Homage

These are characters who appear in homage to characters in other shows. As such, they are sort of an inside joke to people who watch far to much television (like me.)

U.S. Attorney Ginger Breakstone is a James West-ish (from "The Wild Wild West") kind of guy, in that his personal "theme" is very much like the theme of that show, and that he is a mysterious government agent who is a mover and shaker. He's appeared in "Socrates' Sister", "Showdown", "Deep in the Heart of Dixie", and "A.K.A. Kansas". Curiously, though he looks like, and acts like "Jim West", he talks more like Rod Serling!
Emma Steed is an homage to The Avengers, whose central characters were Emma Peele and John Steed. She appeared in "Stagecoach"
(The title "Stagecoach", and to a certain extent the plot, are in homage to John Ford's famous movie of the same name.)
Brisco himself pays homage to Brett Maverick (from "Maverick") by his costume as the gambler in "Riverboat". The bad-guy in that episode's first name, interestingly, is "Brett" ("Brett Bones".) The homage is all the more obvious when Brisco takes off his gun; the original Maverick was famous for not using his gun.
Also, parts of this episode are an homage to "The Sting" (1973), with Brisco explaining the intricacies of 'the con' to other conspirators, and this dialogue:
Wiley: "Thanks Brisco. And Luther thanks you."
Brisco: "It doesn't bring him back though, does it?"
Wiley: "No, it doesn't. (pause) But it sure feels good!"
... being very close to that from the ending scene of "The Sting". In a perhaps beyond-the-rim coincidence, the dead mentor to 'Johnny Hooker' (Robert Redford's character) and Wiley's dead brother were the same - Luther. (Thanks to John A. James (slowtrain@home.com) for the "Sting" references!)
The "Tataglia Family" pays homage to The Godfather (the Tataglia's were characters in the movie). Enzio, Joey and Dino appeared in "Wild Card", an episode with Godfather-esque theme music for the Tataglias. Although, Pop Tataglia (whose eldest son, Ricardo was killed like "The Godfather's" was) muddies the waters some:

Tataglia: In my country we have a saying: 'If you yodel in the forest, the yoo-hoo that you yoo-hoo will be the yoo-hoo that you get back.'"
Brisco: Where were you from again?

Certain portions of the episode (the siege of the jail, specifically, are taken from Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo [1959] and El Dorado [1967] (John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 [1976] is also taken from these movies, btw)
The entire episode Showdown is in large part an homage to "Rio Bravo" (and "El Dorado"), what with the unreliable sherrif, the prisoner in the jail, the wealthy father, et. al. The prisoner exchange is replicated exactly.
(Thanks to John A. James (slowtrain@home.com) for this homage.)
This exchange from the episode Pirates!:

LaCutte: Have at you!
Brisco: Gesuntheit!

... is an homage to a "Firesign Theater" skit, heard (at least) on the album "How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all" ('Nick Danger' skit, between "Nancy" and "Nancy") and also "Wait"Not Insane or Anything You Want To" ("Shakespeare" skit).
This exchange:
Dixie: Brisco, put me down.
Brisco: All right, you look bad in a wig and you were too easy to find.
... may be an homage to Firesign Theater's "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" exchange:
Flotsam: Well, show her up.
Mrs. Moriartio: I'd be glad to. Mr. Stones will see you now, ya cheap whore!
Dr. Quintano, Medicine Woman, from "No Man's Land" is a reference to "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" on CBS TV.
The name "Lord Bowler" might itself be an homage to "Lord Baltimore" (pronounced "Lord Bawltimore"), the tracker who successfully tracked Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the movie of the same name (until they jumped off the high ledge into the river.) You know, the "Who are those guys?" guys. (OK, so maybe I'm reaching here...)
A reference: Poole: Where exactly did she go?
Brisco: Back to the Future.
(from Bye Bly).
"Nowhere, Nevada", the lab where the government studied the Orb, is a clear reference to "Area 51", the most famous secret base there is.
A.K.A. Kansas's:
Brisco: What's up, Doc?
(to Doc McCoy) is an obvious Bugs Bunny reference.
From Steel Horses:
Juno Dawkins: Gentlemen, start your engines
is the famous phrase used to begin the Indianapolis 500.
Doc McCoy in A.K.A. Kansas might be a reference to Sylvester McCoy, who played the 7th Doctor in "Dr. Who". (Thanks to Bruce Hibbard (bhibbard@hibbard.org) for this one, as Bruce says: "This, too, may be reaching, but it would give you a triple homage!".) Chris Hamilton (hamilton@netzone.com) suggests a simpler homage: Dr. Leonard McCoy, from the original Star Trek series. (Thanks to you too, Chris!)
Elvis. Spouting endless lyrics from songs sung by Elvis Aron Presley and consuming mountains of food (though without the deleterious effects such conduct had on the King), "Aaron Viva" (as in "Viva Las Vegas") certainly qualifies as an "Elvis sighting." Viva exhibits some 'Kung Fu fighting' abilities when dealing with "Sonny Red", obviously in homage to Elvis' interest in the art, and the uninspiring, but nonetheless popular song about it.
Professor Wickwire's cough of "Oh-the-Humanity" is an oblique reference to the Hindenberg disaster, in which part of the live radio commentary on the airship's explosion at Lakehurst, NJ included the phrase, "Oh, the humanity!"
All of the bad guys of Blackbeard LaCutte's gang are homages to any number of "Arrrrrr!" movies, like "Blackbeard the Pirate" and "Treasure Island".
This exchange from Senior Spirit:

Brisco: So, Sock, what about the orb?
Socrates: The government denies any knowledge that it even exists.

