The director and producers had a difficult time casting the role of Paul Harrison. It was only two days before filming that they locked down Ivan Vance for the part. The reason few people called for an audition was because Ivan had taken down the posting and kept it so he could circle the spelling mistakes.
Writer Adam Piercy conceived the idea for the script when a relative of a co-worker at an old job said that every morning he himself looked in the obituaries hoping to not find his name. If he does one day he claims that he'll go back to bed.
The set for Paul's house was found two days before shooting. The director and location manager knocked on doors until they found the right door belonging to a nice couple. The house was the home as well to a collection of antique knick knacks which served as the perfect backdrop for Paul Harrison.