A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown
Air date	December 4, 2005
Written by	Christy Stratton
Directed by	Kyounghee Lim
Episode guide
Previous	"Harlottown"
Next	"Orange You Sad I Did Say Banana?"

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown" is the one hundred-ninety-first episode of King of the Hill. It first aired on December 4, 2005. The episode was written by Christy Stratton and directed by Kyounghee Lim.

Summary

When Bobby's clowning around starts getting out of hand, Hank offers to let him go to clown college if he behaves at home, school, and church. Bobby, who thought he knew what clowning around really was, is told otherwise by his new professor.

Plot

Bobby is in his classroom at Tom Landry Middle School; while his teacher starts to explain the students about poetry, he raises his hand to get his teacher's attention, but jokingly proclaims he was just stretching his arms, making the students in class laugh and annoys his teacher. Once the teacher resumes the poetry, she grows more annoyed as Bobby raises his pencil, claiming there is a magnet that has his pencil stuck until the school bell rings to release it. This makes the students laugh even more, much to his teacher's disapproval. In the Arlen First Methodist Church, Reverend Karen Stroup is concluding a sermon about how "Jesus taught us not to borrow things from people, then destroy them, then pass them off as missing" before she requests to have some kids to join her at the Altar's stairs. While the kids prepare to walk over to the stairs, Bobby wears his drooping spring glasses and makes an eye joke, making the kids in church giggle (including Peggy) with Hank and the other adults are shocked at this display. Hank tries to get Bobby to stop before the latter walks away and greets a girl, who snickers at him. Peggy snickers in amusement and a mortified Hank spontaneously reads through his bible in embarrassment.

Later that night at The Hill residence, Peggy is preparing dinner for everyone when Hank shows up at the table, who smells the corn and confirms it. Unaware of Bobby's incoming prank with his and Luanne chuckles hastily, Hank sits on the chair and becomes more embarrassed by Bobby's whoopee cushion as his son and Luanne laughs. As Hank scolds Bobby for his behavior, he sends him to his room and Bobby complies before he makes another joke, only to be silenced by Hank whereas he leaves the kitchen, with a plate of corn on the cob and his whoopee cushion. Hank is dismayed with Bobby's clowning around as it has become disruptive at home, school, church and even the Mega Lo Mart (which Hank won't take him there without him playing with the store's PA systems.) Peggy assures Hank that she thinks it will be an outlet for Bobby's creativity because he can make people laugh, while Hank compares it to Roald Sanders' life. Luanne then suggests that Bobby take the course in clowning offered at Arlen Community College, assuring Hank that his age won't be a factor. Peggy and Hank agree to Luanne's suggestion. Hank is skeptical about that idea, because Bobby is thirteen years old- too young to go college. Luanne reassures him by telling them about a student who's in her history class was twelve years old. She says it is helpful because she can ask him stupid questions, and was even invited to his birthday party. Offscreen, Bobby pranks Ladybird with his whoopee cushion that echoes from his room, much to Hank's annoyance. Soon after, Hank and Peggy talk with Bobby about the clowning class in the college. Bobby agrees with Hank's condition that he stops being inappropriately funny elsewhere. After Hank leaves his room, Peggy advises Bobby to get some rest, or staying up if it makes him more funny, before she leaves his room as well. Bobby is excited about the class as he rests on his bed.

Hank and his friends are seen sipping their beer and Bill contemplates about Bobby's clown class. He comments about a picture of a clown above his bed when he was growing up, assuming it was God for the longest time. Dale also replies that he has done 3 exterminations for clowns, advising the others to never ask a clown their opinions on gay marriage. Suddenly, Hank and his friends notice a kickball that rolls into the alley and look around for his owner. They call out but nobody will retrieve it. Dale examines the kickball, as it rolled right in front of him. Hank and his friends call in all the residents of Rainy Street to start up a kickball game. They demonstrate the game with Boomhauer curve-tossing the kickball and Hank calls himself out of the game. Bill charges at Dale, who subsequently kicks it to Bill's face, knocking him down as Dale remembers playing the game long ago.

