The film was identified by its working title, Daddy’s Home, in a 29 Jun 1988 HR item and 4 Oct 1988 HR production chart.
       A 26 Oct 1989 LAT article stated that writer-director Amy Heckerling was inspired to write Look Who’s Talking shortly after the birth of her daughter, Mollie Israel, on 3 Sep 1985. Heckerling brought the idea to Tri-Star Pictures, as stated in a 25 Oct 1989 HR “Hollywood Report” column, and collaborated with the studio on ten drafts of the script. Although the project was initially budgeted at $13 million, Tri-Star wanted to produce it for less. With Kirstie Alley interested in the role of “Mollie,” Tri-Star approached John Travolta for the role of “James.” Jonathan D. Krane, Travolta’s manager and founder of Management Company Entertainment Group, Inc. (M.C.E.G.), also represented Heckerling’s husband, Neal Israel, and had previously declared the screenplay “the funniest comedy script” he had ever read, according to an 18 Oct 1989 HR “Hollywood Report” column. Krane informed Tri-Star of Travolta’s interest, but the actor’s fee was deemed too high. Krane then offered to produce the film for just over $8 million by substituting Vancouver, British Columbia, for New York City, so that Travolta’s fee could be accommodated. An 18 Oct 1989 LAHExam article noted that the lead actors’ salaries, along with Heckerling’s, cost nearly half the film’s budget. Bruce Willis, who provided the voice of “Mikey,” received a percentage of the film’s gross in addition to his salary, according to a 23 Jul 1990 People item, which estimated Willis’s potential earnings at over $10 million.
       Principal photography began 25 May 1988, as stated in the 4 Oct 1988 HR production chart. According to production notes in AMPAS library files, filming took place entirely in Vancouver. There, Stanley Park stood in for Central Park, and Lions Gate Hospital served as the location for the birth scenes. Mikey was portrayed by four different babies, and a life-sized doll nicknamed “Corky” was used as the baby’s stand-in. Scenes depicting the inside of Mollie’s womb were shot in six-foot-long vertical tanks, with seven puppets representing the fetus in different stages of development. An 8 Sep 1988 DV item announced that filming had been completed.
       According to a 17 Oct 1989 LAHExam news brief, comedienne Joan Rivers was rumored to have written some of Mikey’s “best lines” in the film. Rivers appeared in an uncredited role as the voice of baby “Julie.”
       The 26 Oct 1989 LAT noted that a rough cut of the film was finished in Feb 1989. A Mar 1989 release was initially slated, and test screenings garnered positive feedback from “an unusually high 95% of theater audiences.” However, due to heavy competition from bigger films, the release was delayed until Oct 1989. A sneak preview was held 7-8 Oct 1989 on 434 screens, one week before the 13 Oct 1989 release on approximately 1,200 screens. Again, audience reception at the sneak previews was very positive, with ninety-two% of viewers rating the film “either excellent or very good,” as noted in an 11 Oct 1989 HR “Hollywood Report” column. The Los Angeles, CA, premiere took place 12 Oct 1989 at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater, according to a 6 Oct 1989 HR brief. The premiere benefited the environmental group Earth Communications Office.
       Critical reception was mixed. In a negative review predicting the film’s “short life in theaters,” the 9 Oct 1989 DV cited “Cleo the Bassett Hound” from the television sitcom People’s Choice (NBC, 6 Oct 1955--25 Sep 1958) as the obvious inspiration for Mikey.
       Despite DV’s prediction, Look Who’s Talking was an overwhelming box-office success, taking in $12.1 million in box-office receipts its first three days, according to the 18 Oct 1989 LAHExam. the film went on to become Columbia’s second-highest grossing film internationally after 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer (see entry), earning $55 million overseas as of 6 Aug 1990, according to a DV brief of the same date. The 16 May 1990 issue of Var reported the domestic box-office gross as $137,888,381, and noted that the film was still drawing business at theaters despite its availability on home video.
       After twenty-five days of release, a 9 Nov 1989 HR news item announced that Tri-Star was in talks with Heckerling, Travolta, and Willis to make a sequel. Look Who’s Talking Too (see entry) was released in 1990, with the lead actors, including Kirstie Alley, reprising their roles alongside several supporting actors from the original cast, and Heckerling returning to direct and co-write with husband Neal Israel. A third installment, Look Who’s Talking Now (1993, see entry), again featured Travolta and Alley in leading roles, as well as Olympia Dukakis and George Segal from the original cast, with Tom Ropelewski directing.
       A 27 Jan 1990 Screen International item reported that producers Rita Stern and Jeanne Meyers filed a lawsuit against Tri-Star, Heckerling, and Heckerling’s associate, actress Twink Caplan, for breach of contract, unfair competition, and copyright infringement. Stern and Meyers claimed that, in 1986, they submitted Special Delivery, a short film produced for AFI, to Heckerling with hopes of developing the idea into a feature film. The producers claimed their project also featured “a pregnant Jewish-American woman whose unborn child addresses the audience through a comedic voiceover.” Items in the 14 Jun 1991 NYT and 17 Jun 1991 LAT announced that a settlement had been reached, but the terms remained confidential.

      End credits include the following statements: “Sincere appreciation to: Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians, I.A.T.S.E. Local 891, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; the cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver; North and West Vancouver Hospital Society; Lions Gate Hospital, Dr. Ted Wilford, M.D., Theresa Brady, R.N. – Head Nurse, Lynette Best, V.P. Nursing, Erika Zimprich, R.N., B.S.N.; Baby Guess”; “Peanuts characters © 1958, 1965 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.”; “Filmed on location in British Columbia, Canada.”