In this episode, Lorne Michaels follows up on his previous offer to The Beatles by increasing it from $3000 to $3200 and adding lodging at a nearby motel. In a 1980 Playboy magazine interview, John Lennon stated that he and Paul McCartney were at his New York City apartment watching the show. Lennon claimed they seriously considered catching a taxi to the studio and performing but that they were too tired.
The monologue sketch was inspired by real altercations the show had with the building's security guards. Michael O'Donoghue, Dan Aykroyd, Buck Henry and Paul Simon are among the people who had trouble getting past the guards.
This episode was not rerun on NBC until 2005.