This was the very first "stereo surround sound" broadcast by NBC. While many homes were not equipped with the surround decoder to play it back with the required rear channel speakers, manufacturers such as Fisher came out with rear channel amp/decoders to complete the rear sound effects.
This episode runs for forty-six minutes, as opposed to the usual thirty minutes for the episodes in this series.
Kevin Costner came to prominence in the films of Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote Raiders or the Lost Ark for Steven Spielberg.
Casey Siemaszko and J.J. Cohen also appear together in the Back to the Future films.
Keifer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko and Gary Riley all appeared together in Stand by Me. Two other cast members; River Phoenix and Bradley Gregg; worked with Spielberg on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.