So who is Rory Calquhon, and why did Mr. Burns think that the puppy looked like him? 
Mr. Burns thinks the puppy looks like Rory Calhoun because he stands on two legs, the joke being that, in fact, the majority of actors stand on two legs.
The other part of the joke being that Mr. Burns is so incredibly ancient he thinks comparing the dog to Rory Calhoun is a pop culture reference.
Could someone link me to the exact sequence of quotes?
I’m also ancient. I watched Rory Calhoun play “The Texan” sometime in the 1950’s. Probably late '50’s. He was a cowboy who drifted the West, and championed the weak, the oppressed, etc. He stood on his own two feet.
I may be overthinking. But this isn’t the first time that I’ve had a suspicion that the writer watched old movies/tv shows, perhaps in reruns.
The other, other part of the joke being that Mr. Burns said “No, no! The person who’s always standing and walking.” and Smithers knew exactly who he was talking about.
Go here and scroll down near the end.
He died a few years back and I saw his biography in the National Enquirer, so the extent of my knowledge on the topic comes from a combination of The Simpsons and The National Enquirer. All I recall is that he was a movie/TV cowboy from the 1950’s and he is one of a number of older pop culture references that I learned about only because I watch The Simpsons.
Walloon, I assume you’re referring to the “B-Movie Beefcake” section of that site?
So Monty’s actually seen a cinematograph from the 1950’s? He’s hep.
Thanks for the answers, everyone.
Now that that is explained, the 101 Dalmations send up is one of my top 10 episodes.
[nitpick]Dalmatians[/nitpick]