Alan J. Pakula recalled that Liza Minnelli became very attached to him as a father-figure on the set, always asking Pakula to tell her the story's plot in child-like terms before a big scene was to be shot. He also said that Liza carried around the book by John Nichols "like a Bible" until she knew the character of Pookie Adams inside and out.
Takes place in Upstate New York over the course of an entire school year, yet the location is never snowy, even in December, when all the deciduous trees still have their leaves.