The original Broadway production of "I'm Not Rappaport" opened on Novemeber 19, 1985 at the Boothe Theater and ran for 891 performances. Herb Gardner wrote both the stage play and the screen play for the movie version and won the 1986 Tony award for Best Play. Judd Hirsch won the 1986 Tony Award for best Actor for his role as Nat Moyer, that was played in the movie by Walter Matthau.
Salem Ludwig, who appears in the film as The Waiter in a scene written specifically for the film, had understudied the role of Nat in the play's original off- and later on-Broadway run between 1985 and 1988.