A number of writers worked on the script, which was constantly being rewritten during the making of the film. When the TV presenter Robert Robinson agreed to play himself in a brief cameo, he told Ken Russell he would have to write his own lines as he wasn't an actor. Russell agreed and added that he could also rewrite everyone else's lines if he felt like it.
Ken Russell had a miserable time making the film, later saying that the title was "just about the dirtiest word in the business" and fully expecting that he would never be asked to direct for the cinema again. He admitted that it wasn't very funny, but said that it did have a quality of poetic melancholy which he was quite pleased with.
On 22nd August 2008 after completion of the film 45 years ago, Ken Russell returned to Herne Bay to introduce a special one night outdoor screening of French Dressing in the Memorial Park as part of the Herne Bay Festival 2008.
The producer Kenneth Harper had felt disappointed throughout the production and Elstree all but wanted the film to disappear following completion. Even the studio projectionists were overheard by Ken Russell to criticize the film with only a positive affection for the music. With the sudden popularity of James Booth following the release of Zulu, Elstree agreed to put the film out on a small circuit in 1964. Ken Russell attended the premiere in London with pride but quickly discovered that the audience were not pleased with the film. He sat through the after party isolated and left to spend the night drinking between the local bars before passing out and being moved on from the steps of Lloyds Bank by a policeman. He later announced that he never wanted to do a feature film again and returned to working with the BBC.
The producer Kenneth Harper screened the completed film for his close friend Jacques Tati, who is said to have loved the first 5 minutes and hated the rest. Director Ken Russell had originally envisaged the film to combine the style of Tati with the new wave of Brigitte Bardot, but all set within a British seaside resort.