The lead role played by Jacqueline Bisset had previously been cast with Sally Kellerman. The role played by Gary Lockwood had been previously cast with Alan Alda, who took it in anticipation of a script overhaul, exiting the film when Columbia Pictures nixed any rewrites. Despite disliking the script Bernard Slade had written, Alda would star in the film version of Slade's play: Same Time, Next Year (1978).
Jackie Cooper disliked the film's script and asked in vain for Columbia Pictures to approve its revamping, but felt he couldn't pass up the chance to direct a major motion picture, his previous directing credits being for television programs. This film would remain his sole theatrical directorial credit.