Real-life actor siblings Joyce Van Patten and Dick Van Patten were romantically paired in the script (even though they were unrelated within confines of plot), one of few (if only) times a brother/sister acting duo were ever cast as onscreen paramours. One scene even shows them briefly necking.
The site of Debbie's house was previously part of Dietz Farm in Albuquerque's North Valley. The tall cylindrical portion was a corn silo.
The scene in the bookstore where Phil takes Wilkie to meet girls was filmed on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque.
In a couple of the exterior scenes, a statue of a horse can be seen in the background. It is a mustang, West Mesa High's mascot, and was a gift to the school from the Class of 1972.