The film opens with voice-over narration by actor Mark Linn-Baker’s character, “Benjy Stone,” and concludes with a voice-over epilogue, explaining that he accompanied “Alan Swann” to Connecticut to reunite with his daughter.
       End credits indicate that film segments from Peter O’Toole’s 1965 picture, Lord Jim (see entry), were provided “courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.” Film segments from Catherine the Great (1934, see entry), named onscreen as The Great Catherine, were provided “courtesy of Keep Films, Ltd.”
       According to a 25 Oct 1981 LAT article, Mel Brooks conceived the story idea based on his experiences working as a young writer on Your Show of Shows (NBC, 1950—1954), but by the time screenwriter Norman Steinberg completed four drafts of the screenplay, “all the characters and events had been fictionalized.” However, an 8 Oct 1982 NYT article stated that Benjy Stone was modeled after Brooks, while Adolph Green’s “Leo Silver” was based on Your Show of Shows producer Max Liebman and “Stan ‘King’ Keiser” depicted the series’ star, Sid Caesar. Brooks’ production company, Brooksfilms Limited, is credited onscreen, but Brooks himself reportedly served as an advisor throughout all stages of production, from reviewing the script to assisting with editing after screening a rough cut. The 16 Jul 1982 Var listed him as the film’s executive producer, but he is not credited in that role onscreen.
       A 15 Oct 1980 DV item reported that Brooks, Steinberg, and actor-turned-debut director Richard Benjamin were negotiating with Albert Finney for the role of Alan Swann for a spring 1981 production start date, and the 7 Apr 1981 Evening Outlook claimed that through Jan 1981, Benjamin considered delaying production until Finney concluded work on Annie (1982, see entry) at the end of the year. However, Peter O’Toole was cast instead, and principal photography was rescheduled for Aug 1981. The 3 Apr 1981 DV noted that preparations moved slowly, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) wary of the possible 1 Jul 1981 Directors Guild of America (DGA) strike. Sets were expected to be built later that month. An 11 Dec 1981 HR story stated that pre-production also included four New York City location scouts by producer Michael Gruskoff, associate producer-unit production manager Art Levinson, and director of photography Gerald Hirschfeld. The article also listed first assistant director William S. Beasley as production designer, and NY unit production manager A. Kitman Ho as location manager. A 5 Oct 1981 Film Journal article stated that production was preceded by two weeks of rehearsal in CA, while the NYT story reported that O’Toole insisted on learning fencing—practicing two hours a day at New York City’s Essex House hotel—for the brief scenes featuring footage from Swann’s swashbuckling films.
       Production notes from AMPAS library files indicated that Benjamin first noticed Mark Linn-Baker during a public theater performance titled The Laundry Hour. My Favorite Year marked the actor’s motion picture debut. The 25 Nov 1981 DV noted that Harry Bill Roberts appeared in the film with his orchestra; although he is credited onscreen, the members of his orchestra are not. A 1 Oct 1981 HR brief listed Vance Davis among the cast, but he does not receive onscreen credit.
       A 13 Sep 1981 HR news item stated that production was in its third day of principal photography in New York City; however, 18 Sep 1981 HR production charts reported a 19 Sep 1981 start date. The item also erroneously listed Louisiana as a location. Production notes stated that filming took place on a Saturday in order to avoid the weekday rush both inside and outside of Rockefeller Plaza. The opening shot was filmed with a crane above Broadway and 50th Street, with optical effects added to recreate the city’s skyline as it would have looked in 1954. According to NYT, filming required the closure of numerous city blocks, the removal of modern traffic lights and lampposts, and the use of 300 background actors and fifty period automobiles. Despite the 13 Sep 1981 HR claim that My Favorite Year was expected to stay in New York City for several weeks—Film Journal estimated a location end date of 30 Sep 1981—the 11 Dec 1981 HR noted that production only lasted eight days. In that time, filming took place at Central Park, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Waldorf Towers, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Park Avenue. Production notes also included Radio City Music Hall, Shubert Alley, and night filming on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY. The interior of Swann’s hotel suite, a building rooftop, the sixth floor of NBC Studios, and the Stork Club restaurant were recreated on Stages 27 and 30 of M-G-M’s Culver City, CA, studios. A 5 Jan 1983 DV brief reported a final production budget of $7.9 million.
       An 8 Feb 1982 M-G-M memorandum indicated that principal photography lasted a total of fifty-eight days and concluded 8 Dec 1981, in anticipation of a 30 Jul 1982 domestic release. A revised memo dated 10 Mar 1982 rescheduled the release for 30 Aug 1982. According to the 8 Oct 1982 DV, M-G-M/United Artists test screened a 114-minute cut of the film on 28 Mar 1982 before the final version was completed Jul 1982 and previewed in screenings until Labor Day. A 14 Jun 1982 memo indicated that the film would be released in “selected engagements” Sep 1982. A 29 Sep 1982 M-G-M press release announced that Benjamin and actress Jessica Harper planned to participate in separate national promotional tours to precede the picture’s 1 Oct 1982 opening in NY, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, Philadelphia, PA, and Toronto, Canada. The film was then expected to open in over 600 theaters on 8 Oct 1982.
       As stated in a 12 Oct 1982 M-G-M press release, My Favorite Year had accumulated $2,783,008 in 715 theaters since its national release.
       The picture received largely favorable reviews and was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Peter O’Toole), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Motion Picture (Lainie Kazan). Peter O’Toole was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.