Robbie Robertson, who plays Patch, worked summer jobs in the traveling carny circuit when he was fourteen and fifteen. Besides providing inspiration for this film, Robertson's experiences working in the carny circuit as a teenager also inspired the song "Life is a Carnival" by The Band.
This production was ''a long-cherished project of writer/director Kaylor [Robert Kaylor]'' according to a review published in 'Time Out'.
Director Robert Kaylor originally wanted to make a smaller film starring Harvey Keitel and Robert Mitchum.
Canadian musician Robbie Robertson was attached as being a co-music composer to co-score the film's music score with composer Alex North according to an article published in the 28th November 1979 issue of show-business trade-paper 'Variety'. In the end, Robertson was billed for ''music by (midway)''.