Trivia / The Fortune

• Creator Killer: After the box office failure of The Day of the Dolphin and this film, Mike Nichols didn't direct another film until 1983 with Silkwood.^note He did direct Gilda Live, a filmed version of Gilda Radner's one-woman show, released in 1980.
  • Carole Eastman didn't have another credited screenplay until 1992's Man Trouble, which also starred Nicholson.
• Hostility on the Set: Mike Nichols and screenwriter Carole Eastman did not get along during filming - Nichols disliked the fact Eastman hadn't come up with an ending, while Eastman disliked the changes Nichols was making to her film.
• What Could Have Been: Bette Midler was the original choice for Freddie, but apparently, she asked Nichols at their first meeting, "What other movies have you done?". Cher also auditioned for the role, but Nichols turned her down.