Murphy was a fairly minor character, only appearing in 2 episodes of the show, but he appeared in the show's opening sequence and remained there after this episode, until the opening was re-designed in season 20. Moore's first-ever job on the show was in the animation department for "Moaning Lisa" so he "appreciated" being able to direct this episode. Reiss stated "I had been polling for years to kill Marge's mom but this was a better idea". Actor Ron Taylor returned to guest star as Murphy in the episode. Comedian Steve Allen also made his second guest appearance on the show, who had also appeared in the episode "Separate Vocations" before.