Trivia

While Buster Keaton often used a stunt double due to his illness, he improvised running into a tree branch and falling backwards onto the ground, much to the horror of director Richard Lester and crew.

This was Buster Keaton's final movie before his death on February 1, 1966 at the age of seventy.

The line "Was 1 a good year?" was originally intended for the stage play, but was omitted because it was thought too leading. Somehow, though, it found its way into this movie.

It was always considered essential to this movie that Zero Mostel should repeat his Broadway success in the leading role, but the actor demanded director approval before he would agree to take part. He submitted a shortlist of five names, any of whom he would accept as director; Orson Welles, Charles Chaplin, Jean Renoir, Richard Lester, and Seth Holt. Richard Lester got the job.

Actual fruits and vegetables were used during shooting, and were often left to rot in the sun at the end of the shooting day; as a result there were flies present all through shooting. The closing titles features flies as a tribute to the fly-ridden production.