Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride

Infobox Television episode
Title = Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride
Series = South Park


Caption =
Season = 1
Episode = 4
Airdate = September 3, 1997
Production = 104
Writer = Trey Parker
Matt Stone
Director = Trey Parker
Guests = George Clooney
Episode list = List of "South Park" episodes
Season list = Infobox South Park season 1 episode list
Prev =
Next ="Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" is the fourth episode of Comedy Central's animated series "South Park". It originally aired on September 3, 1997. It guest-starred actor George Clooney. This was the first episode of the series to be nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.Fact|date=September 2008 It was also nominated for a GLAAD Award. [ [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/GLAAD_Media_Awards/1998 "GLAAD Media Awards: 1998"] Retrieved on 2008-08-09.]

Plot

Stan's dog Sparky (voiced by George Clooney) follows the boys to the bus stop one morning, prompting Stan and Cartman to begin arguing over which is the toughest dog in South Park, Sparky or local street mutt Sylvester, who also shows up at the bus stop. The dogs circle each other and prepare to fight, with the boys egging them on, when Sparky suddenly leaps on top of Sylvester and begins humping him energetically. Sylvester runs away yelping, and Cartman declares that Sparky is apparently a "gay homosexual."

At football practice, Stan's Uncle Jimbo and his buddy Ned show up (representing the South Park alumni) asking (Coach) Chef if the boys can beat the spread of 72 points. Impressed by a catch, Jimbo and Ned run off to the bookie where Jimbo puts $500 on the South Park Cows, to cover. Seeing this causes everyone else to bet all their money on the same team and they threaten Jimbo them if the Cows lose. Unsure of wanting to rely on Stan, Jimbo and Ned seek a backup plan and learn that John Stamos's brother Richard will be singing "Lovin' You" at halftime.

After practice, Sparky shows up and mounts another dog, Rex, who also runs away yelping with his tail between his legs. The next day, after class, Stan asks Mr. Garrison to tell him what a homosexual is. Mr. Garrison's response is that "Gay people are evil. Evil right down to their cold, black hearts, which pump not blood, like yours and mine, but rather a thick, vomitous oil oozing through their rotten veins." Stan sets on a quest to make his dog more masculine, hopefully to prevent him from being gay. His first attempt, presenting Sparky with Fifi, a female poodle, fails miserably when Sparky steals Fifi's pearl collar. Thinking that homosexuality might not be bad, Stan calls up Jesus on his show "Jesus and Pals" to ask him what he thinks of homosexuality. But before he can answer, the show abruptly ends in time for Cartman's favorite show, "Marty's Movie Reviews". Frustrated, he rants about wanting a butch dog, a Rin Tin Tin. Sparky overhears this and runs away, ending up at Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary.

As they talk to Carl, a bomb and explosive expert, Jimbo and Ned's plan is revealed: to blow up the opposing team using a sonic triggering device as Richard Stamos hits the high F note in the song. They attach the bomb to Middle Park's mascot. At halftime, Richard Stamos fails to hit the note, upsetting Jimbo and Ned, which prompts Mr. Garrison to shout, "It's obvious where all the talent in that family went!"

Worried about his dog, Stan looks for him (leaving him absent from the game in the process) and finds him at the Big Gay Animal Sanctuary. Here, Stan learns from Big Gay Al that homosexuality has been around for a long time, and Stan eventually accepts his dog's homosexuality. Returning to the game in progress, Stan steps in as the quarterback, passing the ball to Kyle for a touchdown that beats the spread as time runs out, with a final score of 73-6. In his interview after the game, Stan tries to tell the people of South Park about the Big Gay Animal Sanctuary and that "it's okay to be gay."

He attempts to lead the people to the site of the Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, but it is mysteriously missing; people's runaway pets, however, return. As everyone dissipates Big Gay Al appears to Stan, thanking him for bringing everyone, before he disappears as well.

Although the Cows beat the spread, Richard Stamos shows up to prove he can hit the high note that he missed earlier, which triggers the bomb and blows up the Cowboys' mascot.

Syndication

* In the Spanish dub for this episode, John Stamos' brother Richard Stamos is replaced by "the other son of Julio Iglesias" since the Spanish editors assumed that people in Spanish-speaking countries wouldn't know who John Stamos is.Fact|date=September 2008

Censorship

* On the Canadian channel Global, during the game, the balding commentator's line "I haven't seen a Jew run that fast since Poland 1938!" when Kyle runs with the football was cut (however, The Comedy Network has aired this episode with the line intact).Fact|date=September 2008

Trivia

* Mr.Garrison's homophobic statements are similar to the arguments of the Westboro Baptist Church, although the church wasn't well-known at the time this episode was made.Fact|date=September 2008
* "Marty's Movie Reviews" is a parody of "Sneak Previews".Fact|date=September 2008
*Although George Clooney guest starred in this episode, he was still parodied in a later episode, Smug Alert!

Cultural References

*Unlike South Parks usual 15 rating by the BBFC this episode was giving a 12 ratingFact|date=September 2008

External links

* [http://www.southparkstudios.com/guide/104/ Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride] on the South Park Studios Episode Guide

References