Moe Szyslak

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**Moe (Morris) Szyslak**
The Simpsons character

Age	40s
Gender	Male
Hair Color	Curly and black, later grey
Job	Owner and proprietor of Moe's Tavern
Relatives	Best friends Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson Barney Gumble, Lenny, Carl and Maggie Simpson
First appearance	Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Voice actor	Hank Azaria, Christopher Collins

Morris Lester Szyslak (pronounced /'sɪz.læk/) better known as Moe, is a fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria. He was originally voiced by Christopher Collins in the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Homer's Odyssey". Moe is the proprietor and bartender of Moe's Tavern, frequented by Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard and many others. Moe's character was based on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch as well as comedian Rich Hall. Moe is noted for his short, violent temper, with homicidal and suicidal tendencies. Hank Azaria stated that Moe's voice was based on that of Al Pacino's character in Dog Day Afternoon with a raspy tinge, and a bar going by the name Moe's Tavern can be seen opposite the bank in the film.

1 Name and ethnicity
2 Love life
3 Personality
4 Shady business
5 Prank calls
6 Episodes Starring Moe
7 Trivia
8 Appearances in other media
9 Moe's Tavern
- 9.1 Barney Gumble
10 External links

[edit] Name and ethnicity

Moe's full name is likely Morris Szyslak (as mentioned by his waitress in "Flaming Moe's"), although after running a background check on him in "The Springfield Connection", Homer implies that his first name is really "Mommar". Though popularly believed to be of Italian descent, his ethnicity is still unclear, with several jokes in certain episodes suggesting different ethnic backgrounds. In "Flaming Moe's", he mentions that his forefathers were "bartenders to the tsar". In another episode, his "inner child" speaks to him with a heavy Italian accent and says "Moe, why you no speak-a with your-a accent no more", after which he puts his hands on his cheeks and exclaims "Mamma Mia!". According the commentary to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (Part 1), the creators used the last name 'Szyslak' (which they got from a phonebook) so the character would have the initials M.S., and hence could be a suspect in the Burns shooting. In "Bart-Mangled Banner", he insists he is Dutch.

Moe is also shown on several occasions to be an immigrant.

[edit] Love life

Moe is usually single, although he had a girlfriend once for a short time named Renee (voiced by Helen Hunt in "Dumbbell Indemnity"), as well as a girlfriend in the out-of-continuity short "The Love-matic Grampa". In the episode "Flaming Moe's", he slept with female bartender Colette. Moe was in love and planned to elope with Edna Krabappel and is possibly continuing the affair as of Season 17 ("The Seemingly Never-Ending Story"). However, since Season 5 ("Secrets of a Successful Marriage") he has been infatuated with Marge Simpson, whom he sometimes calls "Midge." Moe told Marge that he loved her, in Season 16 ("Mommie Beerest") but she explained that Homer will always be her true love. It was also during this episode where he angrily declared that "One thing Moe Szyslak has never had is a partner. Nor a wife, a friend, a chum, a casual acquaintance, a pen pal, a parrot, a meaningful conversation, a brief hug or eye contact." Moe's infatuation with Marge is highlighted in other episodes like "Tales from the Public Domain", "Mommie Beerest", "The Wettest Stories Ever Told" and "Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers'". Moe is a convicted sex offender. In one classic scene at the Tavern during the episode "I'm With Cupid", featuring Homer and of the male supporting characters, the men were lamenting their bitter experiences with their partners when Moe shared that "the gal I'm stalkin' had me bumped back to 200 feet," to which Lenny replies, "That's too far!" At a basketball game, he proposes to a WNBA team's mascot known as 'Swish', which is played by Gil. Even though he knows it's Gil, he still asks him to pretend to be a woman "for the rest of his life".

[edit] Personality

Moe regularly threatens his customers, friends and complete strangers. He has aimed a shotgun at Homer for not paying his tab and once even robbed Homer for his six hundred dollar pants while pointing the shotgun at him, and has also been more than willing to break Homer's legs for an insurance scam.

