During his speech, Skipper describes Mr. Howell with courage. This is a reference to The Wizard of Oz, where The Cowardly Lion has courage to no longer be a coward.
The scene in which The castaways think Mr. Howell is dead. Is a reference to The Andy Griffith Show Hot Rod Otis, where Andy and Barney think Otis is dead. But unlike Andy and Barney, the castaways pretend to hold a funeral.