The title refers to the 19th century drinking song "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" that is also sung and acted out in the cartoon.
"Barnacle Bill the Sailor" is a drinking song adapted from an old folk song called "Bollocky Bill the Sailor," whose lyrics are very obscene, even by today's standards.
This short was a remake of an earlier Fleischer cartoon called Barnacle Bill The Sailor (1930) which starred Bimbo the dog as the epnonynous sailor and Betty Boop. This 1935 remake was produced while the production code was being enforced and a result, the lyrics of the Barnacle Bill song had to be toned down in order to appease the censors.
First use of the "anchor" end title design.
Olive's flat has the very popular Murphy style bed, which was mounted in the wall and pulled down at night for sleeping.