One of the earliest films to show a product placement for McDonald's fast food chain. This is when Nick Allen (Billy Dee Williams) and Dutch Schiller (Warren J. Kemmerling) are both in the car when the latter, ever in search of the perfect hamburger, says McDonald's "makes a f***ing good hamburger".
Off-camera, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor enjoyed hanging out alongside Pryor's friend Paul Mooney. But Williams was so concerned about his career that he avoided being seen with them in public.
Tina Andrews, in one of her earliest roles, plays Billy Dee Williams' fifteen-year-old daughter who dies from an overdose. She was twenty-two at the time.
The lead part of Nick Allen was originally written with movie star Steve McQueen in mind. The role in the end was cast with actor Billy Dee Williams.
The F/V Victory vessel, the salmon fishing seiner that Mike Willmer (Richard Pryor) is seen running, was originally supposed to be blown up, with money for a replacement being offered to owner Don Gillich. However, he said no as he did not want his family's boat destroyed.