Director Sam Peckinpah allowed actor and long-time associate James Coburn to work on the movie as a second-unit director to get his DGA card. Rumor has it that Coburn also directed some scenes when Peckinpah was "unwell."
The film was a hit in the Soviet Union, showing a working-class rebellion against a corrupt government.
Whilst the film was a hit, Sam Peckinpah's behavior onset made him uninsurable. It would be five years before he directed another film.
Although the movie was inspired by the 1976 song of the same name, the song didn't have much of a plot. After the screenplay was written, Bill Fries (aka CW McCall) recorded a new version, with lyrics that incorporated the characters and events of the film. That version plays during the final credits.
The duck on the hood of Rubber Duck's Mack truck was later used in Boulevard de la mort (2007), as the hood ornament on Stuntman Mike's hotrod. It was created by John Billings, who received a thanks credit from Quentin Tarantino.