This episode was one of the first television shows to use the Heimlich maneuver for treating victims of choking as part of a storyline. The maneuver was first recommended as the primary treatment for choking in a 1982 Yale University study that was partially funded by Dr. David Heimlich's foundation.
In the opening scene, Harris explains that Mr. Kroner, "Reached out and touched someone"- his agent - with a telephone. AT&T had an advertising campaign in 1981 with a jingle, composed by David Lucas. "Reach Out and Touch Someone."