"The Day the Violence Died" is the eighteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 1996. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Wes Archer. Kirk Douglas guest stars as Chester J. Lampwick, Alex Rocco as Roger Meyers Jr., Jack Sheldon as an anthropomorphic constitutional amendment, Suzanne Somers as herself, and Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. The end of the episode features Lester and Eliza, who resemble Bart and Lisa Simpson as they appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show in the 1980s. In the episode, Bart meets a homeless man, Chester J. Lampwick, who claims that he is the creator of Itchy from The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Lampwick sues Itchy & Scratchy Studios for stealing his idea. After a Judge awards Lampwick US$800 billion, the studio is forced into bankruptcy and closes. When The Itchy & Scratchy Show is replaced by a parody of Schoolhouse Rock!s "I'm Just a Bill" segment, Bart and Lisa try to bring back Itchy & Scratchy by studying copyright laws and legal precedents. The episode finished 47th in ratings for the week of March 11–17, 1996, with a Nielsen rating of 9.2. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. It received a generally positive reception from television critics. DVD Movie Guide and the Los Angeles Daily News enjoyed the episode's focus on The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Plot During a parade honoring The Itchy & Scratchy Show, Bart meets an elderly homeless man, Chester J. Lampwick, who claims to be the creator of Itchy, the mouse. He insists Roger Meyers Sr., the supposed creator of the characters Itchy & Scratchy, stole his idea. He shows Bart his 1919 animated short, Manhattan Madness, to prove he created Itchy, but the nitrate film catches fire and is destroyed by the projector. Bart lets Lampwick live at the Simpsons' house, but soon Marge wants him gone after he and Grampa fight. To compensate Lampwick for creating Itchy, he and Bart ask Roger Meyers Jr., CEO of Itchy & Scratchy Studios, for $800 billion. Meyers promptly throws them out. Lampwick sues Itchy & Scratchy Studios with the help of Bart, attorney Lionel Hutz, and Homer as champerter. When Meyers' lawyer demands proof that Lampwick created Itchy, Bart remembers that he saw an