Whose Life Is It Anyway?

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• The original Broadway production of "Whose Life is It Anyway?" by Brian Clark opened at the Trafalgar Theater in New York on April 17, 1979, ran for 223 performances and was nominated for the 1979 Tony Award for the Best Play.
• Janet Eilber, who plays Richard Dreyfuss' girlfriend in the film, is a real life dancer for Martha Graham. She has since taken over for troupe since her passing.
• At Richard Dreyfuss' suggestion, John Badham directed Dreyfus in the stage version of this film as a way for both of them to get familiar with the material. The production was produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 1980, and co-starred Blythe Danner in the role ultimately played by Christine Lahti.
• The film was originally intended to be shot completely in black and white. The only scene to be left in this state was the flashback sequence where Richard Dreyfuss' character is sculpting his girlfriend Pat, played by real life dancer Janet Eilber. The sequence would continue in a sort of ballet where she's ultimately seen completely nude. This was a compromise between John Badham and 'David Bagelman', the head of MGM since the film was being released in color after the test screenings proved to be in Bagelman's favor.