... is a reference to the opening credits of The X-Files, in which the phrase "Government Denies Knowledge" appears.
Big Smith is kept secured in a cage very like that of Hannibal Lechter's from "Silence of the Lambs". The government's handling of the Orb in this episode is very X-Files-ish, indeed the orb in government hands is kept in a crate marked with an "X" -- using the same font The X-Files uses for its logo.
This exchange between Brisco and Big Smith:
Brisco: I thought you were dead.
Big Smith: No, I was just in Reno.

... is a reference to W.C. Fields' self-professed epitaph for himself, in Vanity Fair (June 1925): "Here lies W. C. Fields. I would rather be living in Philadelphia."
Michael Ianieri (mwi@earthlink.net) suggests that Lord Bowler's interest in wines (Bowler says at one point that he intends to own a winery in the Napa valley) is a play-on-words for "Bolla" wines. (Well, maybe.)
Utah Johnny Montana used be be known as "Utah Johnny Cougar Montana", but he dropped the "Cougar" because it was pretentious. This is a reference to the singer John Mellencamp, who "broke in" using the name "John "Cougar" (which he then changed to "John Cougar Mellencamp"), but then he dropped the "Cougar" because, well, you know...
Duncan (Dunkin) Donuts A young boy offers Bowler a donut, the selection of which is surprisingly modern - including filled donuts. Bowler takes one, and then says, "Thanks for the Donut, Duncan."
Dan McKenney (dsm@iti-oh.com) points out that the interrelationship between Brisco and Bowler is very reminiscent of another black man/white man team-up, the groundbreaking I Spy, which starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. (And had a killer theme tune, by the way.) Myself, I tend to think of them more (as the series progressed) in the Starsky and Hutch mold. But the banter on "I Spy" was definitely a cut above that on "Starsky and Hutch", and Julius Carry and Bruce Campbell were definitely up to the task of delivering that kind of snappy banter well, so I can see his point.
Emma Steed's line "Do me a favor. No talking about roping, riding or branding" is a reference to the lyrics of the song "Rawhide". (From the TV show of the same name.)
The Beatles - Professor Milo's eulogy for the dead trapper (played by co-creator Carlton Cuse) is a random collection of lyrics from various Beatles songs, while a "Let It Be"-like organ swirls in the background.
Pete Hutter's difficulties with boulders, and the fake arrow sticking out of his forehead (a triumph of makeup, actually) are very Wile E. Coyote-esque (something that could be said about many of Pete's predicaments).
The Winchester snap-together sniper's rifle (though in actuality most Winchesters were notoriously inaccurate, except for specially selected "1 in 1000's", and to a certain extent "1 in 100's" - which cost more than the normally available versions) is an homage to those seen in any number of spy and crime movie & TV shows. The spy-exchange at the border (of Emma Steed) is very reminiscent of those actual and in-movie exchanges at "Checkpoint Charlie" during the Cold War.
Bowler's fun-having with Socrates with the snake is reminiscent of the similar scene in "Crocodile Dundee".
Heartbreak Hotel - in addition to appearing in Aaron Viva's town of Hard Rock, the hotel only appears on-screen after Bowler and Lenore decide it would be best if they not stay together.
This exchange, after a brawl in which Brisco accidently slugs the local sheriff:
Bowler:Uh oh. You hit the sheriff.
Brisco:Yeah, but I didn't hit the deputy.
Is an homage to Bob Marley's song I shot the Sheriff.
Thanks to Gabby Ruenes (El-Pollo@tamu.edu) and James Ivers (ivers@mecklermedia.com) for (separately) pointing this out!
The scene near the end of "Mail Order Brides" where the three women were presented awards for intelligence, love, and bravery is in homage to the classic film "The Wizard of Oz," where the wizard presented awards for brains, heart, and courage to the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion, respectively. Thanks to Steve Gainey (sag@wlekn.com) for this one!
The entire episode of " Bounty Hunter's Convention," down to the smallest details, is in homage to "And Then There Were None," by Agatha Christie, although "Bounty Hunter's Convention" followed the plots of the three feature length films (two of which were titled "Ten Little Indians") based on Christie's book. In the book, all ten members of a party confined to an island were found dead after a storm and choppy seas prevented contact for days. The plot of the book was such that authorities could not determine the identity of the last person alive (and thus, the murderer) before taking his/her own life. The epilogue of the book featured the murderer's message in a bottle which washed onto a beach months later and told how the suicide was accomplished to make it appear that the killer was also one of the victims. The film versions (and "Bounty Hunter's Convention") all took the approach that the killer's identity was determined just before the last individuals alive became his victims. The killer in "Bounty Hunter's Convention" and the three film versions of "And Then There Were None" was someone who faked his own murder early and thus diverted suspicion from himself later. Thanks to Steve Gainey (sag@wlekn.com) for this one too!
