Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)/References

Cultural references

 * The episode title a clear reference to the 1979 "" cliffhanger ""
 * The oil subplot is a reference to an episode of the sitcom , during which the school discovers oil beneath their football field.
 * The music that plays over the "Springfield Animal Hospital" is from the theme to , a medical drama that aired on ABC in the 60s. The vet taking care of Santa's Little Helper has the black hair, eyebrows, and body hair that were characteristic of Vince Edwards, who played Dr. Ben Casey on that show.
 * The artwork behind the couch in the waiting room at Springfield Animal Hospital is modeled on the painting, "A Friend in Need" from the Dogs Playing Poker series by American artist C.M. Coolidge.

Trivia

 * According to the DVD commentary for this episode, a college kid figured out who the shooter was just a few hours after the show aired and posted his results on the web. The staff couldn't give him the prize in the "Who Shot Mr. Burns Contest" because he didn't enter properly. They were going to send him something, but they couldn't find his online username anymore.
 * This is the first Simpsons story to be a two-parter: The tale concludes in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", which was aired as the season 7 premiere, almost four months after part one.
 * Moe was given his surname, Syzlak, in this episode, and it was chosen in order to make him a stronger suspect. When Burns falls at the sundial pointing to W and S, it can be interpreted as M and S. According to the DVD commentary, the name "Syzlak" came from a phonebook.
 * The stone animals on each side of the entrance to Springfield Animal Hospital are a lion and a muzzled dog.

Continuity

 * Mr. Burns mentions the past events the Simpsons family members did around him from previous episodes:
 * Maggie found Mr. Burns' teddy bear, Bobo ("Rosebud")
 * Santa's Little Helper was his former guard dog ("Dog of Death")
 * Bart was his heir ("Burns' Heir")

Goofs

 * In the episode "Lisa's Substitute", Bart's class is on the second floor. However in this episode, Lisa's class is on the second floor.
 * Groundskeeper Willie's shovel disappears.
 * Mrs. Krabappel's earrings are missing in some scenes.
 * When Bart runs at Mr. Burns in town hall, Bleeding Gums Murphy can be seen in the background even though he died two episodes earlier.