After Hank drives and drops Bobby off at Arlen Community College with some advisement, Bobby shows up for his first day of class with a blue wig, rubber nose, polka-dot bow tie, and oversized shoes. Upon entering the class and meeting some student who was excited about the class and love of comedy, the clowning class instructor, Prof. Twilley, imperiously declares "Great clowns are not born. They are made, right here. I make clowns." He tells those who wore wigs to class that unless they can explain humor as he expresses it in an algebra-like formula that they've earned after Bobby answers correctly until he didn't understand it, they should dispense with the props, much to Bobby's disappointment. When Twilley asked to name a funny part of the body, Bobby suggests "Leg" which is incorrect until one of the student named, Boris guess the answer correctly due to his 9th time of the class that had almost makes him a clown, to which he appreciates it. Bobby also suggests "armpit," an answer, which Twilley treats as incorrect. Prof. Twilley nonetheless compliments him on the pathos of his attempt.

Back at the alley, the residents start up a kickball game. After John Redcorn, Joseph Gribble were selected by Hank and Bill, Dale gets picked last, much to his outrage. After Bobby and Luanne returns from college, Bill ask him about his first day of his clowning class. But Bobby replies that he never learned to do any of that since Prof. Twilley knows everything specifically and he'll help him reaches his comedic potential and one of the celebrity who aren't funny. Hank is quite impressed by Bobby's improvable behavior. Bobby then walk back inside the house so that he can read some books to study. As a impressed Hank tells everyone about Bobby that he never did any jokes and he sees his son falls down on door, thinking that it's his prank until realizing that he indeed actually fall for real.

Bobby sees Prof. Twilley to ask why he's not connecting with the class material after all his years of being otherwise funny. Twilley refers him to the "flow chart of funny" and assures Bobby that he hasn't been "properly trained." He assigns Bobby supplemental reading with some books.

The residents begins the kickball game, but Redcorn proves to be absolutely hopeless at the sport after he misses the ball, kicking it weakly and accidentally trips on it, injuring himself. Bobby ask to others to keep their disruption down so that he can study, which Hank complies until he watches Dale pelts Redcorn with Kickball and calls out.

In the meantime, Bobby is soon analyzing humor in the same pedantic manner as Prof. Twilley from the television after they laugh at this video, citing "Aristotle's dictum" and "the ha-guffaw-aw-ha-ha formula." Twilley is finally impressed enough to move Bobby up to the study of commedia dell'arte. Boris becomes jealous about his Bobby's success because he had to take twice the clowning class. Bobby is quite happy to do that work.

At the School's playground, Bobby reads the book as he meets Connie and ask about college since their library that opens at every nights. Bobby replied that its brutal and about today that he's studying on being the commedia dell'arte style character. He watches Clark Peters and Stuart Dooley pull a prank on the boy by placing a fart note on his back, causing Joseph to laugh at this scene. Still, Bobby remains unamused since Joseph's reception about both Clark and Dooley's prank was funny. Bobby refutes this statement by saying that it isn't funny after taking the clowning class, also realizing that Joseph isn't funny as well and claiming Connie to be hilarious. This drawing on a remark Connie, which she appreciates his claims and made that Clark Peters was "dumb as a dog." But, Bobby also comments what Connie is saying that "a dog as smart as a boy" that is wonderful. Connie and Joseph is confused about Bobby and his statement as he then develops an idea.

Bobby flips the script and creates a commedia dell'arte-type character: Tartuffe, the Spry Wonder Dog, "a dog as smart as a boy" and "a precocious trickster." Twilley characterizes it as "magnificently absurd" before he and the other students applauded for Bobby.

The next day, Bobby asks Peggy to give some bacon when she's cooking it, because his celebration which she happily complies as she placed the Bacon on the plate with a spatula. When Bobby shows his father some comedic acts, Luanne becomes confused that she doesn't understand his acts. After Peggy gives the Breakfast plate for Bobby who starts acting like a dog, Hank is disapproved that he still doesn't want Bobby doing his comedic act at home so Bobby doesn't tell him about that Twilley helped with the choice of becoming a great new character, which Hank agrees with reminder of doing that in the clowning class since he did great about not being funny elsewhere and some encouragement. Hank request Bobby for a ketchup, before the latter tries to make a jokes about it, to no avail.

