Mystery Science Theater 3000

Under Siege: Cane is still explaining the battle to Rose and states that they had the Yankees "under siege", to which Joel replies "Steven Seagal!" The film Under Siege (1992) was actor Steven Seagal's biggest hit.

Annie Green Springs: When Rose kisses Cane, Joel says "you taste like Annie Green Springs." Another reference to a cheap wine, this one apple-flavored, that was popular in the late 1970's.

Green Beret: When Cane is explaining the Battle of Lookout Mountain to Rose, he says that "a million men died for nothing." Tom Servo replies that "only one wore a green beret," and Joel sings the first line from the song "The Ballad of the Green Beret". This song was a hit for SSGT. Barry Sadler in 1965.

Ambush: When Erica asks Rose if she is awaiting an ambush, Crow replies, "No, I'm wearing Ambush." Ambush is a classic perfume created by Dana in 1955.

Hop Sing: "Pa, Pa, Hop Sing's in trouble in town!" comments Tom Servo. Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung) was the cook for 14 years on the TV show Bonanza.

Marvel the Mustang: As Rose rides after Cane, we hear a line of the Marvel the Mustang song from the old TV advertisement. Introduced in 1967, Marvel the Mustang was a two-foot-tall toy horse that small children could actually ride by bouncing up and down.

Dennis Moore: As Rose rides after Cane, Tom Servo sings "Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, riding through the night." The song is from from Monty Python's "Dennis Moore" sketch (episode 11, season 3, 1974), about an 18th century Robin Hood highwayman.

O-cedar: "Wormy, that's an O-cedar," Crow says when Jake mimics using a gun in the saloon. O-cedar has been making housecleaning supplies, including broom/mop handles, for over 100 years.

William Howard Taft: When the businessman leaves the saloon, Tom Servo says "William Howard Taft, ladies and gentlemen." Taft (1857-1930), was the 27th president of the United States and also the fattest one, weighing over 300 pounds.

Howard Hawks: As the scene in the jail between Cane and Rose drags on, Crow comments that "it's not exactly a Howard Hawks film, is it?" Hawks (1896-1977) was a legendary director/producer, whose films spanned many decades and genres. His westerns, such as Red River and Rio Bravo are classics.

Herbalife: Rose asks Cane what his business is and the retort is "Herbalife", a nutritional supplement company founded in 1980, and probably best known for its "work at home" signs posted everywhere by legions of marketeers.

Carter Country: Cane asks "remember me?" when he visits the jail, to which Joel retorts "uh, you were on Carter Country, weren't you?" Carter Country was a short-lived comedy on ABC (1977-78) about the wacky sheriff department of a small Georgia town.

Matthew and Miss Kitty: When Cane and Erica go upstairs together, Crow notes "that's a line that Matthew and Miss Kitty never crossed." Crow is referring to the TV show Gunsmoke (1955-1975), in which the characters Marshal Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty supposedly maintained a platonic relationship for 20 years.

It's been a long time: When Cane enters the saloon and says this to Erica, Joel responds by saying " been a long, long, long, long, lonely time." Joel's allusion is to the song "Rock and Roll" from Led Zeppelin's fourth album (1971). The lyrics are actually "been a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. "

Pinto: Tom Servo's "Hey,love what you're driving, Pinto, right?" pun is a reference to Rose's multi-colored horse and the economy car manufactured from 1971-1980 by Ford.

Lady with a star: Tom Servo sings "you can trust your car to the lady with a star." This is a reference to Texaco's 1960's ad campaign which told customers that "you can trust your car to the man who wears a star"; the Texaco logo was a star design and worn on the uniforms of gas station attendants. The phrase also became popular in the late 1970's as titles to bootlegged concert recordings, notably Bruce Springsteen and Rush.

Roy Rogers: When the mayor leaves the saloon, Crow quips "welp, I gotta hit my shift at the Roy Rogers." This is referring to the restaurant chain named after the popular film cowboy. The fast-food franchise began in 1968, had a peak of 800 locations, but now has about 55 locations in eastern USA.

A man playing a woman playing a man: Crow is referring to Blake Edward's 1982 film Victor/Victoria, which featured Julie Andrews as a woman playing a man playing a woman.

TJ Swan Mellow Nights: A budget wine introduced in 1974 by the Heublein Wine Company. TJ Swan was very popular amongst the youth of the late 1970's, mostly because it was very cheap to buy.

Mr. Drysdale: When the mayor walks into the saloon, Crow comments that " you know, shed a few pounds, he's Mr. Drysdale." Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) was the bank president on the sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971). Crow then makes a reference to Jethro, another character on the TV show.

Tuesday The Rabbi Got Robbed: Joel's allusion is to Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small series of mystery books. The series includes titles such as Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home, Monday The Rabbi Took Off, and so on.

Helen Gallagher Catalog: The Helen Gallagher/Foster House catalog was a well-known source to mail-order novelty items in the 1960's/70's. Tom Servo is referring to the various knick-knacks adorning the room.

Rachmaninoff: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a Russian-born composer/pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the Twentieth Century, his extraordinary playing technique was partially attributable to the fact that he had very large hands. Rachmaninoff immigrated to the western USA in 1919; since Gunslinger takes place in 1870, Tom Servo's comment about the possible identity of the saloon's piano player is off by about 50 years (but a good joke anyway!)

Ground Round: A grill and bar restaurant chain with locations in the east and midwest USA. The casual dining atmosphere and decor of the franchise prompted Tom Servo's comment when seeing the inside of the Red Dog saloon.

Funny Company: Joel corrects Tom Servo's comment regarding the art of the credit sequence by saying, "no, it's the Funny Company, as you can plainly see." Funny Company was a cartoon created in 1963 and featured background designs similar to what was used in this portion of the credit sequence. The cartoon's most enduring legacy is the "smiley face" icon.

High Plains Drifter: Tom Servo comments that the credit sequence's art is like High Plains Drifter, which was a 1972 Clint Eastwood western that featured the entire town of Lago being painted red.

Spy vs. Spy: Uttered by Tom Servo in reference to the artistic style of the credit sequence. "Spy vs. Spy" is a wordless comic strip, created by Antonio Prohias, that has been running in Mad magazine since 1961.

Swamp Diamonds: When "Roger Corman Presents" starts the credit sequence, Crow comments "So, Corman did Swamp Diamonds on Monday and this one on Wednesday." Roger Corman was well-known for making micro-budgeted movies in a very short amount of time. Corman's Swamp Diamonds (1955, aka Swamp Women) was the movie featured in episode 503, so this is a double allusion.