Although Moe is a professional bartender, he frequently appears unaware of all other alcoholic beverages besides beer. He often seems unable to mix cocktails -- he only once displays awareness of cocktails, during a visit to his old bartending college -- and is surprised to learn that gin and tonic mix together. Moe has confessed that the various liquor bottles arranged behind the bar are in fact just painted on the wall. He is equally confused by wine - in a recent episode, Moe accidentally sells a bottle of 1886 Château Latour at a very low price, unaware that it is worth a small fortune.

It is worth mentioning also that Moe is a skilled B-boy and once taught a class in dancing for self-defense.

Homer, Barney, Lenny, Carl and two rarely-speaking barflies named Sam and Larry are virtually his only customers. This has not stopped him from periodically banning them (especially Homer), but he always lets them back in eventually.

Moe keeps an enemies list, which also contains many of the same names on Richard Nixon's enemies list|.

Moe can often be seen at the forefront of the frequent mob gatherings that occur in Springfield, and appears to have a particular antipathy towards scientific theory. In one episode, Springfield unites against Lisa Simpson who questions the veracity of an angel skeleton. In a very short time, the citizens launch a mob attack against the town's scientific institutions, and Moe decides to destroy the skeleton of a woolly mammoth at the Springfield Natural History Museum, yelling "Take that, science!" Predictably, the tusk falls off, crushing him. "Oof, I'm paralyzed," observes Moe. "I only hope medical science can cure me."

Adding to Moe's awkward, violent and often creepy behaviour are his obsessive tendencies. He has been known to stalk people around Springfield, such as the local mail lady, various celebrities and Maude Flanders. "Moe Baby Blues" (Season 14) features a scene where Moe sneaks into Maggie Simpson's bedroom at night and admits that he personalized her room with a video camera and baby monitor. However, it is also revealed that his intentions were harmless, and he only wanted to protect her. More recently, it was proven that Moe stole Homer and Marge's wedding albums and had replaced all of Homer's photos with pictures of himself, fantasizing that he is married to Marge (à la horror movie One Hour Photo). He did this in his bar while singing "Here Comes the Bride". This is a possible reference to Season 16 ("Mommie Beerest"). Moe also kidnaps Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne, only to co-produce a song with him that later receives radio airplay. In addition to his generally neurotic behaviour, Moe openly admits that he supports every prejudice known to man, apart from Lisa Simpson's iconoclasm of Jebediah Springfield.

Moe accurately claims that his annual Christmas tradition is to attempt suicide, as he attempts suicide in nearly every Christmas episode. All of these attempts backfire somehow, leaving Moe alive and even more depressed.

Moe does have a gentle side, having been known to read books for sick children and homeless people (he threatened Ned with violence should he reveal this fact). Moe has shown a love for cats and the rats who occupy the bar. He also took part in charity work either in South America or Africa after stealing a flying fan, using it to fight forest fires and help deliver medical supplies to people devastated by floods. Moe also once rescued the owner of King Tut's Music Store and his wife from a flaming car. In "Moe Baby Blues," when Moe was contemplating suicide by jumping off a bridge, he unexpectedly saved the life of Maggie and then found meaning to his own life by looking after her. In return, Maggie shows a lot of affection towards Moe... perhaps even more so than Homer as she quite obviously favors Moe's company. This is because Homer has a tendency to forget Maggie exists whereas Moe treats her like she's special. This is a very redeeming feature, unlike his often questionable behavior. In "The Way We Weren't", it emerges that Moe was left at summer camp by his parents, who never came back for him.

His favorite football team, as stated in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", is the Atlanta Falcons, though done with him blatantly concealing his mouth, the joke being that subsequent airings of the episode could be re-dubbed with the name of a different team to match a team involved in that year's Super Bowl.

