Anna Magnani's final screen appearance.
First feature film appearance of Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She and a friend were living in Rome when they ran into someone they met in Las Vegas the year before when they were working as showgirls. He was working as a student director for Ferderico Fellini and introduced them to him. He invited them to appear in the film. They played several small uncredited parts throughout with no speaking lines. Peterson said in an interview years later that her total screen time was less than 30 seconds. But she said she enjoyed it and that Fellini was "a great guy."
Halfway through the film, in the outdoor scene where the older man is complaining about the degradation of Roman culture, you can see Fellini playing himself, surrounded by Italian college students and film crew members.
A bastardized version of Ravel's "Bolero" (apparently arranged by Nino Rota) is played by the pit orchestra during the Vaudeville-esque variety show.
Cassandra Peterson's debut.