Debut as a theatrical movie screenwriter for Paul McCartney. The film realized a long-held ambition of McCartney's to write a screenplay.
To film the part where Paul McCartney dreams himself as a poor man playing guitar on the street for food money, McCartney really did play on the street disguised in filthy clothes--and received real money from passersby.
The plot is slightly based upon the fact that Paul McCartney once lost a recording tape during a traffic jam.
The film featured two former Beatles: Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney; and represents their big-screen reunion, as it was the first time they'd both appeared in a theatrical film since the documentary Let It Be (1970). Also, both of their wives, Barbara Bach and Linda McCartney, appeared in the film.
Ralph Richardson: As Jim, the East End publican who shares his above pub flat with an organ grinder's monkey. It was Richardson's final film.