Trivia / The Swimmer

• The Danza: Joan Rivers plays a minor character named Joan.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Burt Lancaster worked out continuously throughout the production of the film to maintain a high level of fitness. Lancaster did numerous push-ups and sit-ups every morning before each shoot to stay lean and solid. He gained twenty pounds of muscle by doing weights, running, karate and aerobics.
• Irony as She Is Cast: Prior to making the film, Burt Lancaster had a fear of swimming and had to take lessons from a UCLA swimming coach, Bob Horn.
• The Other Marty: Barbara Loden's (Shirley Abbott) scene with Burt Lancaster was omitted from the film and was entirely re-shot with Janice Rule playing the part.
• The Shelf of Movie Languishment: The film was completed in the summer of 1966, but not released until 1968.
• Technology Marches On: Finding a date "on a computer" means something much different today than it did in the '60s. The line is now likely to provoke a "Wait, what?" reaction before it's explained.
• What Could Have Been: William Holden was the first choice for the lead role of the swimmer Ned Merrill for both producer Sam Spiegel and director Frank Perry but Holden turned it down, as did Glenn Ford, Paul Newman and George C. Scott.