- Life Imitates Art: Mass murderer Arville Douglas Garland shot his daughter, boyfriend and two others in Detroit shortly before the movie's release (but after it went into production). The prosecuting judge screened jury members to be sure they hadn't seen the movie, to avoid undue sympathy with Garland. Convicted on multiple counts of murder (plus at least one count of manslaughter), he served a total of 10 years.
- Sleeper Hit: Made for only $109,000. Grossed over $19.3 million.
- Star-Making Role: For Peter Boyle and Susan Sarandon.
- Stillborn Franchise: The Cannon Group spent the early '80s planning a sequel entitled Citizen Joe, which followed Joe after his release from prison and readjustment to modern life. Though Peter Boyle expressed interest and the studio even took out newspaper ads promoting the film, it never materialized.
- What Could Have Been: Originally the movie was intended to focus almost exclusively on Bill and Melissa (hence the Working Title), with Joe as a minor character who pushed Bill to violence but otherwise played little role in the story. Apparently, John G. Avildsen and screenwriter Norman Wexler were so impressed by Peter Boyle's performance that they gradually expanded his role over the course of filming.
- Working Title: The Gap.
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