This episode’s title and plot is a parody on the saying: "Like father, like son."
At the end of the first Krusty show, Krusty tugs on his ear similar to the way Carol Burnett did at the end of her shows to say "Hi" to her grandmother who raised her.
Movie references[]
The episode parodies the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, which was a watershed film as it was the first movie to be featured with sound. In the movie, a rabbi's son goes against his family's attempt to become a rabbi, choosing instead to pursue a career as a jazz singer. This is referenced when a young Rabbi Krustofsky remarks "If this was a musician or a jazz singer, this I could forgive, but a clown, no!"
The scene of Krusty calling up his father then staring into space parodies Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, who had an estranged father whom he would randomly call without having the confidence to speak any words, leaving the father to perplexedly say "Hello, hello?"
Trivia[]
The episode is considered as a sequel to "Krusty Gets Busted" and footage from that episode is used in this episode.
By this point, the animation of the show would start reducing the heavy use of "dimples" seen whenever a character speaks. This was mostly seen during seasons 1, 2, and the beginning of season 3.
Part of Ms. Pennycandy's hair is missing
Goofs[]
When Lois Pennycandy reminds Krusty who Bart is, part of her hair disappears for a frame.
Krusty with a white beard
In the picture of Krusty with The Beatles on Krusty's wall, Krusty's beard is colored white like his face.
When Krusty pulls Mr. Teeny out of his bag he tells the chimp to go wait in the car, but when Krusty leaves there is no car outside and in the next scene he is also walking home. The bag has also disappeared.
Itchy with a blue jacket
When Krusty is sprayed with seltzer during the flashback his makeup is gone, after his father tells him he never wants to see him again his makeup re-appears.
After Krusty starts crying at the dinner table, Homer asks if he will finish his meatloaf, but there is no meatloaf on his plate.
In the "Field of Screams" title card, Scratchy's tongue and teeth aren't shown.
In this episode, Itchy's jacket is blue instead of its usual orange.
When sitting at home, after trying to call and talk to his father, Krusty is shown without makeup despite the fact that it was implied later in "Homer's Triple Bypass" that Krusty's heart surgery gave him a permanently white face. It's also implied in "Marge vs. the Monorail" that Krusty's white skin is genetic (the short scene of a woman begging Krusty to see his son).
After the flashback, Homer's suit becomes his normal clothes.