In several episodes, it has been mentioned that Moe apparently owns a cat named Mr. Snookums, who he cuddles and talks to in a highly sentimental and sugary manner. ("Oooh Mr. Snookums, I wuv you!")

[edit] Shady business

Moe has used his bar as a front for a number of illegal businesses, including a panda-smuggling ring, an Orca-smuggling ring, a Russian roulette game (in an homage to The Deer Hunter), an unlicensed casino and a speakeasy during a brief period when Springfield belatedly enforced Prohibition. He has also abetted in the vandalism of various Springfield science institutes, and even (accidentally) broke into his own bar to steal the cash register amidst a town-wide riot. When Homer informed him his pants were expensive, Moe ordered him to give them to him at gunpoint, saying "Yeah, I rob now." He operates as an unlicensed surgeon, using his own bar as an operating room, according to his business card "That's right, I'm a surgeon."

His claim to fame was the "Flaming Moe," a firelit specialty drink whose secret ingredient is Krusty-brand Non-Narkotic cough syrup. The "Flaming Moe" provided the bar with one of its few brief times of great success. He nearly makes a fortune until Homer, the true inventor of the drink, exposes the secret ingredient, allowing many competitor knockoff drinks to spawn.

[edit] Prank calls

Moe is frequently the victim of prank double entendre telephone calls from Bart Simpson, to which Moe responds with a violent threat. These prank calls were inspired by the Tube Bar prank calls, a series of prank calls placed in the mid-1970s. The two callers, John Elmo and Jim Davidson, made similar calls to the owner of the Tube Bar. After Deutsch realized that the call was a joke, he would spew out a series of profanity-laced threats. The recordings of these calls were widely circulated in the 1980s and 90s. Bart's calls to Moe have asked for:

Maya Buttreeks (my butt reeks)
Anita Bath (I need a bath) (Both this and Maya Buttreeks were used by Bart as fictitious children's names when Moe was applying as a Substitute for Bart's Class in "The PTA Disbands")
I.P. Freely (I pee freely) (Channel 6 anchorman Kent Brockman also uttered that name when inquiring about a source after reading the story: "A fistfight is in progress in downtown Springfield. Early reports indicate, and this is very preliminary, that one of the fighters is a giant lizard.")
Oliver Klozof (all of her clothes off) (Marge heard Moe's vengeance threat; this name was also heard in an episode of City Guys)
Ollie Tabooger (I'll eat a booger) (backfired; Homer was running the bar at the time and didn't understand the joke)
Jacques Strappe (jock strap)
Seymour Butts (see more butts) (This is also used in Futurama and a real-life actor with a similarly pronounced name)
Homer Sexual (homosexual) (Principal Skinner heard Moe's vengeance threat)
Mike Rotche (my crotch) (This clip can be heard in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Phony Calls.")
Bea O'Problem (B.O. problem)
Amanda Huggenkiss (A man to hug and kiss)
Hugh Jass (huge ass) (backfired; there was an actual patron named Hugh Jass present in the Flaming Moes episode when the bar was crowded). It is rumored the Hugh Jass call was based on a similar call from the legendary The Happy Telephone Tapes where the pranksters called an adult entertainment establishment and 'Al Coholic' was there.This prank call can also be heard in Destroy all humans 2 in Bay City, only to end up being told to "Call back with an original prank call."
Ivana Tinkle (I wanna tinkle)
Moe Lester (molester) Moe asks for the customer, then stops and says, "wait a minute, that's me!" (suggesting that "Lester" is Moe's middle name)
Heywood U. Cuddleme (hey would you cuddle me?) (This prank call was done on a telegraph, as the Simpsons were living in a house from 1895 when Bart did this one. A somewhat more gentle variant of "Heywood Jablome". The telegraphic response from Moe is equally hilarious and goes "I'm gonna drive a golden spike where your Union meets your Central Pacific. Stop")
I'm a stupid moron, with an ugly face, and a big butt, and my butt smells, and I like to kiss my own butt. (When, in a Halloween episode, Bart had a Twilight Zone-esque power to transform people effectively blackmailing Moe into saying it despite the obviousness of the prank.)
I.M Stilaweener (I am still a wiener; In Dial M for Moe comic.)
Some of the prank calls Bart makes in the video game, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants include:
- Stu Piddiddiot (stupid idiot)
- Isobel Ringing (Is a bell ringing?)
- Al Coholic (alcoholic) (This also appeared on the show, as the first prank call we see.)
- I. M. Adope (I am a dope)
Some more pranks from the game Virtual Springfield include:
- (heard from the Simpsons' house)
- Heywood Jespankmi (Hey, would you spank me)
- Ivan Nuglybutt (I've an ugly butt)
- Mike Rotchticles (My crotch tickles)
- (heard from Moe's Tavern)
- Igor Dapeenow (I gotta pee now)
- Avery Wunzboogerz (Everyone's boogers)
Homer once called and asked for "Eura Snotball" (You're a snotball), the gag intentionally backfiring so Homer can threaten Moe.
Mr. Burns once tried to call Smithers when he was on vacation and typed in SMITHERS (764-8437) on his "telephone machine". This is apparently Moe's tavern's phone number, and when Burns asked for "Smithers, first name Waylon", Moe presumed that "Wailin' Smithers" was a prank and threatened him.
When Marge was a child, she called Homer's camp for Elvis-Jagger-Abdul-Jabbar. Moe thought this was a prank