The shower (rain bath) scene in "Bad Luck Betty" is an obvious homage to the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Thanks to "Richard S. Larson" and James Ivers (ivers@mecklermedia.com) for this one!
The "dueling idiots" :-) sequence, in which Sheriff Aaron Viva and Pete Hutter air-guitar and air-banjo with each other is an homage to the "Dueling Banjos" song from the movie Deliverance (thanks to James Ivers (ivers@mecklermedia.com) for also pointing this one out.)
Brisco tells Annie Cavendish: "Annie, get your gun", an homage to the Broadway play. (Thanks to Keith A. Boas (kboas.frontiernet.net@frontiernet.net) According to Bruce Cambpell, this line was actually an on-set ad-lib.
Terry Bradshaw plays "Colonel March" - who, in conjunction with other footballer players Ken Norton, Jr, Carl Banks, and Jim Harbaugh pursue Brisco and Bowler; at one point they "huddle up" a la a football team to plot strategy; later they run through an obstacle course of wagonwheels patterned after the course of rubber tires that football players run as part of their conditioning. (Thanks to James Ivers (ivers@mecklermedia.com) for pointing part of this out.)
In the same episode, Bradshaw spouts (badly, which is odd, because he actually does pretty well when he's playing it straight in the episode) speeches that are copies of those uttered by George C. Scott in the movie "Patton."
Brisco greets Dixie's sister, Dolly Cousins, with a cheery "Hello, Dolly."
In High Treason (Part Two), as Brisco is leaving the airship, Wickwire says that he may get some investment from a German Countnamed "von Zeppelin":
Wickwire: Only he wants me to name it after him.
.. an homage to the real airships, called "Zeppelins".
Brisco then comments on the idea that the airship might be covered with metal:
Brisco: A lead Zeppelin! Might just be your stairway to heaven!
... a reference to the rock band "Led Zeppelin" (whose name is actually balloon derived: when trying to name the band, someone commented that one suggested name would go over like a "lead balloon". "Lead Balloon" ... "Led Zeppelin"!)
The punfest ends when Wickwire says that selling just one of his airships would make it a "good year". Goodyear Tire and Rubber has for many years been flying airships for publicity purposes.
(See also the corresponding section in the "Coming Things" file.)
(Thanks to Dave McCarty (davemac@csrlink.net) for this triple, and also for the following homage!)
When Pete Hutter is apparently kilt by a "Chinese Death Star" (shirikin - the slang used in the episode is a reference, of course, to 'Star Wars') in Baby Makes Three, Pete makes a surprisingly alive reappearance in High Treason (Part 1). When asked how this apparent miracle (not the first such return-from-the-dead for Pete, starting with his being shot dead (or so it seemed) in the Pilot episode), Pete says "That's the thing about yer Chinese Death Stars - an hour after being killed, you're alive again." This is a wink to the old addage that an hour after you eat at a Chinese restaurant, you're hungry again.
Lenore's cafe in the town of Hard Rock is an homage to the "Hard Rock Cafe" chain of upscale/downculture eateries. The upper balcony sports a buckboard wagon, a reference to the Hard Rocks' use of musical memorabilia to make their interior and exterior decor more interesting.
(Thanks to Jeffrey W. Janner (jwjanner@ix.netcom.com) for this homage!)
The Professor, after nearly running over Brisco with his rocket-propelled railcar in No Man's Land, says "Good thing I wasn't the 3:10 to Yuma!", a reference to the western "3:10 to Yuma".
In "Senior Spirit," Brisco is confronted by the ghost of his father (actually a manifestation of the Orb). No one can see or hear him except for Brisco and animals. Brisco's hand goes right through his father's ghost, causing Brisco to exclaim "Oh, boy!"
This is an homage to "Quantum Leap." The character Al was a holographic image invisible to all except Sam Beckett, animals, and small children. Al was always walking through things, and "Oh, boy" was the expression used by Sam anytime he encountered something he couldn't quite fathom. Thanks to Andy Poe (apoe@euclid.acs.nmu.edu) for this one!
Red Adept (redadept@idworld.net) sends this: in some episode (he can't remember which), Pete Hutter hides in a haystack, and is stabbed (apparently) by a pitchfork. Later, he tells Brisco "Rumours of my death by perforation are highly exaggerated." This is an homage to Mark Twain's response after seeing his obituary, "Rumours of my death are highly exaggerated."
Kathy Ross (kcj621@darientel.net) sends this: in Showdown Brisco gives the 2 guys racing horses through town a field sobriety test (close eyes & touch nose, recite alphabet, walk a straight line, etc.); something that is a cliche in many movies and TV shows, and personal experience for many in the automobile age.
Brisco, when told Dixie is headed to Pasadena, comments that she might be disguised as a "Little Old Lady" from Pasadena, a theme shamelessly stolen 70 years later by Jan and Dean. (thanks to Wiltonax@aol.com for the correction.)