When Piper Laurie's character comes outside to read whilst Tim is working in the yard, the book she is reading is "The Thorn Birds", written by Colleen McCullough, the same author as "Tim". When Tim joins her for tea he asks if the book is any good, and she responds that it is very interesting. Several years later, Piper Laurie had a role in the TV miniseries that was made out of The Thorn Birds.
In her 2011 autobiography, Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir, Piper Laurie revealed that she and Mel Gibson had a one-night stand while on the set, despite their almost-25-year age difference and the fact that she was married at the time.
The director got word of Mel Gibson's performance in Mad Max (1979) and cast him in this film. This film was shot whilst Mad Max was still in post production.
Veteran actor Ray Barrett can be seen as an extra walking towards camera as Tim's sister's family exit a taxi when meeting her fiancé's parents.
Writer/director Michael Pate was so impressed with Piper Laurie's performance as the title character in Ruby (1977) that he sought her out to star as Mary Horton in this film.