victors from the Oval Office, but is distracted by Al Gore measuring a window. As Scully recalls, at the time, the Simpsons writers were confident Gore would win the 2000 presidential election, which eventually was marginally, and controversially, won by George W. Bush. The episode also comments on the series' fanbase. Near the end of the episode, Madden and Summerall provide the following analysis: In his book Leaving Springfield, John Alberti writes about the exchange: "This conversation begins with conventional football game patter used to comment on the episode, but then takes an abrupt turn when Madden realizes, in spite of the humor, that the episode did not live up to expectations (which he has not originally noticed)." The episode title is a reference to the film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), and perhaps the U2 song of the same name. The couch gag is a reference to James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic. The beginning of the episode shows Bart's grade visiting a post office. Their tour guide is modeled after American actor and folk singer Burl Ives, whom director Moore is a fan of. "Vincent Price's Egg Magic" is a parody on celebrity-endorsed craft kits which were popular during the 1960s and which, according to Meyer, do not exist anymore. The decision to have Price endorse an egg crafts product is based on Price's role as Egghead in the 1960s series Batman. The sequence featuring a man called Rudy being refused entry to the group's bus because he is "too small to go to the Super Bowl" is a reference to the 1993 film Rudy about football player Rudy Ruettiger. Dolly Parton says she will be joined by actor Rob Lowe and dance group Stomp for her performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, while the Super Bowl features a booth called "Take a Leak with NFL Greats"; the players shown participating are Ricky Watters and Jim Plunkett. Release and reception Broadcast and re-releases In its original American broadcast on January 31, 1999, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" received an 11.6 rating, meaning it was seen by approximately 11.5 million viewers. It finished in 10th place in the ratings for the week of January 25–31, 1999, making it the second most watched scripted program on Fox, after the premiere of Family Guy. On September 14, 2004, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", along with the season 1 episode "Homer's Night Out", the season 11 episode