Clips from the on-flight movie shown are from the 1980 John Landis movie The Blues Brothers. Oddly, "The End" is shown on the screen just after the Blues-mobile nearly goes off of the end of the freeway while being chased by the Illinois Nazis, well before the real end.
Twelve of the characters have the last names of musicians, singers or arrangers who worked for Duke Ellington: Louis Metcalf ( Gene Nelson ) and his wife ( Mary Jo Catlett ), Kay Davis ( Robin Dearden ), Sonny Greer ( Kate Mulgrew ), Fred Jenkins ( Andrew Parks ), Dr. Clint Strayhorn ( John S. Ragin ), Captain Whetsel ( Chris Robinson ), Otto Hardwick ( Robert Walker Jr. ), Leon Bigard ( Mark Venturini ), Carney ( Charles Hoyes ), Mr. Miley ( Don Maharry ) and his wife ( Crystal Jenious ). Some (Louis Metcalf, Kay Davis, Sonny Greer, Fred Jenkins and Otto Hardwick) also have the same first names as their Ellingtonian counterparts, though the Sonny Greer who worked for Ellington, his first drummer, was a man.
Main characters Sonny Greer and Otto Hardwick, and minor characters named Strayhorn, Whetsol, Bigard, Carney and Blanton all share names with members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, circa 1940.
Final screen acting role of Gene Nelson, as he turned towards teaching in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University.