Upon the movie's release in 1979, Stanley Kubrick reportedly believed this to be the "best movie I think I've ever seen."
Richard Dreyfuss was originally cast in the role of Joe Gideon but departed from the production during the rehearsal stage, citing a lack of confidence in the production. He later admitted that he made a mistake in passing up the chance to work with Bob Fosse.
Angelique was based largely on Bob Fosse's late wife Joan McCracken, who passed away on November 1, 1961 and greatly influenced him in his early career.
Ann Reinking, who played a role based on herself, had to audition several times before she was cast.
Bob Fosse's 16-year-old daughter, Nicole Fosse, appears briefly as a dancer, doing stretches in front of a vending machine, who is asked, "Would you mind doing that somewhere else?" while Joe Gideon is introducing his new idea for the Air-otica number.