The title is based on the 1940 novel 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway about a group of anti-fascist guerrillas during the Spanish Civil War. This is especially notable because, when Angela Lansbury and guest stars Jeff Conaway and Barbara Babcock are discussing the famous former residents of a building up for demolition, Angela (as Jessica Fletcher) mentioned that Ernest Hemingway once lived on the building's top floor.
The beginning of the show, there is a building being demolished. That was the Baker Hotel in Dallas, Texas. It was demolished in 1980. The Baker Hotel's ballrooms were used for movie stars. The Whitacre Tower now stands at that location.
Guest stars Barbara Babcock and Hallie Foote also co-starred in S8, E22: "Murder on Madison Avenue".