George Segal originally was cast in the lead role but walked off the set shortly after filming began. Rumor had it that this was because Dame Julie Andrews' role had been built up. Allegedly, after the movie had been released, Segal was asked if he had seen it, and he replied by giving "the finger". This marks the first time that George was replaced by Dudley Moore. This happened again for the title role of Arthur (1981). Conversely, in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Moore was replaced by Segal.
Bo Derek's cornrow hairstyle took two women ten hours to braid, and required the use of Elmer's glue to stay in place during filming.
Because of this movie, Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" remains one of the most expensive songs to use for movies and television. The rights cost more than $25,000. According to SACEM, the French equivalent of ASCAP, Ravel's estate earns more royalties than any other French composer.
Dudley Moore's character is a composer. Moore also was a composer and pianist and actually played the piano in this movie. On movie sets, Moore often would entertain the crew by playing the piano during breaks in filming.
This was one of the first major Hollywood productions to film alternate versions of scenes in order to accommodate eventual network television screenings.
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