From 1968 to 1980 Lucille Ball made 16 appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. One appearance was just two weeks before this episode initially aired.
Ed McMahon uses his now classic intro of Carson: "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!" when handing Johnny the telephone. It is a call from Joey Heatherton, a singer/dancer who appeared on "The Tonight Show" six times. When McMahon hears 'Joey,' he thinks Carson is referring to Joey Bishop, who sat in for Carson as regular guest hos of "The Tonight Show" from 1965 to 1988 for nearly 200 episodes.
Johnny Carson's monologue jokes about homes being carried away in landslides in Benedict Canyon, outside Hollywood. Just a few weeks after this script was finalized, Benedict Canyon was in the news regarding Charles Manson's murder of Sharon Tate, who lived in the Canyon.
Johnny jokes that Ed's sending money to a Clydesdale each month. This is a reference to Ed McMahon's association with Budweiser beer, a company whose advertising featured a beer wagon pulled by Clydesdale horses. Oblivious, Lucy says "Does Alyce know?" This is a reference to McMahon's first wife, Alyce Ferrill.
Extras in "The Tonight Show" audience include Lucille Ball's real-life mother Dede. It was said that she attended every filming of her daughter's shows. Jack Berle, brother of TV icon Milton Berle, is also an audience member.