Grandma's Dead is the thirteenth episode of the third season of Tiny Toon Adventures, and the 91st episode overall. It was written by Deanna Oliver and directed by Alfred Gimeno and David West.
Summary[]
One morning, as Furrball is playing with his toy mouse, it strays into a rather sleepy Byron Basset. When Furrball tries to get it back, Byron awakens and chases him to the kitchen, Where the Duff family is having breakfast. Emily tells Mac that Duncan is sick and will be unable to go to school today, and to call her at the radio station if it becomes an issue for him. Amanda asks her Dad what he is making, and he tells her that he is finding a way to turn tears into drinking water. Amanda finds this gross, but Mac needs a specimen for his tears.
Up in her room, Elmyra Duff is feeding her hamsters named after Brady Bunch characters and is shocked to find Jan Brady is dead. She rushes downstairs to tell the family. Grandma Duff has stopped by for a visit before she plays contract Bingo in Penewawa. Elmyra is sad over the loss of her hamster, and while she is crying, Mac collects a few tears from her. She puts the hamster's carcass into a tupperware bin, and her Mother tells her about the stages of coping with the death of her hamster. Grandma is off to Penewawa, but leaves one of her boxes behind.
Up in his room, Duncan Duff is sick, but acts like a superhero battling a cold. While he is sick, he watches Nosy Neighbors on TV. This gives him the idea to snoop on the neighbors. Outside, he sees a muscular man, who happens to be their next-door neighbor, Mr. Bump, getting a letter, who picks up something Grandma Duff left behind.
At Harvey Korman Elementary School, Elmyra is still upset over her dead hamster, and is unable to answer her questions properly. Her teacher, Mrs. Hinkle, sends her to the school nurse, Nurse Klienerman. As Elmyra wakes up, she tells the Nurse that Grandma is dead. The Nurse, thinking Grandma is her Grandmother, gives her a pass to excuse her from class for the rest of the school day. Elmyra thanks the Nurse and leaves. After she leaves, the Nurse calls Cora, the telephone operator, and tells her that Grandma Duff has just passed on.
In the second act, Elmyra sees her teacher and tells her that she's going home because there's been a loss in the family. Meanwhile, the Nurse tells Cora that Grandma Duff has passed away on the whirl-o-wheel. Cora questions, "Isn't that for hamsters?" but the nurse tells her it's a carnival ride. Pretty soon, word goes round to the whole neighborhood that Grandma Duff has passed on, even to Mr. Bump. Duncan sees him with Grandma's nightshirt, and tries to call Grandma, but she is unavailable, and her answering machine tells him to leave a message. Duncan starts to suspect that Grandma is missing.
As Elmyra comes home, she sees the Heberly twins, who have heard about the apparent loss of Grandma Duff, but Elmyra still thinks they are talking about her hamster. She tells them all about her hamster-like instincts, such as wetting everywhere when let out of her cage, and crawling up her dad's pants . As Duncan comes down the stairs and asks Mac where Grandma is, Mac tells her, "She's gone," while crying. He's crying because he's chopping onions to collect tears.
Back in her room, Elmyra gives her hamsters new outfits and tells them a story about Mr. Skullhead, in the style of The Brady Bunch. After her hamsters run away, she sees an ad in the newspaper for Hiram Heep's Funeral Service and Mambo Dance Band, which she decides would make the perfect funeral for her hamster.
Meanwhile, Duncan is in his room, and suspects that Mr. Bump, now holding knives, killed his Grandma. As Captain Quark, Duncan announces that he will stop Mr. Bump.
As Elmyra calls Mr. Heep, he tells her that the funeral will take place in her backyard, which he questions that it seems very strange. Elmyra tells him, "It's better than flushing her down the toilet."
Back in Duncan's room, Duncan is watching Nosy Neighbors, and calls Mr. Bump. He tells Mr. Bump to meet him outside right away. As Mr. Bump leaves, Duncan attempts to sneak out, but Elmyra is at his house because she wants to talk to him. Duncan worries that Elmyra might be in danger, and goes after her. As Elmyra finds the box that Grandma left behind, Mr. Bump returns.
