Hilly Blue's mansion was really the Seattle Art Museum (now the Seattle Asian Art Museum) in Seattle's Volunteer Park.
In filming the fight scene in Wanda's Cafe, Kris Kristofferson hit Keith Carradine for real, and Kristofferson cut his hand. Production on the film was shut down for ten days, while Kristofferson was in the hospital having the cut treated for any possible infection.
Glenn Milstead's (better known as Divine) first of only two films not in female drag. The other is À Queima Roupa (1988).
Divine suggested to Alan Rudolph that Hilly Blue should wear a tuxedo, who was patterned after Sydney Greenstreet.
Wanda's Cafe was created for the film in an empty location at 113 Blanchard Street in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. It was so realistic that people sometimes walked in off the street, thinking it was a real cafe. Since the film came out, it has been the location of several real-life restaurants.