Olympic jury was partly demonstrated during the animatic by Simpsons writer George Meyer. When Meyer later watched the episode, he found out, to his "horror", that he had been given a choreographer credit at the end of the episode. The episode features American fitness expert Jack Lalanne as himself. In the DVD commentary for the episode, Scully stated that Lalanne was "very funny" and that he "gave a great performance". Lalanne's lines were recorded separately from the series main cast members. Cultural references The episode title is a reference to the 1952 novel and 1958 film The Old Man and the Sea. In the beginning of the episode, a sign reading "International Olympic Committee" can be seen. The logo below the text parodies the logo of the real International Olympic Committee. Because they did not want to "upset" the committee, the Simpsons staff slightly altered the logo by changing the colors and not making the rings interlock. In a conversation with Marge, Lisa mentions the rest of her classmates wrote letters to the Backstreet Boys. In a scene in the episode, the old people can be seen watching an edited and over-dubbed version of the 1939 film Gone With the Wind. The nurse that works in the old folks home is based on Nurse Ratched from the 1975 American drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The film is referenced again in a scene where Bart takes the old folks on a boat trip and a scene where a Native American chief in the old folk's home throws a sink through a window, and jumps out, mirroring the last scene in the film. The character then returns, and hands Lisa a pamphlet that reads "Prop 217". The pamphlet is a reference to Proposition 217, a proposition that allowed Native Americans to operate casinos in certain states. It is also a reference to the day Scully and Thacker met, which was on February 17. When Homer flushes the springs down the toilet, he sings to the tune of "99 Bottles of Beer". The scene in which Smithers is drawing a portrait of Mr Burns is a reference to the 1997 drama film Titanic. The scene where the old people celebrate their escape from the home is a reference to a sequence from The Beatles 1964 film A Hard Day's Night. Both are set to the group's song "Can't Buy Me