The character Ronie Cotter was originally played by Lane Bradbury in episode 8.4 "The Diploma" and Sweet Billy was originally played by Les Lannom in episodes 8.4 "The Diploma" and 8.6 "The Starlet".
The French bridge where John-Boy observes the army operation is the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California. The scene was shot in the canyon beneath the bridge known as the Arroyo Seco.
The poem Mary Ellen read at Sweet Billy's funeral was Over the Hills and Far Away by Eugene Field (1879).