This was a production of a play broadcast live on NBC from the Bing Theatre on the campus of the University of Southern California. The original Broadway production of "All the Way Home" by Tad Mosel opened at the Belasco Theater in New York on November 30, 1960, ran for 333 performances, was nominated for the 1961 Tony Award (New York City) for the Best Play and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1961.
Corey Feldman auditioned for the role of Rufus Follet and was cast in a small role but was fired after getting into a physical altercation with Jeremy Licht, the actor who played Rufus in the film.