Reportedly, David Carradine was under the influence throughout the show. It is very evident as he is visibly glancing at cue cards and mumbling his lines in some sketches.
Yvonne Hudson makes her credited debut as featured player. Hudson previously appeared as a background extra on many episodes starting in season 4.
Instead of a regular musical guest, this episode included The Pirates of Penzance, which was a popular Broadway show at the time. The roster included Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, George Rose, and a then-unknown Kevin Kline.
Head writer Mason Williams, as well as staff writer/non-credited performer Mitchell Kriegman, were fired after this episode.
The manic TV pitchman, played by Joe Piscopo, selling guns as Christmas gifts was a reference to the notorious store owner/pitchman Crazy Eddie, who did a number of local spots on New York television in the late 1970s and 1980s.