This was the second consecutive movie that actress Julie Andrews provoked controversy in relation to sexuality. In S.O.B. (1981), Andrews had controversially appeared topless thereby smashing her nice Mary Poppins (1964) image. Andrews then in this movie appeared as a woman in drag, pretending to be a man, pretending to be woman.
The film had been planned as early as 1978 with Julie Andrews to star alongside Peter Sellers, but Sellers died in 1980 while Andrews and Blake Edwards were filming S.O.B. (1981). Robert Preston was cast in the role of Toddy originally envisaged for Sellers.
In both scenes of "Shady Lady from Seville", first with Victoria, the second with Toddy, the stars in the window behind the fountain keep changing positions. During close-ups, the arrangement of the lights (stars) differ from distant shots. Only once did the camera position change while following Victoria, where otherwise it stayed in one position, and should not have effected the position of the stars.
The reaction shots of Andre and Toddy watching Victoria during her first "Shady Dame of Seville" number have them wearing the same boutonnières they wore during her very first show, but when Toddy and Victoria arrive back at the hotel Toddy has a different colored one.