Ep. 39 - Wild Wild West
The year 1999 was a big one for film. Star Wars returned to the big screen, The Matrix changed action movies forever, and notorious producer Jon Peters finally got his giant spider in a movie.
In our first episode of 2025, Nate and Adam revisit Peters’ and Barry Sonnenfeld’s notorious flop Wild Wild West (1999) and its eight-legged parody in “The Sweetest Apu” (S13E19). Is this movie as bad as you remember, or has Hollywood lowered our standards to meet it halfway? Let’s find out.
Also in this episode:
One of the greatest Simpsons episodes of season 13
Special effects and production design that have aged like fine wine
Sexual politics that have aged like milk
Is this the height of the ‘90s trend of end-credits raps that summarize the plot?
Next time, Adam and Nate revisit the Simpsons-Critic crossover “A Star Is Burns” (S6E18) on its 30th anniversary and Mr. Burns’s rip-off of Ben-Hur (1959).
For more Simpsons movie parody content follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.
Every Simpsons Reference to Wild Wild West
By our count, Wild Wild West has been directly referenced once in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first reference appears in “The Sweetest Apu” (S13E19) from 2002, 3 years after the release of the movie.
Scene References
The Sweetest Apu (S13E19): During a reenactment of the Second Battle of Springfield (between the North, the South, and the East), Professor Frink outdoes everyone else’s anachronisms with a giant mechanical spider, inspired by this movie.
Frink even modeled his uniform on that of the villain, Dr. Arliss Loveless.
Many of the shots of the giant spider’s carnage seem inspired by the movie, like the legs crushing everything in its path.
Of course, no giant spider would be complete without without webs made of nylon! “The nylon has been released!”
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Nate: Sherlock Holmes (2009), Men in Black (1997)
From Adam: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Addams Family Values (1993)
More from the Podcast: The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Further Reading & Viewing
Interview: Brian Hiatt, “Neil Gaiman on the Secret History of The Sandman, from Giant Mechanical Spiders to the Joker,” Rolling Stone, August 23, 2022. Featuring Gaiman’s account of working with Jon Peters on an unfinished Sandman movie, including his request for a giant spider. (See also, some important recent context on Neil Gaiman.)
Article: Keith Phipps, “Who Really Is Jon Peters?” The Ringer, December 1, 2021.
Oral History: Ralph Jones, “The Inside Story of How Wild Wild West Spun Out of Control,” Mel Magazine, 2020.
Oral History: Josh Weiss, “Wild Wild West Screenwriter Lassos Up Memories Of 1999’s Biggest Movie Misfire,” Forbes, September 22, 2019. Featuring the writers’ accounts of coming up with the giant spider idea themselves.
Article: Jack Hamilton, “A Brief History of the Movie-Summarizing End-Credits Rap,” Slate, June 14, 2019.
Documentary: Jon Schnepp, The Death of Superman: What Happened?, 2015. Featuring Kevin Smith and Jon Peters both talking about Peters’ obsession with shoehorning giant spiders into his movies.
Video: J.M. Kenny, An Evening with Kevin Smith, 2002. Featuring Kevin Smith’s famous and hilarious story of working with Jon Peters on the script for the unfinished Superman Lives.
