Came out a month after Jaws (1975), yet still managed to garner enough box-office success to take its filmmakers completely by surprise.
Edwin Edwards, Louisiana's then-Governor, was cast as a gambler, and several scenes were filmed but excised before release. Upon advice from his public relations staff, Edwards decided that the potential damage to his public image would be too great when the film's salacious content was revealed.
Richard Fleischer repeatedly turned down Dino De Laurentiis' overtures to direct the film. He ultimately relented when he realized that the best way to make the film was to shoot it straight and tell the story as truthfully as he could.