The episode is an homage to the film "The Jazz Singer", about a son with a strict religious upbringing who defies his father to become an entertainer. Krusty is considered to be partially based on Jewish comedian Jerry Lewis, who starred in the 1959 version of the film. "The Jazz Singer" is referenced when Rabbi Krustofsky states, "Oh, if you were a musician or a jazz singer, this I could forgive!" Lisa tells Homer there are many Jewish entertainers, including Lauren Bacall, Dinah Shore, William Shatner and Mel Brooks. In Krusty's flashback, he and his father walk down the street in a parody of a scene from "The Godfather Part II". In the Simpsons house, Krusty plays "The Concert for Bangladesh". In Krusty's studio, there are pictures of him with Alfred Hitchcock and The Beatles. At the end of the episode, Krusty and his father sing "O Mein Papa", a 1952 song originally by Eddie Fisher. Bart quotes a passage from Sammy Davis, Jr.'s 1965 autobiography "Yes, I Can".