Shot with a five-person non-union crew, at the homes of crewmembers in Anaheim.
Walter Matthau and his newlywed wife, co-star Carol Grace, were so broke by the time this film was made (mainly due to Matthau's gambling debts) that the couple had to pawn most of their wedding gifts just to afford to pay rent. They were so desperate financially that Matthau accepted the role of director and star for only $2,500. He later commented to the effect that it was the worst movie ever made, then adding, "Let me put it this way. It was the worst film I ever made. It was a poor script by a hack writer and a famous cardiovascular surgeon who produced the film with his brother who was a textile manufacturer from Philadelphia." He said the film "premiered at Loew's in Newark, and was so bad it never crossed the Hudson."
When the film's producers asked him to come up with a title, Matthau joked, "Chopped Herring." Regarding the public, the producers said, "You have to let them know there are gangsters in the story." Matthau sarcastically replied, "You mean like 'Gangster Story?' To which they replied, "Great title!"
Carol Grace, the female lead in this film, was Walter Matthau's wife; they had only recently been married when this film was shot (they remained married until his death in 2000). She was the former wife of writer William Saroyan.