James Cagney had been advised by his doctors and caregivers that making a film at this point in his life was very important for his health. The actor never flew, so he and his wife took an ocean liner to London, where his scenes were filmed. Despite his numerous infirmities, he stayed on-set during his fellow actors' closeups to give them line readings.
Because of the presence of the ailing James Cagney, in what became his final big screen appearance, the movie was officially exempted from the long-running actors' strike of the early 1980s. It was the only production to receive that honor.
Jack Nicholson had to drop out of the film less than a month before filming began, leaving the producers without a name star. Director Milos Forman recruited James Cagney, whom he had met the year before at a private dinner in Connecticut. He offered Cagney any part he wanted, including (facetiously) Evelyn Nesbit.
This film reunited James Cagney, coming out of a 20-year retirement, with Pat O'Brien, his frequent co-star from the 1930s and 1940s. It was the last theatrical film for both of them.