Clone High

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Clone High
The main characters of Clone High: Mr. Lynn Butlertron, John F. Kennedy, Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Cinnamon J. Scudworth (reclining.)
Format Animated Sitcom
Created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence
Starring Will Forte
Nicole Sullivan
Phil Lord
Michael McDonald
Christa Miller
Christopher Miller
Country of origin USA CAN
No. of episodes 13 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Flag of the United States MTV
Flag of Canada Teletoon
Original run November 2, 2002 – February 10, 2003
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Clone High (occasionally referred to in the U.S. as Clone High U.S.A.) is an American animated series that aired for one season (November 2002 — April 2003) on MTV and Teletoon. It has officially been on hiatus since March 17, 2003.[1] It can currently be seen in Canada on Teletoon and the digital cable station Razer.

The series had run in its entirety in Canada on Teletoon before premiering in the United States on MTV. The last five episodes were never broadcast in the United States, while many have already seen them from online downloads.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Clone High is set in a high school that is secretly being run as an elaborate military experiment orchestrated by a government office called the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures. The school is entirely populated by clones of famous historical figures, with the idea that they would later be used by the United States military who would harness their greatness in battle. The principal of the high school, Cinnamon J. Scudworth, has his own plans for the clones, however, and secretly undermines the wishes of the Board. Instead of using them as soldiers, Scudworth wants the clones to staff a clone-themed amusement park (dubbed "Cloney Island"). He is assisted by his robot/vice principal/dehumidifier Mr. Butlertron (a parody of Mr. Belvedere) who calls everyone "Wesley".

The main protagonists of Clone High are the clones of Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Mahatma Gandhi. Much of the plot of the show revolves around the attempts of Abe to woo the vain and promiscuous clone of Cleopatra. He is entirely ignorant of the fact that Joan of Arc is attracted to him. Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy's clone (referred to as "JFK"), a macho, narcissistic womanizer, is also attempting to win over Cleopatra and has a long-standing rivalry with Abe.

Many celebrities, including Tom Green, Andy Dick, Mandy Moore, John Stamos, Marilyn Manson, Michael J. Fox and Jack Black, make guest appearances on the show (sometimes as themselves). In addition, there are many portrayals of famous historical figures, such as Julius Caesar, Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, Vincent van Gogh, George Washington Carver, Helen of Troy, Gautama Buddha, Juan Ponce de León, Marie Curie (who is deformed, due to radiation damage to her DNA), and even Jesus Christ (who is portrayed as a latino named Jesús Cristo).

Much of the humor in the show comes from the large contrast between the personality of the clones and the actual values and legacy of the historical figures they are descended from. For instance, Gandhi is portrayed as a hyperactive jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold whose biggest dream is to be accepted by those around him, in contrast to his historical legacy of calm nonviolence. Abe Lincoln is similarly portrayed as weak and indecisive, completely lacking the resolve of the President whose DNA he shares. All of the clones are also given mis-matched foster parents who have little in common with them. Gandhi's parents are a stereotypical Jewish-American couple, while JFK is raised by a gay interracial couple; Joan's "foster grandpa" is an elderly blind musician similar to Ray Charles named Toots, who fills the stereotypical wise old man role (and the magical negro role) found in most teen shows, and who begins many of his declarative sentences with the words, "Now, I may be blind, but I can see..." followed by a wise-sounding observation that has little-to-nothing to do with anything.

The Grassy Knoll, a nod to the JFK assassination conspiracy theory about a second shooter, dubbed "The Man on the Grassy Knoll". Notice the flag at half mast and JFK leaning over the car.
The Grassy Knoll, a nod to the JFK assassination conspiracy theory about a second shooter, dubbed "The Man on the Grassy Knoll". Notice the flag at half mast and JFK leaning over the car.

The show also includes humor based on the historical figures themselves. For example, the diner the clones frequent is called The Grassy Knoll, a nod to the JFK assassination conspiracy theory about a second shooter, dubbed "The Man on the Grassy Knoll". Other references seen are the flag at The Grassy Knoll being permanently at half mast and the car on the roof of the diner containing the original JFK's body leaning over the edge. There are pictures of assassinations hanging on the walls of the restaurant, such as the famous Currier and Ives print of the Lincoln assassination. Other historical figure-based humor includes offhand coincidental remarks to other students, such as Abe mentioning that the clone of Napoleon is so annoying because of "some kind of complex", or Gandhi telling a rude Catherine the Great to "get off her high horse".

The show is also a parody of "issue" episodes of high-school themed comedies; in fact, every episode opens with a voice-over parodying the "very special episodes" of TV shows. Episodes center on various social issues, including Gandhi being shunned by his school for having ADD (because of misinformation about the disorder), parodying shows which tackle AIDS awareness (it even included a special guest celebrity who tries to educate the students). Other episodes tackle drugs (smoking raisins), the environment, and underage drinking in a similarly ridiculous fashion. In a clear sign that it is parodying the high school genre, it even ends at prom — a stereotypical "high school show" ending. Even the prom is a joke however, as we learn it is only the Winter Prom.

