This is the first appearance Gale Gordon (who played Mr. Littlefield) will make on one of Lucy's shows. He is best known for the role of Mr. Mooney on The Lucy Show and Uncle Harry Carter on Here's Lucy. While casting for I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball originally wanted Gale Gordon to play the role of Fred Mertz, since he was a member of the My Favorite Husband cast (Rudolph Atterbury). Luckily, William Frawley was found in time. But Gale Gordon was invited on the show for the first season as an act of friendship, just like what happened with Bea Benederet.
In the first part of the episode, the Ricardos and the Mertzes are planning on seeing the movie High Noon, starring Gary Cooper. This is one of several episodes where movie stars (either on-screen or by reference) pitch their current movie or reference is made to a star's current movie project as in this episode. John Wayne used his Lucy appearance to plug his new movie, Blood Alley, in "Lucy and John Wayne", and William Holden pitched his new movie, The Country Girl, in "LA at Last!".
This episode is noteworthy for marking Gale Gordon's first television appearance with Lucy. Gordon would go on to co-star with Lucy on her subsequent sitcoms The Lucy Show (1962) (as Mr. Mooney) and Here's Lucy (1968) (as Harry Carter). Gale Gordon had previously worked with Lucy on her 1948-51 radio sitcom "My Favorite Husband."
Mr. Littlefield likens Ricky to Simon Legree, who was the sadistic slave owner in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
The menu Phoebe Littlefield prepared for the dinner engagement the Ricardo's were late for, and thus ultimately missed out on, consisted of thick cut stuffed pork chops, a favorite of Lucy's, potatoes topped with cheese and butter, and fresh asparagus tips in Hollandaise sauce.