Editing Brush with Greatness (section)

==Production==
[[File:Ringo.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ringo Starr]] guest stars in the episode as himself.]]

[[Al Jean]] and [[Mike Reiss]] originally pitched the idea of Marge taking an art class and churning out depressing paintings, with the family realizing she was secretly unhappy.<ref name="sprcon">{{cite book |last1=Reiss |first1=Mike |last2=Klickstein |first2=Mathew |title=Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons |date=2018 |publisher=Dey Street Books |isbn=978-0062748034 |page=67|location=New York City}}</ref> [[James L. Brooks]] took that pitch and came up with the Burns commission plot as well as the idea she would paint him as frail and naked.<ref name="sprcon"/> The script was written by [[Brian K. Roberts]] and directed by [[Jim Reardon]]. Prior to writing the episode, Roberts had been an audio and visual editor on the show.<ref name="Roberts">{{cite video |people=Robert, Brian |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Brush with Greatness" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Musician Ringo Starr made a guest appearance in the episode as himself. He was the first [[The Beatles|Beatle]] to appear on the show; both [[George Harrison]] and [[Paul McCartney]] would later guest star in the season five episode "[[Homer's Barbershop Quartet]]" and the season seven episode "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]" respectively. When the story of Marge's having a crush on Starr was pitched out, Roberts took the opportunity to write Starr into the script because he had always wanted to meet a Beatle. He then sent the script to Starr, who was then in southern France. Starr agreed to do the guest appearance after reading only two lines, and he told Roberts he would be able to do it when he visited Los Angeles a few weeks later. The staff was thrilled, and they immediately decided to expand his role.<ref name="Roberts"/><ref name="Jean">{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Brush with Greatness" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> When Ringo arrived to record and saw the part was longer, he told the staff, “you’ve written me a bloody novel.”<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Jean|first=Al|author-link=Al Jean|user=AlJean|number=1513575918849208329|date=2022-04-11|title=When Ringo arrived to record and saw the part was longer he said “you’ve written me a bloody novel.”|https://twitter.com/AlJean/status/1513575918849208329|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]] said of the guest appearance: "We were so excited that we got Ringo Starr coming in to do the show and we recorded him over at the Complex in West Los Angeles. We were given a list of rules about what we couldn't do to Ringo, such as 'Don't touch him', 'Don't approach him', and 'Don't ask for his autograph'. But of course when he shows up in this big limo, Brian brings out a big poster and asks him to sign it!"<ref name="Groening">{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Brushing with Greatness" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Roberts explained that he had not received the memo with the rules so he showed up with a copy of the script cover and asked Starr to sign it.<ref name="Roberts"/> Groening asked Starr if he wanted to be animated the way he was in ''[[Yellow Submarine (1968 film)|Yellow Submarine]]'' or the way he was in the cartoon series ''[[The Beatles (TV series)|The Beatles]]''. Starr chose ''Yellow Submarine'' because he did not like his appearance in the cartoon.<ref name="Groening"/> In addition to Starr, the episode features a guest appearance by [[Jon Lovitz]] as Lombardo and the doughnut delivery man who delivers doughnuts to the nuclear power plant. Lombardo's physical appearance was based on an art teacher Reardon had in art school.<ref name="Reardon">{{cite video |people=Reardon, Jim |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Brushing with Greatness" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>