Actors who appeared in the film's television version who didn't appear in the cinema movie included Rossano Brazzi, Joanna Pettet, Paul Shenar, James Olson, and William Prince. Warren Miller reprised his role as "The Sniper" and Charlton Heston shot three short new scenes for the television version. Heston's hair is of a noticeably different color in these new scenes.
The movie was deemed too violent to show intact on broadcast television, so they re-wrote the story and added a heist element. The re-written material minimized both the main storyline and the subplots.
Susan Backlinie appears as a loyal Los Angeles fan who flashes her shirt at the cameras (seen briefly on a television monitor). A two-page article in "Saga" magazine from July 1976 reveals a deleted scene in which she flashes her breasts at the crowd. According to this article, her character was a call girl named "Miss Pear Tits".
There was a later version released (to NBC television) that had footage not shown in theaters. In the original theatrical version, the sniper's motives were not known. In the later television version, it was revealed that the attack was done to cover an art robbery next door.
The production team actually contacted the National Football League about using the NFL and its teams and uniforms as part of the film. NFL executives asked "What's the film about?" After being given a brief synopsis, they said that they would not bother reading the script because there was zero chance of the league ever lending any support to such a movie. Interestingly, a few years later the NFL did not object to the movie Black Sunday (1977) using real teams and game footage as part of its terrorism/bloodshed-set story.
Merv Griffin: The talk-show host as himself singing the American National Anthem at the football match.