This is the first movie to feature a tracking shot (front seat to back) and a 360-degree pan with dialogue from within a car, made possible by the new Panaflex Camera (1972), which was intended to be first used by Clint Eastwood in his directorial debut, Perversa Paixão (1971), but wasn't ready in time.
One major challenge facing Steven Spielberg was bringing together the acting styles of Goldie Hawn and William Atherton. The stage-trained Atherton got better with each successive take, but Hawn did her best work on the first two. She did, however, get a second wind if the scene went to 12 takes or more. Spielberg found it best to start with her close-ups. Then he would film Atherton's close-ups until Hawn started to rebound, at which point he could get two shots when they were both at their best.
Unable to find a child who looked like he could be the offspring of Goldie Hawn and William Atherton, co-producer Richard D. Zanuck cast his own son, Harrison Zanuck.
Thinking he needed to give Steven Spielberg a chance to get his feet wet on his first feature, Richard D. Zanuck instructed the production manager to start the film with relatively simple shots. He also decided to get to the location late that morning so that Spielberg could establish control of the set. When he arrived, however, he discovered the director had set up one of the film's most complicated shots, which he pulled off just fine.
Universal had originally slated the film for a late-fall-1973 release but decided not to compete with other big films like its own Golpe de Mestre (1973). Instead, Universal pushed the film back to February 1974. It also abandoned plans to platform the film, which meant starting with just a few theaters in key cities and letting the audience build slowly. Not having faith in the picture, however, it switched to a wider opening, a sign at the time that it was just trying to burn the film off quickly. Despite strong reviews, the film fared poorly because it didn't have a chance to build word-of-mouth with more discerning audiences. It turned a small profit, but did not do the kind of business Universal had expected for a film starring a top box-office star like Goldie Hawn.
Steven Spielberg: [music] This film marked the beginning of Spielberg's friendship with John Williams. As of 2021, Williams has scored every Spielberg-directed theatrical film except No Limite da Realidade (1983), A Cor Púrpura (1985), Ponte dos Espiões (2015), Jogador Nº 1 (2018) and Amor, Sublime Amor (2021).