The opening title card is followed by a scene in which “J. C. Wiatt” navigates the crowded New York City streets on her way to work, accompanied by Linda Ellerbee’s voice-over narration: “Fifty-three percent of the American workforce is female. Three generations of women that turned a thousand years of tradition on its ear. As little girls they were told to grow up and marry doctors and lawyers. Instead, they grew up and became doctors and lawyers. They moved out of the pink ghetto and into the executive suite. Sociologists say the new working woman is a phenomenon of our time. Take J. C. Wiatt, for example. Graduated first in her class at Yale, got her MBA at Harvard. Has a corner office at the corner of 58th and Park. She works five to nine, she makes six figures a year, and they call her the ‘Tiger Lady.’ Married to her job, she lives with an investment banker married to his. They collect African art, co-own their co-op, and have separate but equal IRA accounts. One would take it for granted that a woman like this has it all. One must never take anything for granted.”
       An article in the 22 Aug 1986 LAT included Baby Boom as one of three newly-approved projects from United Artists (UA), which signified the company’s desire to produce more “high-concept” yet “fiscally responsible” films. According to the 14 Oct 1987 HR, Jeff Berg, agent to writer-producer Nancy Meyers and her then-husband, writer-director Charles Shyer, suggested bringing the project to UA even though the couple’s previous collaborations, Private Benjamin (1980, see entry) and Irreconcilable Differences (1984, see entry), were released through Warner Bros. Pictures. While the screenplay had taken more than a year to complete, Meyers and Shyer sold the project to UA co-chairmen Lee Rich and Tony Thomopoulos after just three days of negotiations.
       Meyers reportedly modeled the character of J. C. Wiatt on herself and actress Rosalind Russell. Diane Keaton immediately agreed to star, and although the studio was unsure Sam Shepard would be interested in playing “Dr. Jeff Cooper,” the 22 Oct 1986 HR announced that he had joined the cast along with Harold Ramis. A 20 Sep 1986 LAHExam brief announced that an open casting call for the role of “Elizabeth Wiatt” was held 22 Sep 1986 at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum. The 28 Nov 1986 NYT stated that fourteen-month-old twins Michelle and Kristine Kennedy from Long Island, NY, were used interchangeably to abide by the strict workday limitations set by child labor laws. According to the Nov 1987 issue of AmCin, several scheduling adjustments were made to accommodate the infants. To film Elizabeth sleeping, crewmembers were required to darken the set until the baby was asleep, at which point the lights would be gradually raised and the camera would begin rolling.
       According to production materials in AMPAS library files, principal photography began 5 Nov 1986 and concluded 17 Feb 1987. AmCin reported that the film was shot in “reverse script order” to accommodate the required season changes. Like J. C. in the film, Meyers was inspired to go to Vermont after reading the NYT real estate section, and decided to set the story there. Searching for a location that resembled Norman Rockwell’s illustrations in The Saturday Evening Post, filmmakers chose the small town of Peru, VT, which required very little exterior redecoration. AmCin noted that due to the age of the buildings, standard Fisher 10 dollies were swapped for lighter, Chapman Pee-Wee camera systems for scenes shot in second-floor locations.
       Following two weeks in the Manchester, VT, area, the 26 Nov 1986Var stated that production had moved to New York City. A 28 Nov 1986 NYT article indicated that filming took place outside the former F.A.O. Schwarz store at 745 Fifth Avenue, while the 10 Dec 1986 Var reported that Keaton and Ramis had only six hours to film a scene between the daily commuter rush hours at Grand Central Station. Special effects supervisor John Frazier used heavy “crack oil” smoke effects to simulate train steam. According to AmCin, smoke effects were used again when additional “New York City” exteriors were filmed in Los Angeles, CA. While New York City’s Seagram Building stood in for the exterior of “Sloane, Curtis & Co.,” the 1 Nov 1987 Los Angeles magazine stated that J. C.’s apartment interiors were built on Stage 10 of the Twentieth Century Fox studio. As reported in the 21 Jan 1987 DV, scenes had been filmed in the international terminal of Los Angeles International Airport the previous day.
       The 25 Sep 1987 DV listed a final production cost of roughly $12.5 million, which a UA executive told the 10 Dec 1986 Var was considered “below the industry average.”
       A news item in the 16 Mar 1987 issue of People magazine claimed that Keaton’s parents, Jack and Dorothy Hall, appear as background actors in a restaurant scene, but they are not named in onscreen credits.
       The 18 Aug 1987 HR announced that the world premiere was scheduled to take place 17 Sep 1987 at the Festival of Festivals in Toronto, Canada. According to a 2 Oct 1987 HR brief, the Los Angeles premiere was held 6 Oct 1987 at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Proceeds benefitted TRIPOD, a non-profit organization for hearing-impaired children, and a captioned version of the film was simultaneously screened at the Academy’s Little Theater.
       On 3 Oct 1987, the LAT advertised special “sneak preview” screenings to be held that evening in several Los Angeles area theaters. In addition, the 25 Sep 1987 DV reported that UA spent $700,000 on an advertising campaign featuring a 120-second televised trailer, the longest promotional television spot for a film to date. The 14 Oct 1987 HR announced that Baby Boom, which opened in nineteen cities on 7 Oct 1987, had gained considerable word-of-mouth and would expand to 500—600 screens on 28 Oct 1987, and even more venues on 7 Nov 1987.
       Critics consistently praised Diane Keaton’s performance, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Comedy or Musical. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
       On 14 Jan 1988, DV announced that Meyers and Shyer planned to adapt the feature into a thirty-minute, single-camera comedy series for NBC. After Shyer directed the pilot, the couple handed the project off to a team of approved writers. The Baby Boom television series aired 10 Sep 1988—4 Jan 1989, and retained original character names and basic plot elements of the film. Instead of moving to Vermont, however, J. C. relocates to the Upper West Side and hires a nanny to help her maintain her “yuppie lifestyle” at the consulting firm. While Kate Jackson stepped in as J. C., Sam Wanamaker returned as “Fritz Curtis,” and Michelle and Kristina Kennedy reprised their shared role as Elizabeth.
              End credits include the dedication, “For Annie,” the daughter of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. “Special Thanks” are given to: “Jerome A. Shiell, M.D. and to the People of Peru, Vermont for their cooperation and friendship.” Credits also state: “The Producer wishes to thank the following for their contributions: Finlandia Furniture; Gemini G.E.L.; David Hockney; ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ courtesy of National Broadcasting Company, Inc.; Trans World Airlines.”
       Although not credited onscreen, the film also uses footage from I Love Lucy (CBS Television Network, 15 Oct 1951—6 May 1957), and a saxophone arrangement of the Oscar Hammerstein II, Bert Kalmar, and Harry Ruby song, “A Kiss To Build A Dream On.”
       Actor Chris Noth is credited onscreen as “Christopher Noth.”