Trivia

Screenwriters Don Petersen and Walter Bernstein started to develop the characters of Hal Raymond and Maria Barone, who were cast with actor Keith Carradine and actress Monica Vitti respectively, after the latter had been cast as the female lead. The screenwriters developed the characters based on the personalities of the two stars.

Michael Ritchie developed the concept for this picture about a young American director coping with the cultural differences he encounters for the first time on the European film festival circuit after his friend and fellow filmmaker George Lucas told him about his experiences of screening his debut theatrical feature film 'THX 1138' (1971) in the Directors' Fortnight strand at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1971.

Actor Keith Carradine agreed to star in the picture without a completed screenplay.

The screen billing for the wardrobe of the movie's lead male actor Keith Carradine, who played Hal Raymond, was: "Mr. Carradine's Wardrobe IS HIS OWN."

Acting debut in an American theatrical feature film of Italian actor Christian de Sica who played Carlo Barone. He is a son of Italian director Vittorio De Sica.

Brooke Shields: Uncredited, the actress as herself.

Farrah Fawcett: Uncredited, the actress as herself.

Roger Ebert: Uncredited, the film critic and television presenter as himself.

Edy Williams: Uncredited, the actress as herself.

Paul Mazursky: Uncredited, the actor and film director as himself.

Michael Ritchie: Uncredited, as a bus passenger.