The original Broadway production of "Play It Again, Sam" opened at the Broadhurst Theater on February 12, 1969 and ran for 453 performances until March 14, 1970. Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts and Jerry Lacy reprised their roles in the movie.
In an interview with 'Cinema' magazine in March 1972, Woody Allen said: "I would never want to direct a play into a movie. I would only be interested in working on original projects for the screen. I was already at work on 'Tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sur le sexe sans jamais oser le demander (1972)', and I didn't want to spend a year doing a project that I had done on Broadway". Woody Allen hoped that the film, directed by Herbert Ross, would garner "a nice, solid, funny commercial picture, and hopefully entice a broader audience for me than I get with my own films".
The set dressing and direction of a movie buff's apartment required locating many rare film posters and movie memorabilia. The value of the items ranged from as little as ten dollars to as expensive as $500. Some of the rarer pieces could only be rented by the production.
A rare instance of an America-set movie starring Woody Allen which was neither set nor shot in New York. It was shot and set in San Francisco.
Originally to be shot in Manhattan and Long Island but moved to San Francisco when New York film workers went on strike in the summer of 1971.