Many of the plot elements are an homage to Sunset Boulevard (1950). Ramona Launders as the aging and faded movie star is modeled on Norma Desmond (Ramona is a close anagram for Norma). Both Norma and Ramona received warm welcomes back to their former studios, with the harsh reality covered in Hollywood illusion and fantasy. Norma and Ramona both have younger lovers who find themselves on the receiving end of gunshots. Ramona like Norma runs old films on a projector. Ramona's mansion with its arches and fountain is similar in style to that used in the classic film, which mansion was demolished in 1957.
Several of the clips seen in the opening titles have their origin here: Houston hurting his shoulder trying to break through a heavy door, running a gauntlet of gunshot-exploded flowerpots, and opening an unlocked glass door.
John Calvin, seen briefly as the vainglorious and ill-fated Todd Gallagher, was at this same time a regular cast member on Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982). Calvin was an actor of sorts on that series as well: a calculating Nazi spy undercover as a naive Christian missionary.