There was almost a blooper in this episode. While describing his problem to Sgt. Fish, the other actor continually moves his chair closer and closer to him. At one point, Abe Vigoda looks down to see how close they are, and he cracks a slight smile. He then turns his back to the camera and hides his face with his hand. After a few moments, he composes himself.
Morton Hackler has many of the same mannerisms and quasi-scientific beliefs as Marshall Herff Applewhite (Marshall Applewhite). The cult leader had recently gained media attention for his efforts to recruit followers for outer space metaphysical colonization. In 1997, his followers of the Heaven's Gate cult, and himself committed mass-suicide by consuming prescription drugs and alcohol in addition to asphyxiating themselves with a plastic bag, awaiting for a comet which contained a spaceship to take away from Earth, which was undergoing "The Apocalypse".