Father Murphy

Tracey Gold, who went on to play Carol Seaver in the hit 1980s ABC TV Series "Growing Pains", guest stars in this episode. Coincidentally, Timothy Gibbs would later make a guest appearance in a Season Three episode of 'Pains'.

Shannen Doherty's character is assumed to be a boy for the first ten minutes of the episode (her long hair hidden under a coonskin cap). But any astute viewer will know it's a girl, because even though everyone calls her 'Dru,' the opening credits list her as playing 'Drusilla' which is obviously a girl's name.

The name of the territorial superintendent in this episode is Mr. Balluck. This is an inside joke, referencing story editor Don Balluck who worked on this show and 'Little House on the Prairie.'