The motion picture was based on the original stage play, A Chorus Line, created and choreographed by Michael Bennett. According to the 15 May 1975 LAT, Bennett came up with the story during the summer of 1974, when he and composer Marvin Hamlisch interviewed a group of chorus dancers about their ambitions and experiences. They intended the production to be “a musical about what the American chorus person is all about.” The stage production won nine Tony Awards in 1976, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Drama the same year. Additionally, the play was awarded a Special Tony Award for becoming the longest running musical on Broadway.
       Six days before A Chorus Line premiered on stage, the same 15 May 1975 LAT article reported that four producers had already offered to purchase the film rights, including Ray Stark, Feuer & Martin, Frank Yablans, and Landers & Roberts. According to the 24 Feb 1976 DV, Universal Pictures, Inc., had acquired the film rights, and hired Bennett to produce and direct the feature film, with Ned Tanen as executive supervisor. Although Tanen refused to reveal the purchase price, as noted in a 24 Feb1976 HR news item, he admitted it was very costly, and that Universal deemed it “the most important acquisition” made by any film company at that time. Production on the film was scheduled to begin after the stage version became less popular, as it was still showing in New York City to standing room only crowds, after opening off-Broadway 21 May 1976, at Newman Theater, and five months later at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. Various contemporary sources revealed that Universal paid $5.5 million for film rights, an unprecedented amount at that time.
       A news item in the 8 Mar 1978 Var announced that Bennett had backed out as producer-director of the picture, and that Mike Nichols was being considered as his replacement. A screenwriter was yet to be named, and a 1980 release was anticipated. In a 28 Mar 1978 HR brief, Ann-Margret was rumored to be replacing Donna McKechnie, who performed a role in the original stage play.
       After an extended delay, Universal Pictures sought to renegotiate royalty terms with the stage producers and shareholders, according to a 26 Jul 1978 article in DV. At the time of purchase, an unusually high twenty percent of proceeds was agreed to be paid to the shareholders, after the film surpassed a $30 million gross. Production costs had already surpassed the $6 to $7 million estimate for the film’s budget, set three years prior, and Universal saw no way to profit under the original terms. Universal proposed delaying its intended release date of 1 Jun 1980 to 1 Jan 1982 if the shareholders agreed to a higher royalty return point of $45 million. DV explained that delaying the film’s release would be highly beneficial to its stage producers and shareholders, as the musical had become a huge Broadway hit and could continue its run indefinitely. However, shareholders were not convinced to renegotiate, as doubts existed as to whether or not Universal would be able to honor their original film premiere date of 1 Jun 1980. Rumors suggested that Mike Nichols would no longer be directing the picture, and a start date for filming was yet to be announced. Another stronghold was the Shubert Organization, owners of the Shubert Theatre, who held exclusive presentation rights to both the stage and film productions, as part of the original exclusivity clause in the purchase agreement.
       According to a 2 Dec 1978 LAT article, Universal president, Ned Tanen, was pursuing Sidney Lumet as a director and named Bo Goldman as the current screenwriter. Tanen anticipated a fall, 1979, start date and a Christmas, 1980, release. An interview with Lumet in the 20 Dec 1978 Var confirmed his interest in directing. However, he predicted conflicts with his choice of using a New York City theater for filming, as it would create problems with theater union jurisdictions and result in considerable expenses. A news item in the 11 Jul 1979 DV reported that Allan Carr was producing, as Tanen had left Universal, and Lumet was no longer the project’s director. Carr reported in the 11 Sep 1979 DV that actor John Travolta was a possible cast member, and that Joel Schumacher would be writing the screenplay. Unknown to Carr, Universal sold the screen rights for A Chorus Line to PolyGram Pictures, which would act as a financier, while Universal maintained the film’s distribution, according to the 24 Apr 1980 HR. The 28 Apr 1980 Evening Outlook stated that the sale was made without Carr’s consent, and he was considering a lawsuit against the studio. However, Universal reportedly concluded the project had become too much of a financial liability. Taking over for Carr, Peter Guber, a fifty-percent owner of PolyGram, planned a Jan 1981 production start date. The 20 Jun 1982 LAT reported the deal cost PolyGram Pictures $7.8 million.
