date as my cat's birthday.........
0 of 2 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Mike Farkas writes:
adampudsy is indeed correct, Bart's middle name is JoJo. And I think I have a reasn for it but I'm not sure so I won't put it up until I'm positive.
0 of 4 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Cross writes:
Correct me if i'm wrong, but wasn't Phil Hartman the voice of Troy McClure(Star of such movies as.....)Verify for me if you could Simpsons fans.
1 of 8 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Noodles writes:
All the middle initials are J in the Simpsons. There is Bart J Simpson, Homer J Simpson, Abraham J Simpson, Jebediah J Springfield and a whole host more. It's just part of Matt Groening's type of humour.
0 of 6 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Phil Hartman also did the voice of Lionel Huntz the lawyer in the Simpsons.
1 of 10 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No





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