Lenny's performance at Carnegie Hall in the middle of a blizzard really happened. Occurring on February 4, 1961 the concert was recorded and released as a three disc set titled 'The Carnegie Hall Concert'.
Lenny Bruce took two days to make his way to Carnegie Hall from Miami in a raging blizzard, unsure if anyone would even show up to his set in the middle of the storm. They did show up: Nearly 3,000 people braved two feet of snow and a driving ban to witness two hours of his signature comedic improvisation. The live recording of his midnight set on February 4, 1961, is one of the fullest examples of the style and material for which he became known.
The episode's title comes from a rumor, that a pedestrian on Fifty-seventh Street, Manhattan, stopped violinist Jascha Heifetz and inquired, "Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Yes," said Heifetz. "Practice!"
This joke has become part of the folklore of the hall, but its origins remain a mystery. Although described in 1961 as an "ancient wheeze", its earliest known appearances in print date from 1955. Attributions to Jack Benny are mistaken; it is uncertain if he ever used the joke. Alternatives to violinist Jascha Heifetz as the second party include an unnamed beatnik, bopper, or "absent-minded maestro", as well as pianist Arthur Rubinstein and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Carnegie Hall archivist Gino Francesconi favors a version told by the wife of violinist Mischa Elman, in which her husband makes the quip when approached by tourists while leaving the hall's backstage entrance after an unsatisfactory rehearsal. The joke is so well known it is often reduced to a riddle with no framing story. According to The Washington Post, the joke "shows how firmly the building [...] has lodged itself in American folklore".
This joke has become part of the folklore of the hall, but its origins remain a mystery. Although described in 1961 as an "ancient wheeze", its earliest known appearances in print date from 1955. Attributions to Jack Benny are mistaken; it is uncertain if he ever used the joke. Alternatives to violinist Jascha Heifetz as the second party include an unnamed beatnik, bopper, or "absent-minded maestro", as well as pianist Arthur Rubinstein and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Carnegie Hall archivist Gino Francesconi favors a version told by the wife of violinist Mischa Elman, in which her husband makes the quip when approached by tourists while leaving the hall's backstage entrance after an unsatisfactory rehearsal. The joke is so well known it is often reduced to a riddle with no framing story. According to The Washington Post, the joke "shows how firmly the building [...] has lodged itself in American folklore".
When discussing Maggie's boss Gil, Frank mentions that he "paints houses for us". This is a subtle nod to both Frank and Nicky being in the mob and to Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about a hitman for the Mafia.
The song "Matchmaker" from "Fiddler on the Roof," is heard in Yiddish and English over the sequence when the Matchmakers receive Rose's note. Jackie Hoffman, who plays the Matchmaker Gittal, also played the Yente the Matchmaker in "Fiddler on the Roof" (Fidler Afn Dakh) in Yiddish off-Broadway in 2019-2020.