 It was featured in an April 13, 1980 New York Times article spotlighting films being shot on-location in New York City; the article mistakenly identified Rikke Borge as Dern's love interest.The tattoo designs seen in the film are credited to Isadore Selzter, a prolific illustrator and graphic designer known for drawing many "Sesame Street Magazine" covers.The film had a contentious post-production and pre-release phase.