There was a running gag that creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted to include in the show “where Clone High – being an exaggeration of typical high schools in teen dramas – would have many proms throughout the year.” Planned proms included “an Early Winter Prom, a Late Winter/Early Spring Prom, a Mid-Semester Prom, a Post-Prom Clean Up Prom, etc.” The only surviving references to this joke are the Homecoming Prom in Episode 6, Homecoming: A Shot in D'Arc, and the winter prom in Episode 13, Changes: The Big Prom: The Sex Romp: The Season Finale.[2] Another reference to the gag was deleted from Episode 8, A Room of One's Clone: Pie of the Storm.[2]

  • The genetic ancestors of all of the main five clones died of similarly irregular causes: three assassinations, one execution, and one suicide.

During the process of writing an episode, the writers would all get together to pitch jokes. Often, a writer would pitch an extension onto a joke, then another writer would pitch another extension, and so on, until it became what the writers called a wacky stack, a joke so bloated and over-written it was no longer funny.[3](see Episode 2, Election Blu-Galoo)

The season finale is a cliffhanger episode, ending with the entire cast, aside from Scudworth and Mr.Butlertron, deep-frozen.

[edit] Characters

  • Abe Lincoln: A naïve yet nice guy, forever wrestling with the legacy of his clonefather, Abraham Lincoln.
The main 5 students of Clone High including (left to right) Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and John F. Kennedy, shown during a musical montage.
The main 5 students of Clone High including (left to right) Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and John F. Kennedy, shown during a musical montage.
  • Joan of Arc: A cynical, regretful, and angst-ridden goth clone of Joan of Arc with a crush on her best friend, Abe. Although she does not seem to be an obvious goth, she called herself one during a confession to Mr. Butlertron in the first episode.
  • Gandhi: Buckling under the pressure of being a clone of Mahatma Gandhi, he has become a non-stop party machine instead, probably in an attempt not to think about it so much.
  • Cleopatra: A sharp, sultry, seductive, cruel and manipulative clone of Cleopatra VII of Egypt.
  • JFK: A pretty boy, sex-obsessed captain of the football team and soccer team who believes he is doing a pretty good job of living up to John F. Kennedy, whom he calls, "A macho, womanizing stud who conquered the MOON!!"
  • Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth, Ph.D.: A deluded, self-aggrandizing megalomaniac who always wears rubber dish-gloves and has an annual psychological breakdown after which he attempts to kill John Stamos.
  • Mr. Lynn Butlertron: A robot who is programmed with a highly sensitive compassion protocol (a parody of Mr. Belvedere). Also known as Mr. B. He inexplicably refers to everyone as "Wesley".
  • Mr. Sheepman: A kindly history teacher at Clone High, and the first mostly human clone with a little sheep DNA mixed into his genetic composition (a parody of Dolly the Sheep). His mannerisms are a parody of Don Knotts.
  • Secret Board of Shadowy Figures: A secretive government organization who employs Principal Scudworth and is sponsored by Puma.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Clone High episodes

[edit] Controversy

The show's portrayal of Gandhi sparked outrage in India, where he is very much revered. Clone High did not air there, but a news report on the show upset a great number of people. On January 30, 2003, the 55th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, approximately 150 protesters (including members of parliament) gathered in New Delhi and vowed to fast in response to Clone High.[4] MTV offered a quick apology, stating that "Clone High was created and intended for an American audience," and, "We recognize and respect that various cultures may view this programming differently, and we regret any offense taken by the content in the show."[5]

[edit] DVD release

DVD Cover Title Release date Episodes
"Season 1" September 20, 2005 13

The DVD was released in Canada by Nelvana with the help of Teletoon. The DVD contains the complete first season, including the 2 episodes which did not originally air in the United States. 20th Century Fox holds the rights to distributing the series on DVD if it is ever released in the US

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Clone High on hiatus! No school for Scudworth!", CloneHighUSA.com, March 17, 2003. 
  2. ^ a b Pava, Adam. Episode Six: 'Homecoming: A Shot in the D'Arc' Notes (HTML). CloneHighUSA.com.
  3. ^ Pava, Adam. Episode Two: 'Episode Two: Election Blu-Galoo’ Notes (HTML). CloneHighUSA.com.
  4. ^ Sharma, Ashok. "MTV's Gandhi 'insult' outrages Indian MPs", The Guardian, January 31, 2003. 
  5. ^ Grossberg, Josh. "MTV Apologizes for Gandhi Goofing", E! Online, January 31, 2003. 

[edit] External links

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