Gene Kelly said of working on this film: "I couldn't see myself declining the opportunity to work with Liv Ullmann, an enchanting actress. I wanted to work in a film with that wonderful actress and that was enough". About playing a smaller supporting role rather than a leading part, Kelly said: "That's not the point. It's good material and it's time we in Hollywood got away from this pretentious business of labeling the appearance of a star in a small part as a cameo, as if excusing it".
In the billiards scene, all of the action around the pool table was shot in either close-up or medium-shot to emphasize the fact that Deborah Raffin was making her own shots without the assistance of a double. In a bravura technical display, Raffin actually calls each shot before pocketing it, clearing the table without co-star Edward Albert ever getting a chance to shoot.
The picture was a critical failure and commercial flop at the international box-office.
Veteran actress Binnie Barnes - who co-stars as Maud Ericson - reportedly was asked by producer M.J. Frankovich - her husband since 1940 - to read the as-yet uncast character's lines at rehearsals, Barnes' line-readings causing screenwriter Leonard Gershe and director Milton Katselas to - with eventual success - press Barnes to actually assume the role, which would afford Barnes her final screen appearance.