       According to the 5 Jun 1980 LAHExam, John Travolta was reportedly in talks with PolyGram about purchasing the film rights for A Chorus Line for his own production company, and that the script might have to be rewritten for him. However, PolyGram was also hoping to add Mikhail Baryshnikov to the cast as the Chorus Line director, “Zach.” The 25 Aug 1980 LAHExam, added that Travolta wanted to revise his role of dancer “Tony Manero” in Saturday Night Fever (1977, see entry) as a Broadway hopeful. At the time, it was rumored that Travolta’s Urban Cowboy (1980, see entry) director, James Bridges, would handle the script re-write and direct the revised version of A Chorus Line. According to the 5 Sep 1980 HR, Travolta was negotiating a $4 million salary, and the Jul 1981 New West confirmed that producer Peter Guber had approached Bridges to write and direct the picture. PolyGram reportedly offered Travolta $4.5 million but he refused to approve the script.
       A 20 Jun 1982 LAT, article reported that Joel Schumaker’s script proposed to segue from the theatre stage and explore the personal lives of the dancers, at their homes, incorporating “surreal re-enactments” of the moments when they found their love of dance. However, the producers deemed this approach too sentimental, and convoluted. James Bridges’ script was rumored to cast Travolta in the role of Cassie, changing the gender, and turning the romance between dancer and director into a homosexual relationship between the characters of Travolta and Baryshnikov.
       In a 2 Dec 1981 Var news item, Peter Guber announced that filming would begin Mar 1982, although the film was still without a director.
       According to the 20 Jun 1982 LAT, Guber confirmed that John Travolta and Mikhail Baryshnikov were expected to take on the roles of the aspiring dancer and the play’s director. In addition, Guber planned to enlist Herman Krawitz, then president of New York’s American Ballet Theatre, as executive producer. With production costs approaching $20 million during the summer of 1980, Guber, petitioned his PolyGram partners in Hamburg, Germany, for financial backing, but after lengthy talks, his request was denied. Guber reportedly ended his relationship with PolyGram Pictures in early 1982, and Gordon Stulberg took over as studio head.
       LAT reported the original theater producer and shareholder, Joseph Papp, reached out to Stulberg and expressed interest in producing the motion picture, fearing the integrity of the show would be compromised. Papp planned to limit production costs by giving up part of his profit share, and by hiring unknown filmmakers to direct and star in the film. Stulberg estimated that this would cut Guber’s $20 million budget in half, and he approached Universal for funding yet again. However, the two parties could not agree to terms about splitting the film’s profits, and negotiations fell through. Stulberg sought other investors, including partners Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, and predicted a Jan 1983 start date, with a Christmas 1983 release. The 7 Jul 1982 DV announced that Broadway veterans Feuer and Martin agreed to co-produce the film. Two weeks later, the 23 Jul 1982 HR added that Arnold Schulman had been hired as the new screenwriter. Schulman had previously received Academy Award nominations for his screenplays for Love With the Proper Stranger (1963, see entry), and Goodbye, Columbus (1969, see entry).
       According to a later article in the 8 Feb 1985 DV, Feuer and Martin contributed $100,000 of their personal finances to pay for Schulman’s first draft, as an act of good faith to PolyGram.
       The project remained in limbo over the next six months, until PolyGram reportedly tried to sell film rights to another studio, as noted in the 22 Feb 1983 NYDN. The 21 Apr 1983 DV announced that Embassy Films Associates would join PolyGram in co-producing the picture. Although Schulman’s script was approved, the film was still without a director or cast. Nonetheless, a production start date was announced for the fall of 1983, with an expected release in summer, 1984.