In the third act, Elmyra talks to Mr. Bump, and Duncan flies through the window into his house. Elmyra scolds Duncan and tells him to get back into bed to recover, but Duncan tells Mr. Bump he is onto him. Before they leave, Elmyra tells Mr. Bump that he's invited to the funeral.
At Elmyra's backyard, the funeral begins. Mrs. Hinkle stops by with a three bean casserole. The Heberly twins also stop by and drop off creamed corn. They tell her that they will miss dancing with Grandma. Elmyra, thinking they meant her hamster, tries to imagine her hamster dancing with them. The Nurse also stops by with Cora, and they bring a Jell-o mold. As they are crying, Mac collects their tears.
When Emily arrives home, she is surprised to find all their friends and neighbors at their house. Elmyra tells everyone she invited them to the funeral, and Emily thinks that a funeral is a creative way for her to express the loss of her hamster. Even Amanda is surprised (but also disgusted) that so many people came over for a funeral for a hamster.
Duncan decides that, as Captain Quark, he will infect anyone who gets in his way with his cold germs. Mr. Bump stops by with a beef pot pie, but Duncan thinks something else is in the box. He slides down the stair rail, and bumps into him, splatting the pie into his face.
At the funeral, Elmyra is ready to bury her hamster. Mr. Heep asks Emily where Grandma is, and Emily, thinking he meant Elmyra's hamster, tells him, "I put her in Tupperware this morning". As Elmyra buries her hamster, Mac toasts the loss of Elmyra's hamster and Elmyra's creative solution with freshly made water from all the tears he collected The water tastes horrible, and everyone spits it out on the lawn.
Grandma Duff shows up and asks what's going on. Everyone is surprised to see her alive and well, and Grandma is confused about showing up at her own funeral. Elmyra tells Grandma that the funeral isn't for her, it's for her pet hamster, Jan Brady. Grandma gives Elmyra a new hamster that she won at contract Bingo, and Elmyra is happy once again.
Upstairs, Emily tucks Duncan in and shuts off his television just as The Eavesdropper airs. She doesn't want him watching that movie because it will put ideas into his head.
Outside, Mac is disappointed that his new water made from everyone's tears tastes horrible, but he discovers that the water has a purpose after all; since tears are salty and salt iodizes slugs, when everyone spit out the water on the lawn, it made the perfect slug repellent. The slugs pass by Grandma Duff, who is trying to enjoy her dinner. Mr. Bump shows up and gives Grandma her missing box with her nightshirt back.
Elmyra is back in her room, with her new hamster, who she names, "Jan Brady" and tells the other hamsters that, "She's a mid-season replacement." Meanwhile, Furrball is still clinging to the curtains from when Byron chased him earlier.
Allusions[]
- The movie that Duncan watches is a parody of the Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window. A Hitchcock caricature is winding a clock in a piano player's house, much as he did in the original film.
- Various references to The Brady Bunch are made.
Trivia[]
- This episode, along with the Season 2 finale, "Take Elmyra Please", was a test to see if Elmyra Duff could star in her own series.
- This episode is the second of two where neither Buster Bunny nor Babs Bunny appear in character, the first being "Sepulveda Boulevard".
- In this episode, Elmyra is attending a normal human school rather than Acme Looniversity, much like in Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain. The school is named for comedian Harvey Korman, who co-starred in The Carol Burnett Show and the film Blazing Saddles.
Cast[]
Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
Cree Summer | Elmyra Duff |
Frank Welker | Byron Basset, Furrball, Mr. Bump, Hamsters, Slugs |
Tress MacNeille | Emily Duff, Mrs. Hinkle, Cora, Ms. Heberly #2, Stella |
Matt Frewer | MacArthur Duff |
Soleil Moon Frye | Amanda Duff |
Fran Ryan | Grandma Duff |
Whitby Hertford | Duncan Duff |
Beverly Archer | Nurse Klienerman, Ms. Heberly #1 |
Roger Rose | Taxi Driver, Hiram Heep |
Dan Castellaneta | Jeffries, Lars Throwald, TV Announcer |
Quotes[]
- Elmyra: "Yeah, but she was old and whenever we let her out of her cage, she wet on everything."
Transcript[]
- To read the transcript of this episode, click here.
Gallery[]
Main article: Grandma's Dead/Gallery
Home Video Releases[]