The inspiration for this show, in which Rob gets temporary amnesia from a blow on the head and ends up at a party in New Jersey, came from a real-life event involving Dick Van Dyke's father, Cookie Van Dyke. According to the younger Van Dyke, his father was at a Fourth of July party when he dived into his son's pool and hit his head on the side while emerging from the water. His father appeared unharmed, but then got dressed and drove 200 miles to Palm Springs where he ended up at another backyard party - this time with a group of complete strangers.
Rob, Buddy, and the Red Hook Party Host mention a message for Garcia. A 'Message to Garcia' was written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899; it depicts a dramatized version of a message carried by an American soldier, 1st Lt. Andrew S. Rowan, just prior to the Spanish-American War from President William McKinley to General Calixto Garcia. General Garcia was a leader of the Cuban insurgents 'somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba--no one knew where.' The phrase signifies overcoming any obstacle to accomplish an assigned task and the trust placed in the assignee.
This is Amzie Strickland's third appearance, of four, in this season of the show. The others were That's My Boy?? (1963), The Masterpiece (1963), and The Return of Edwin Carp (1964).