[edit] Episodes Starring Moe

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This is a list of Simpsons episodes in which Moe Szyslak plays a substantial role in driving the plot, not simply a supporting role.

Flaming Moe's (Season 3, Episode 10) Moe hits the big time when he steals Homer's drink recipe.
Bart Sells His Soul (Season 7,Episode 4) Moe turns the bar into a family restaurant
The Homer They Fall (Season 8,Episode 3) Moe becomes Homer's boxing Manager
Dumbbell Indemnity (Season 9, Episode 16) Trying to impress a new girlfriend leads Moe into insurance fraud.
Pygmoelian (Season 11, Episode 16) Plastic surgery allows Moe to become a soap star.
Homer the Moe (Season 13, Episode 3) Homer and Moe become rival bartenders when Moe's Tavern goes postmodern and Homer opens his own bar in his garage.
Moe Baby Blues (Season 14, Episode 22) Maggie becomes Moe's new reason for living after he saves her life.
Mommie Beerest (Season 16, Episode 7) Marge becomes co-owner of the bar and unlikely friend to Moe.
The Seemingly Never-Ending Story (Season 17) A major part of Moe's romantic life and past is revealed in this chain of stories.
Moe'n'a Lisa (Season 18) With the support of Lisa, Moe discovers a talent for creative writing.

[edit] Trivia

He is so 'ugly' because of the results of his boxing career, he was first known as "Kid Gorgeous" then finally just "Kid Moe"
He says to have come from Holland although he claims to have lost his Italian accent.
He once kept a killer whale in his bar and thought the FBI were after him.
He has had two romance stories over the years: Renee the flower seller and Bart's teacher Edna Krabappel.
His most treasured possession is his jar of pickled eggs.
He has a cat called Mr. Snookums.
His liquor license expired in 1973.
He is left-handed.
He suffers from depression and tries to kill himself on a regular basis

[edit] Appearances in other media

Appears in The Simpsons comic series and Bart Simpson comic series.
Stars in his own comic series with Maggie Simpson: Maggie & Moe Mysteries, appearing in Bart Simpson Comic #24 and Simpsons Comics #144.
Is a playable character in the wrestling game Simpsons Wrestling.
Is a playable character in the racing video game The Simpsons Road Rage.
His tavern is Stage 4 of the arcade game based on The Simpsons.
Appears in Grand Theft Auto-style video game The Simpsons Hit & Run.
Moe "appears" in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Phony Calls" from the album Bad Hair Day.