The pivotal Steadicam sequence that first captivated industry insiders involved David Carradine's amble through a migrant camp. The Steadicam operator, Garrett Brown, descends into the scene on a Chapman crane and follows Woody Guthrie (Carradine) as he gets off a pickup truck and walks past some 900 extras. The sequence, which looks quite simple on film, posed a challenge to operator and crew in that, just as Brown stepped off the crane platform laden with his weighty armature, grips had to simultaneously counterbalance the crane arm to prevent it from becoming a human catapult.
The first film to use a long Steadicam tracking shot as operated by its inventor Garrett Brown under DP Haskell Wexler's supervision.
Hal Ashby offered Jack Nicholson the lead role, but he turned it down, saying that he didn't see himself as Woody Guthrie. He suggested Bob Dylan for the part.
Dustin Hoffman was offered the role of Woody Guthrie. He was interested, but he wanted three months to rest and three months to learn to play the guitar. The producers were unwilling to comply.