Just before the cameras rolled on each of her Rose Shelton scenes, Lily Tomlin would spin around in a circle several times until she got dizzy, in order to exhibit the air-headed qualities of her character.

The structure of the film was based loosely on "The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare.

The stereophonic sound on the film does not kick in until the end of the prologue ready for the transition to modern day. The sound, until that point, is mono.

This movie was originally written for Barbra Streisand (Bette Midler's role) and Goldie Hawn (Lily Tomlin's role).

The production company couldn't get the rights to film at the actual Plaza Hotel in New York, so it had it recreated on sound stages. To recoup construction costs, Disney built a sitcom around it, The Nutt House (1989). It was an expensive flop.