       As stated in a 12 Oct 1983 DV news item, director Richard Attenborough was negotiating talks with PolyGram, while Jay Presson Allen was reportedly polishing Shulman’s script. However, he is not credited onscreen. The 18 Feb 1984 Screen International confirmed that Attenborough would direct and co-produce A Chorus Line, with principal photography set to begin 17 Sep 1984, and a predicted release date of May or Jun 1985.
       An advertisement in the 22 Feb 1984 Var announced an “open casting call for principal dancers,” to be held in New York City on 24 Feb 1984, and a NYT article on 25 Feb 1984 reported that over 2,000 dancers lined up at the Royale Theater. In the end, 300 dancers were selected for callbacks to be held the following month. Auditions for dancers in Los Angeles, CA, were announced in the 2 Mar 1984 HR and scheduled for 4 Mar 1984.
       A 26 May 1984 news item in Screen International announced that rehearsals for the $20 million production would begin 23 Jul 1984 and last for eight weeks, before shooting began 17 Sep 1984 for another twelve weeks. However, the 20 Jul 1984 DV noted rehearsals would begin 6 Aug 1984, and the 17 Aug 1984 DV reported that shooting would last for fourteen weeks, beginning 1 Oct 1984.
       Filming was scheduled to take place at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, but, according to the 18 Jul 1984 DV, production nearly relocated from New York City due to a dispute between producers and local stagehands. The two parties contested the number of crewmembers they were compelled to hire, based on union requirements. Producers reportedly needed only five stagehands, but the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 1 demanded the employment of twelve people. The producers claimed the cost would add $350,000 to $400,000 to their budget and threatened to move the production to Chicago, IL, or Toronto, CA. Terms were agreed upon the following month, as reported in the 17 Aug 1984 DV, and filming continued, as planned, at the Hellinger Theatre.
       The 13 Aug 1984 People magazine named newcomer Alyson Reed in the role of “Cassie,” but noted that Lesley Ann Warren, and Ann Reinking were also considered for the part. The 15 Aug 1984 HR stated that Attenborough was hoping to cast Mandy Patinkin in the role of Zach, but the actor had other obligations. On 30 Aug 1984, DV announced that Michael Douglas was hired for the role and, according to a 13 Sep 1984 DV news item, Douglas declined top billing, preferring to be listed alphabetically with the seventeen other unknown cast members, since he believed in “the film’s ensemble spirit.”
       According to the 19 Nov 1984 DV, filming was underway on the now $24 million project, with an anticipated sixteen-week shoot, set to end mid-Jan 1985. However, the 13 Jan 1985 LAT reported that the budget was $16 million, and that filming was behind schedule due to “sporadic outbreaks of the flu in the cast.” Production would continue until the beginning of Mar 1985. Various contemporary sources noted the picture, shot in 70mm, inspired several celebrity visitors to the set, including Al Pacino, Michael Jackson, and Bob Fosse, whose daughter, Nicole Fosse, was a cast member.
       The 28 Aug 1985 HR reported the film would open in 500 theatres Jan 1986, following a mid-Dec 1985 test run in selected cities, and several benefit premieres. When Embassy Film Associates was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company during the film’s production, distribution of A Chorus Line was transferred to Columbia Pictures. A news item in the 25 Nov 1985 HR stated that Columbia moved the release to 20 Dec 1985, and increased the screens to between 750 and 850, following positive reception at previews. However, the 20 Dec 1985 HR reported the number of screens as approximately 650.
       Critical reception was mixed, according to the 21 Dec 1985 Screen International, with some deeming it “less a movie than an expensive souvenir programme,” and others claiming it was “the best dance film” in years. Attenborough was reportedly surprised at the “viciousness of the reviews,” but the 11 Jan 1986 LAHExam stated that the British director received a lengthy standing ovation when the film premiered in London, England, in Jan 1986.
       Screen International reported earnings of $306,509 in the first six days of release.
       The film was nominated for three Academy Awards in the following categories: Film Editing, Music (Original Song), and Sound.
       End credits include the following acknowledgements: “Special thanks to The New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. Filmed on location at The Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York, NY.”