Because this movie was a low budget, non-union film, they used at least ten crew members as actors, and many others didn't want their names on the credits. They also hired a lot of local people from Calexico, California to be extras and a few were put in as principals with lines. The art department covered eighty percent of the store fronts on the main boulevard with period looking facades. The crew worked six nights a week for five to six weeks for most of the scenes. The only nights off were Sunday nights, so a lot of the crew would drive into Mexicali, Mexico to go dancing at their version of a "Studio 54" disco. The Model A car, that was owned by the local guys, was actually very troublesome for the duration of the movie. By the end, it was dragging on the ground because the suspension was bad.
Reportedly, Tom Cruise said in an interview with 'Playboy' magazine that he did this movie because of Jackie Earle Haley.
The film was shot partly in Calexico, California, and on one occasion the cast partied at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard. Tom Cruise was dancing with an Asian girl, when her boyfriend noticed and slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. This was noticed by one of the leads, and they hurried Cruise out of the club, jokingly later saying they saved his beautiful molars.
Though the movie was largely set in Tijuana, Mexico, none of the film was actually shot there. Doubling for Tijuana was the town of Calexico, California.
Both Tom Cruise and Shelley Long were on the verge of becoming big stars for different mediums, one on television... Shelley on Cheers... and of course, Tom Cruise in the movies: the next year would give him Risky Business, making him a legit movie star (of course it would be Top Gun that made him a superstar... which featured John Stockwell, but only in the beginning).