A shivaree (charivari) is an Old World custom in which the members of the local community perform a celebration, usually when a couple gets married, often through the banging of pots and pans at the home of newlyweds. Shivarees can also be used a way showing the community's disapproval of someone, like a couple living together out of wedlock, or someone the community feels is of ill repute.
In the hospital scenes, 'Dr. Larson' and Dr. Satlof' are paged over the P.A. These doctors are named after producers Glen A. Larson and Ron Satlof.