Carroll O'Connor and Sammy Davis Jr. were longtime friends, and it was Davis who expressed an interest in being on the show.
Sammy Davis, Jr. guest-starred again as himself in the spin-off series "Archie Bunker's Place" (in the season one episode "The Return of Sammy", which is included in that show's DVD set).
At the end of this episode, Sammy Davis , Jr. kisses Archie. When Sammy came back to visit on Archie Bunker's Place, Archie kissed him.
Louise Jefferson will meet up again with Sammy Davis Jr. 12 years later on the Jeffersons ("What Makes Sammy Run?"), only to appear to be meeting for the first time.
Norman Lear and Carroll O'Connor came up with the idea of having Sammy Davis Jr. play himself. They wanted Davis to ad lib his lines so it would seem more natural.