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Information about Herman's Head

Herman's Head

Herman's Head title card
StarringWilliam Ragsdale
Hank Azaria
Jane Sibbett
Yeardley Smith
Molly Hagan
Ken Hudson Campbell
Rick Lawless
Peter Mackenzie
Jason Bernard
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes71
Production
Running time25 Minutes (approx.)
Broadcast
Original channelFOX
Original runSeptember 8, 1991 – April 21, 1994
External links
IMDb profile
|/summary.html TV.com summary
Herman's Head is a sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1991 to 1994.

As FOX was a relatively young network, they were able to experiment with the show's format, allowing for a unique device: whenever Herman, the main character, had an important decision to make, the TV audience would be shown a "Greek chorus" style dramatization of his thought process featuring four actors representing differing aspects of his psyche.

Though the show suffered from poor ratings and many viewers felt that the quirky format was exhausted after two seasons, the show is remembered for its unique device.

The show was also shown on Channel 4 in the UK between 1993 and 1994, and M-Net in South Africa.

As of 2007, there have been no announcements to release Herman's Head on DVD.

The psyche

The characters acting out Herman's emotions each represented a different aspect of his personality. As they were supposed to be one-sided, they often were lacking in other areas of their character, which led to frequent squabbles among the individual aspects. The characters would also be shown copying everything that happens in Herman's body, such as them having to sneeze when Herman sneezes, or all four of them crying out in pain when Herman was once punched in the stomach. The concept of inner conflict within a person is a common psychological concept; it is explored in Sigmund Freud's concepts of Ego, Superego and Id, and Eric Berne's transactional analysis.
  • Angel represented his sensitivity. As the only female character in his brain, Angel also represented his feminine side, or in Jungian terms the anima, and sometimes used this fact to manipulate the male characters.
  • Animal represented his lust or hunger. He was an archetypal fratboy, and possibly derives his name from Animal House. He usually bullies Wimp. In one episode where Herman's personalities are assessing a sleazy man dating Louise (Ken Hudson Campbell in a dual role), Animal sticks up for him (probably because this man looks exactly like him and shares his traits).
  • Wimp represented his anxiety. He was a paranoid hypochondriac.
  • Genius represented his intellect and logic and because of this he clashes with the naive nature of Angel and stupidity of Animal. At times he could get overworked, as in one episode where his face is blackened by soot and he exclaims "I think I blew a fuse!", after Herman makes a ridiculous decision.

Cast

See also

The Simpsons Impact

Both Hank Azaria and Yeardley Smith are cast members of The Simpsons, which debuted on FOX two seasons earlier. One episode had Yeardley Smith's character, Louise, saying to an anonymous caller that "I do not sound like that Lisa Simpson character on TV!" The Simpsons also has referenced Herman's Head when Lisa (voiced by Smith) is asked what she is laughing at in the episode "Duffless." Her response is that she has just remembered "A joke she saw on Herman's Head". In an episode years later, when trying to revive old television shows, Comic Book Guy (voiced by Azaria) exclaims America "needs the wisdom of Herman's Head now more than ever." Further, Lisa is revealed to have a Herman's Head-like Chorus of her own, seen when she's processing feelings of jealousy over Marge's publishing a novel.

Enlarge picture
Herman's fractured psyche

Trivia

The first condom commercial on U.S. television aired during an episode of Herman's Head on November 17, 1991. [1]

References

External links

William Ragsdale

Born January 19 1961 (1961--) (age 46)
El Dorado, Arkansas

William Ragsdale (born January 19, 1961) is an American actor.
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Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria in November 2005
Birth name Hank Albert Azaria
Born March 25 1964 (1964--) (age 43)
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Jane Sibbett

Born November 28 1962 (1962--) (age 46)
Berkeley, California U.S.

Jane Sibbett (born November 28, 1962) is an American actress.
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Yeardley Smith

Yeardley Smith on a panel at Comic Con in San Diego for The Simpsons.
Birth name Martha Maria Yeardley Smith
Born July 3 1964 (1964--)
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Molly Hagan

Born July 3 1961 (1961--) (age 46)
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Official site Molly Hagan Official Website

Molly Hagan
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Ken Hudson Campbell (born April 6 1963) is an American television and voice actor.

Campbell played "Animal" on the experimental FOX TV series Herman's Head, as well as Buckman in the movie Down Periscope.
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Peter Mackenzie is the current Stirling Albion chairman. Mackenzie was also a professional footballer with Stirling Albion in the early years of the club.
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Jason Bernard

Bernard as Captain William Eisen

Born May 17 1938
Chicago, Illinois
Died October 16, 1996

Jason Bernard (May 17 1938 - October 16, 1996) was an American actor who starred in movies and on television.
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Fox Broadcasting Company

Type Broadcast television network
Availability    National; also distributed in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and certain other Latin American countries.
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September 8 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 70 - Titus, General of Rome, sacks Jerusalem. See also: Destruction of Jerusalem.

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-1991- 1992 1993 1994  1995 .  1996 .  1997 .  1998  . 1999  . 2000  . 2001 

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April 21 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome (traditional).

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-1994- 1995 1996 1997  1998 .  1999 .  2000 .  2001  . 2002  . 2003  . 2004 

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worldwide view.
A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television, as one of its dominant narrative forms.
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Fox Broadcasting Company

Type Broadcast television network
Availability    National; also distributed in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and certain other Latin American countries.
..... Click the link for more information.
-1991- 1992 1993 1994  1995 .  1996 .  1997 .  1998  . 1999  . 2000  . 2001 

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-1994- 1995 1996 1997  1998 .  1999 .  2000 .  2001  . 2002  . 2003  . 2004 

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In tragic plays of ancient Greece, the chorus (choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek dithyrambs and tragikon drama. The chorus offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance, commented on main themes, and
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Psychoanalysis

Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
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Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. Nielsen Ratings are offered in over forty countries.
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Availability
Terrestrial
Analogue Normally tuned to 4 (excluding Wales)
Freeview Channel 4
Channel 8 (Wales)
Channel 13 (+1)
Satellite
Sky Digital Channel 104
Channel 117 (Wales)
Channel 135 (+1)
Channel 135, 136 +1 (ROI)
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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-1993- 1994 1995 1996  1997 .  1998 .  1999 .  2000  . 2001  . 2002  . 2003 

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-1994- 1995 1996 1997  1998 .  1999 .  2000 .  2001  . 2002  . 2003  . 2004 

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M-Net (originally an abbreviation for Electronic Media Network) is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by a consortium of newspaper companies, including Naspers.
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Sigmund Freud

Born May 6 1856(1856--)
Freiberg, Moravia, now the Czech Republic
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Psychoanalysis

Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
..... Click the link for more information.
Eric Berne (May 10 1910 – July 15 1970) was a Canadian-born psychiatrist best known as the creator of transactional analysis and the author of Games People Play.
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