The title is taken from William Shakespeare's "Macbeth": "Life's... but a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage...."
This episode appears to be based on the 1983 Roy Radin murder case. Radin was a theatrical producer best known for reviving old vaudeville shows. On Friday, May 13, 1983, Roy Radin stepped into a limousine rented by Karen Greenberger with the intention of going to a restaurant and further discussing a business arrangement. About a month later, his body was discovered in a California canyon. He had been repeatedly shot in the head, and a stick of dynamite had been set off in his mouth. The story behind Radin's death was a labyrinthine tangle, mostly involving drugs. Greenberger turned out to be a woman of many names and interests. Although producer Robert Evans was initially suspected of the crime, Greenberger was eventually convicted.
Tony Darrow and Mike Starr both were in Goodfellas (1990), although they didn't share any scenes. Like in Goodfellas, Tony plays a restaurant owner associated with the mob.
The victim in this episode is a Broadway producer who was putting on a play titled 'Bleak House.' Bleak House is a novel written by Charles Dickens in the 1850's.
Dylan Baker has portrayed three different characters throughout the series:
- Episode 2.11 His Hour Upon the Stage (1991) - Sean Hyland.
- Episode 9.4 Flight (1998) - Aaron Downing.
- Episode 14.11 Darwinian (2004) - Sanford Rems.
- Episode 15.10 Enemy (2004) - Sanford Rems.
- Episode 16.20 Kingmaker (2006) - Sanford Rems.