The actors who play the three main band member characters in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, all appear in this episode.
The first part of this episode is set on September 27, 1960. Laverne said she had seen the Nixon-Kennedy debate the night before and Nixon was sweating; he performed poorly in the first of the four debates, and the sweating is often noted.
The three central members of the parody metal band Spinal Tap (1984) appear in this episode: Michael McKean as Lenny; Harry Shearer as the reporter; and Christopher Guest as a medical student.
The song at the end of this episode "Milwaukee Moon" was written by Michael "Lenny" McKean.
Shirley (Cindy Williams) and Laverne (Penny Marshall) travel by bus to Oshkosh for their "date". Oshkosh is 80 miles northwest of Milwaukee and in 1960 had a population of about 45,000.