Viva Ned Flanders - Cultural References

Cultural References

The episode's title is a reference to the film Viva Las Vegas (1964). The panic and smoke cloud generated from the implosion of Mr Burns' casino is reminiscent of the 1997 disaster film Dante's Peak, and the Simpson family's escape from the smoke cloud is a reference to a scene in the 1996 science fiction film Independence Day. Outside Rev. Lovejoy's church is a notice that today's sermon will be 'He Knows What You Did Last Summer', which is a reference to the title of the 1997 slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer. As Homer and Ned escape from Vegas, a snippet of the theme from the 1996 comic science fiction film Mars Attacks! can be heard. The Comic Book Guy's license plate is NCC-1701, which is also the registration of the USS Enterprise, a fictional starship from the Star Trek media franchise. He also has a bumper sticker which reads "my other car is the Millennium Falcon" which was given to him by somebody who looked liked the actor Harrison Ford; the Millennium Falcon was the ship used by Ford's character Han Solo in the Star Wars film series.

The song Homer and Ned listen to on the way to Las Vegas is “Highway Star” by English rock band Deep Purple. The two characters driving the other way from Las Vegas were based on Ralph Steadman's illustrations of Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr Gonzo from the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream, written by Hunter S. Thompson. The reference was contributed by Simpsons writer George Meyer, who stated that, since Homer and Ned were driving to Las Vegas, "we had to do a Ralph Steadman tribute. In the wedding video, Homer is seen wearing an attire similar to the ones worn by the Rat Pack members.