Inside the hallway, Bobby then decides to work up a Tartuffe routine for the Tom Landry Middle School Talent Show after he notices the poster, complete with 16th century-style costuming. During class, the students ask Bobby to perform his comedy, knowing that he went to the clowning class. However, Bobby acknowledges about other topics with comedy that's funny or not, but it'll be awaiting at upcoming talent show, especially everyone else who is attending to perform as well.

Meanwhile, the second kickball game continue, Boomhauer then kicks the ball out of the alley after Redcorn failed to catch it as it start bounced away and everybody looks at him in disappointment for it, Redcorn insisted that anyone couldn't done anything right and everybody decided to get on with their lives.

On the day of the Talent Show, Prof. Twilley takes it upon himself to call Hank at work to get him to attend and show support for Bobby's clowning. Hank is horrified when he hears the Professor tell Bobby to practice a freaky bit and leaves the office after realizing his mistake.

The Talent Show is about what expect the middle-school talent show to be: Clark Peters demonstrates his bangs on a drum kit and the cheerleaders does one of their dance routines. Hank arrives at the school by way of home from where he picks up some of Bobby's old comedy props, which he calls "gag toys." When Hank is about to enter the auditorium, Emily quickly spots and stops him since he needs to have a ticket for it. Hank tried to tell Emily that he needs give the comedy props to Bobby because it's urgent, only to get blocked off by her until she witnesses the boy running down the hallway and she tells Hank to wait while she returns and then chase the boy down. Hank doesn't understand what he's thinking about anyway before entering the auditorium and goes backstage. Eventually, Hank meets up and tells Bobby that he doesn't think Bobby's funny, but he also thinks that his commedia dell'arte "jester crap" isn't funny either, just weird so he wants Bobby to do his old shtick to save himself from impending social embarrassment. Bobby, convinced that he is learning to be a "real clown," goes into the stage as one of his classmates becomes confused at seeing Bobby's costume. Bobby begins his Tartuffe routine, but then soon realizes that his father's suspicions were true to his words, especially he's losing his audience as they starts booing and jeering at him in bewilderment for his performance (except for Prof. Twilley, who's too oblivious about the audience's reaction). Fortunately for Bobby, Hank tosses Bobby's whoopee cushion onto the stage and allows him to perform with it. Bobby starts performing his own comedy with his fart jokes, making the audiences starts laughing hysterically in amusement, much to the dismay of both Prof. Twilley and Principal Moss, who puts Bobby in detention as the audience cheers for Bobby wildly in standing ovations, and Hank's relief. (This echoes Hank pulling Bobby out of the fashion show in "Husky Bobby" before Dooley and his crew start whipping donuts at the boy models.)

Inside the detention room, Bobby looks around and then notices the boy drinking his soda. Bobby attracts the girl, who's sitting next to him, her attention whereas he simultaneously puts his pencil in the boy's soda when he was about to take a sip on it before he becomes irritated after he was poked by the pencil in his soda can as both Bobby and the girl laughs at the display. Soon, Bobby comments about the pencil in the can trick and being always funny, but he doesn’t understands about it and as he smiles in joy.

Characters

• Hank Hill
• Peggy Hill
• Bobby Hill
• Luanne Platter
• Dale Gribble
• Bill Dauterive
• Jeff Boomhauer
• Professor Twilley
• John Redcorn
• Boris
• Connie Souphanousinphone
• Joseph Gribble
• Karen Stroup
• Emily
• Principal Moss
• Clark Peters
• Ramon Alejandro
• Randy Miller
• Stuart Dooley
• Blonde teacher
• Susie (non-speaking)
• Tom (non-speaking)
• Leventhal (non-speaking)
• Judy (non-speaking)
• Shawn (non-speaking)

Trivia

• The episode title is a reference to James Joyce's 1916 novel "A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man."
• Commedia dell'arte, which began in the 16th century, relied on stock characters with defined personae interacting with each other and behaving in specific situations. It can thus be regarded as a distant forerunner of improv comedy. Some of the stock characters continue to this day, such as Pierrot the Sad Clown (or Pierrot Le Fou).
• Tartuffe was not the name of a dog character in commedia dell'arte; there was no such character. Tartuffe, however, was the name of the title character in the 1664 play "Tartuffe the Imposter" by Moliere.
• Tom's Shirt he wears on had a design that looks like from The Incredibles.

Stinger quote

• Hank: "I thought I smelled corn, and this confirms it."

Gallery