 Donald Sutherland voiced Hollis Hurlbut in this episode . The script was specifically written with him in mind playing that part . Sutherland wanted to do the voice recordings as one would do a film and start in the middle of the script , so that he could get to know the character , but that idea was abandoned . In the episode , Lisa joked she was getting over her " Chester A. <unk> " , a play on the word " arthritis " and the name of Chester A. Arthur . Sutherland ad @-@ libbed the line " you had arthritis ? " , and the producers liked it so much that they kept it . 
