Maverick

In his jail cell, Bart is reading the famous novel Lorna Doone (R.D. Blackmore, 1869) when Hampton confronts Sheriff Hardy. This action-packed romance novel has never been out of print since the year after it was first published, but it would have been relatively new at the time Maverick is set, in the 1870s. Like the episode, the novel deals with the theme of abuse of power, but ends happily.

There really is a town in California named Paradise, as depicted in the episode. It was originally called "Pair o'Dice" by miners. Over the years, the name morphed into Paradise.

Plot hole: Lindell claims that he shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning his gun, so Sheriff Satchel doesn't believe Bart's claim that he earlier shot the killer in the left shoulder, However, Bart said that Lindell would have a wound in his left shoulder before they heard the gunshot and found the wounded Lindell. Unless Satchel somehow thinks Bart can predict the future, he would reasonably believe Bart's claim and realize that Lindell deliberately shot himself.

Discontinuity: When Bart plays Lindell and the others the first time, he looks at his cards and they are upright in the closeup shot. However, in the medium shots immediately before and after, they are sideways.

In the credits, the name of the director, George Waggner, was written as george waGGner.

Dan: Well, we was showin' Our American Cousin the night Abe Lincoln was shot, and we ain't done much business since.

Although Our American Cousin is usually only remembered as the play Abraham Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated, it was also America's first "long run" theatrical presentation. In fact, it was so successful that it changed the way the American theater did business forever. So, while the locals in Pappy's Texas may have soured on the play, in actuality, it continued to be performed in both the United States and England for decades.

The actor playing Beauregard "Pappy" Maverick is billed as "?" in the ending credits. The actor playing Uncle Bentley is billed as "Himself". Of course, the entire audience knew that the actors were James Garner and Jack Kelly.

This is the final appearance of Leo Gordon as Big Mike McComb. He would, however, co-author several subsequent episodes and appear in the 1994 Maverick movie.

Peggy King sings "Sweet and Low, Some Sunday Morning" and "Too Much Love".

Roger Moore makes an early appearance in this episode. He would later rejoin the series as Beau Maverick in season four. For the only time, all three of the principal actors who starred in the series appear together in the opening scene. After that, however, it's all James Garner and Roger Moore, as Jack Kelly returns again only at the very end of the episode.

Events which took place a few episodes earlier in Shady Deal at Sunny Acres are mentioned in this episode.

Hired by Warner Brothers after her March, 1957 "Playmate of the Month" spread, this was to have been Saundra Edwards' first "extended" speaking part. Although she apparently had a pleasant enough voice, WB decided to use another Maverick alum, Adele Mara, to dub in her dialogue.

Arlene Howell, Miss USA 1958 from Louisiana, who had previously appeared as Cindy Lou Brown, appears here as Ladybird, a down home Bayou beauty.

The sign on the outside of the brokerage house spells the broker's name "Schaffer," but the sign on the office door spells it "Schafer." Bates, allegedly a shrewd observer, doesn't notice the discrepancy.

This episode marks the final Maverick appearance of both Diane Brewster as Samantha Crawford and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Dandy Jim Buckley. Although both were gone, each would still be mentioned occasionally and Bart would pose as Buckley in the Season Three opener, Pappy.

Discontinuity: Bart says he hails from East Texas in this episode. However, in the Season One episode, Trail West To Fury, the Mavericks hometown of Little Ben, TX appeared to be located in the western portion of the Lone Star State.

Buckley: Maverick, parting is such sweet sorrow.

Buckley is quoting from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 2.

Dan Blocker, who would go on to play "Hoss" Cartwright on Bonanza, can be seen onscreen for about 45 seconds at the very beginning of the episode in a "silent-movie" segment filmed to resemble old-time, off-speed newsreel footage.

The set for the Cantina Americana was originally the set of Rick's Cafe in the movie Casablanca.

In this episode it's revealed that Dandy Jim Buckley's middle name is Aloysius. We also discover a definite difference in Dandy Jim's relationship with the Maverick brothers. He frequently appears adversarial with Bret (especially in The Jail at Junction Flats), but here he's loyal and friendly with Bart.