Tracing The Recycled References Of The Amy Sherman-Palladino Cinematic Universe

Gilmore Girls: “Say Goodnight, Gracie” (Season 3, Episode 20) and “Come Home” (Season 5, Episode 12)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

“Say goodnight, Gracie” is a reference to the sign-off George Burns and wife Gracie Allen would do at the end of George’s shows. Amy Sherman-Palladino uses this reference twice in Gilmore Girls, once as the title to Episode 20 of Season 3 and the second time in a bedtime exchange between Luke and Lorelai (Season 5, Episode 12). In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the reference appears in the pilot during another bedtime exchange, this time with Joel and Midge saying “Goodnight, Gracie” to each other before falling asleep.

Gilmore Girls: “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (Season 2, Episode 13)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

In the 13th episode of Season 2, Jess outbids Dean for Rory’s picnic basket at the auction. (Only in Stars Hollow!) Dean gets angrier and angrier, which just delights Jess more. Dean remarks in his signature huff “You think this is funny?” to which Jess replies “It’s no Lenny Bruce routine, but it has its moments.” A surprising reference in 2002 since every guy I knew then couldn’t stop talking about Dave Chappelle.

However, in real life, Amy Sherman-Palladino knew Lenny Bruce’s mother growing up due to her dad’s career as a comedian. Despite the fact that he is one of the most famous comedians of all time and incredibly popular in 1958, this connection is probably why he is a recurring character on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel played by Luke Kirby.

Bunheads: “Blank Up, It’s Time” (Season 1, Episode 8)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

Bunheads deserved better. I just want to get that out of the way first. ASP’s follow up to Gilmore Girls was perfect and it was cancelled all too soon. In the 8th episode of show’s first season, Sutton Foster (who also appears in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and her version of “I Enjoy Being a Girl” can be heard in the fifth episode of Maisel season 1) attends a play in LA with Kelly Bishop (aka Emily Gilmore). Foster meets none other than Jason “Digger” Styles, okay well the actor who plays him (Chris Eigeman), as the show’s director. He says “the playwright thinks he is Eugene O’Neill. This is Dead O’Neill.”

The pilot of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel begins with Midge giving a toast at her own wedding. This world building takes a while to get to her husband Joel who stands up and exclaims “Best build-up since Iceman Cometh,” which might be O’Neill’s most famous play.

Gilmore Girls: “But I’m A Gilmore” (Season 5, Episode 19)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Mrs. X At The Gaslight” (Season 1, Episode 6)

Abba-Zabas are candy bars that are essentially peanut butter covered in taffy, and almost exclusively found west of the Rocky Mountains. This makes it a bit strange that two East Coast shows make reference to it, but who am I to judge? In the season five episode of Gilmore Girls “But I’m a Gilmore,” the pre-credits scene starts with Paris, Rory and Kirk nursing hangovers. Kirk’s hangover, however, is sugar, not alcohol, based. A hangover he attributes to Abba-Zabas.

In the sixth episode of Maisel S1, Midge excitedly tells Susie that the vending machine in the break room at Bea Altman is broken, so if you hit it just right “Boom! Free Abba-Zabas.”

Gilmore Girls: “Rory’s Birthday Parties” (Season 1, Episode 6)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

Another very famous comedian that ASP likes to reference is Henny Youngman. In the Season 1 Gilmore Girls episode “Rory’s Birthday Parties,” Emily Gilmore says “Everything’s a joke! Everything’s a punchline! My daughter: Henny Youngman.” Lorelai is pretty funny, and Youngman was considered the king of one liners.

In the Maisel pilot, Midge realizes that Bob Newhart and Joel have the same routine. Joel tries to explain that everyone steals, sorry “borrows” from someone else with the line “Bob Newhart probably used Henny Youngman’s stuff when he started!” Uhh yeah Joel, that seems unlikely.

Gilmore Girls: “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Ya Shivu v Bolshom Dome Na Kholme” (Season 1, Episode 2)

When Rory first meets Dean in the Gilmore Girls pilot, he is standing over her as she cleans out her locker. “God. You’re like Ruth Gordon just standing there with the tannis root. Say something.” She tells him. Dean immediately knows that this is a reference to Roman Polanski’s film Rosemary’s Baby.

In the second episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Midge’s mother Rose goes to a fortune teller to find out what is in store for Midge’s future now that Joel is gone. The fortune teller giver her a tannis root before she leaves. Now, this reference drives me absolutely nuts. Tannis root doesn’t exist. It was made up solely for Rosemary’s Baby. Fine. But Rosemary’s Baby didn’t come out until 1968. Ten years after the first season of Maisel takes place. Now, maybe Polanski visited the same fortune teller and she is the one who invented this fake herb. I’m not buying it though.

Gilmore Girls: “Dead Uncles and Vegetables” (Season 2, Episode 17)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Multiple Season 1 episodes

In the Gilmore Girls episode “Dead Uncles and Vegetables,” Emily gets caught up helping Sookie plan her wedding to Jackson. Things quickly get out of hand and Sookie has to “fire” Emily. Lorelai softly accuses Emily of trying to give Sookie her dream wedding for Lorelai when Emily says that she had always dreamed of a Russian winter themed wedding for Lorelai. Which is funny, because that is the exact wedding Midge has. We see clips of the wedding throughout the season, and in one episode she even tells someone that it was specifically a Russian winter theme. Perhaps a very young Emily attended the wedding and it stuck with her?

Erin Browne is writer and boy band historian from Philadelphia who speaks fluent fan girl. She has probably seen that show or movie and she probably has a lot of feelings about it that you can find on Twitter: @ebrownie.