Production note The Baldwin speech was not in the original play and was added for the film.
Production note The movie largely uses a two-act structure centered on a night scene and a day scene.
Production note The film was shot mostly in Brooklyn and uses New York exteriors.
Production note James Foley was coming off After Dark, My Sweet and was known for a noirish style.
Production note Al Jarreau’s version of 'Blue Skies' plays over the end and is tied to 'Blue Sky Laws.'
Production note The sales leads and the contest structure are treated as a dramatic device that may not be realistic business practice.
Production note The original stage cast included Joe Mantegna, J.T. Walsh, Robert Prosky, and James Tolkan.
Production note The episode notes that the film has become a broad-comedy object in later stage revivals.
Production note The hosts joke that Chicago/New York geography is inconsistent, including a Western Avenue reference and a Wisconsin exit.
Production note They mention that the movie’s car mentions can be mapped to specific models, including an 850i and Buick Riviera.
Amsterdam Used as an example of a stacked cast that does not work at peak form.
House of Games Mentioned as an entry point into Mamet’s work and a favorite of Chris’s father.
Boogie Nights Referenced in connection with prior Mamet discussion and House of Games.
Homicide Used as an example of Mamet’s other directing/writing work and family viewing memory.
The Spanish Prisoner Cited as part of Mamet’s directing peak in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Oleanna Another Mamet film mentioned as part of his active filmmaking period.
Miami Blues Referenced as the darker role Alec Baldwin was told to think about for the Blake speech.
Hunt for Red October Mentioned as Baldwin’s more conventional star image that the casting team wanted to avoid leaning on.
The Apartment Compared to Lemmon’s Shelly Levine as a legacy continuation of his classic sad-sack persona.
JFK Cited as one of Lemmon’s late-career high points after Glengarry.
Short Cuts Mentioned alongside JFK and Glengarry as part of Lemmon’s late-career resurgence.
The Player Referenced as another film in which Lemmon briefly appears.
Grumpy Old Men Mentioned as a successful mainstream follow-up for Lemmon after the prestige run.
Barry Used as an example of a modern comic echo of the Baldwin monologue.
Devil's Advocate Referenced as another Pacino scene that feels like an echo of his Glengarry performance.
