Lance Murdock: the Simpsons' stuntman
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CharacterLance MurdockStuntman
A stuntman who has broken every bone in his body — and keeps going. Captain Lance Murdock appears as early as season 2 in "Bart the Daredevil" and becomes Bart's role model. This profile gathers his transparent Evel Knievel parody, the crash that sends him to the hospital in front of the family, the fatal encouragement he gives Bart, his plaster-cast returns and the performer who lends him a voice.
He has broken every bone in his body, he says so himself, and he climbs back on the bike anyway: Captain Lance Murdock is Springfield's official stuntman.
Here is the profile of the man who gave Bart the worst idea of his life.
Contents
Who is Lance Murdock?
Captain Lance Murdock is a professional stuntman who first appears in "Bart the Daredevil", the eighth episode of season 2, aired on 6 December 1990.
His defining feature fits in one line: he has broken every bone in his body over the course of his career. That is not the character exaggerating, it is the show's own definition of him.
🥿 All those broken bones, full body casts and suspended legs: the only padding Lance Murdock ever knows is the hospital's. At home in the evening, your feet deserve far softer padding, the kind you'll find in our Simpsons slippers.
An Evel Knievel parody
Murdock is modeled on Evel Knievel, the American motorcycle stuntman who marked United States popular culture from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Like his model, he strings together spectacular jumps, resounding failures and hospital stays — all in front of a crowd that comes for precisely that. The show does not even lay it on thick: it simply describes.
The man who set Bart off
The family attends one of his shows at a monster truck rally. The stunt goes very badly wrong and Murdock ends up in the hospital — which, for Bart, completes his transformation into a hero.
The boy then decides to become a stuntman himself. And when he hesitates at the obstacle too far, it is Murdock himself who, from his hospital bed, personally encourages him to attempt the gorge jump.
What follows is one of the most famous sequences in the show: the blog devotes a whole feature to it, the Springfield Gorge jump, in which it is ultimately Homer who takes the flight.
🛌 Murdock didn't even have to leave his hospital bed to push Bart toward the gorge jump; on your own bed, our Simpsons blankets only encourage you to try one stunt: staying warm underneath.
His plaster-cast returns
Murdock comes back occasionally, and almost always the worse for wear. He is glimpsed on television, covered in casts, working his way through the rides at Duff Gardens.
He also attempts a stunt in Las Vegas, meant to carry him through rings of fire, ice and dog waste while opening a safe. The operation ends in serious injuries — because Homer stood up before the end of the act.
🎡 Murdock works his way through the rides at Duff Gardens covered in casts; as for you, queuing for the rides in the height of summer, you'd rather keep your legs bare in our Simpsons shorts.
Lance Murdock's voice
In the original version, the character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, who also plays a good share of the show's male supporting roles.
The choice is not incidental: giving Bart's hero the same voice as his father adds a quiet irony to an episode that ends, precisely, with a paternal flight through the air.
The disciple
Simpsons Pin - Bart Skateboard
Bart and his board as a pin: the pupil Murdock pushed out over the gorge.
€14.90 View product →
Summary table
| Profile | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Captain Lance Murdock |
| First appearance | "Bart the Daredevil", season 2 (6 December 1990) |
| Model | Evel Knievel |
| Distinctive trait | Has broken every bone in his body |
| Original voice | Dan Castellaneta |
FAQ
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Who is Lance Murdock in The Simpsons?A professional stuntman introduced in season 2, who has broken every bone in his body and serves as Bart's role model.
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Who is he a parody of?Of Evel Knievel, the American motorcycle stuntman famous from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
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Did he really push Bart to jump the gorge?Yes: he personally encourages him to attempt the jump, which sets off the episode's most famous sequence.
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Who voices Lance Murdock?Dan Castellaneta in the original version — also the voice of Homer Simpson.
Conclusion
A man stitched entirely back together who keeps on jumping, cheered by a crowd that came for the crash: Lance Murdock is the most direct satire the show ever made of the spectacle of risk. And, without meaning to, the trigger for its most famous gag.
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