This represents Richard Thomas' last appearance as John-Boy Walton in the regular series. John-Boy returns in The Waiting (1979) portrayed by Robert Wightman who embodies the character for 16 episodes of the remainder of the series and the first TV movie; A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (1982). Thomas reprises the role of John-Boy for the subsequent TV movies: A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993), A Walton Wedding (1995), and A Walton Easter (1997).
Some flashback scenes are from The Waltons pilot movie, The Homecoming, which starred Patricia Neal and Andrew Dugan as Olivia and John Walton. For this episode, new "inserts" were filmed with Michael Learned and Ralph Waite, which is why neither actor appears in any two-shots with Richard Thomas during those flashbacks.
During John-Boy's visit to his publisher's office, writers and media personalities, Robert Benchley and Franklin P. Adams are mentioned when the receptionist answers the phone. Both writers worked in the Newspaper business, Adams wrote a weekly column for "The New York Evening Mail". His best-known work is probably "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," also known as "Tinker to Evers to Chance".
Robert Benchley is best known as a humorist. He wrote many humorist articles for magazines and also made more than 20 shorts for the moving picture business. He also had a radio show that was canceled in 1939. Following the printing of two books of his old New Yorker columns, Benchley gave up writing for good in 1943, signing one more contract with Paramount in December of that year. Two years later he passed away. Both writers were charter members of the famed Algonquin Round Table.
Robert Benchley is best known as a humorist. He wrote many humorist articles for magazines and also made more than 20 shorts for the moving picture business. He also had a radio show that was canceled in 1939. Following the printing of two books of his old New Yorker columns, Benchley gave up writing for good in 1943, signing one more contract with Paramount in December of that year. Two years later he passed away. Both writers were charter members of the famed Algonquin Round Table.
In one scene, John-Boy reminisces about seeing members of the Algonquin Round Table leaving the famed Hotel. He mentions seeing Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley. By the time he would have seen this the Round Table had dissolved. It existed from 1919 until 1929. The hotel itself is named to honor the Algonquian tribes that had been the first residents of the area.
The view from John-Boy's hotel room likely shows the 3rd Avenue Elevated line at E. 10th Street in the East Village. The 3rd Avenue El was discontinued in 1955.