In an interview published in the 22 Oct 1970 LAT, screenwriter Gabriel Walsh stated that the titular character, “Quackser Fortune,” was based on a real-life manure collector of the same name, who had worked in Dublin when young Walsh had sold sticks for firewood. Walsh began writing the screenplay on napkins one night at Barney’s Beanery, a bar in West Hollywood, CA, after being stood up by a date. He later met actor Gene Wilder by chance at the Old World restaurant on Los Angeles, CA’s “Sunset Strip,” where Wilder was dining with his and Walsh’s mutual talent agent. Wilder’s casting was announced in the 12 Aug 1969 DV.
       The film was backed by Sidney Glazier’s U-M Productions, an independent producer-distributor owned by the Universal Marion Corporation (UMC). The budget was cited as $1.2 million in a 14 Aug 1969 NYT article, which named Waris Hussein as director; however, the 5 Nov 1969 Var later quoted executive producer Mel Howard as saying that the picture cost $850,000-$900,000. An article in the 27 Aug 1969 Var noted Glazier’s claims that U-M planned to give final cut to all directors of U-M projects.
       A production chart in the 29 Aug 1969 DV announced that principal photography began on 25 Aug 1969. Filming took place entirely in Dublin, Ireland, where the story is set. The 5 Nov 1969 Var listed Ardmore Studios in Bray, County Wicklow, as a filming site. Production was completed in late Oct or early Nov 1969.
       Sales screenings were scheduled to be held in early May 1970 at the Cannes Film Festival, as indicated in a 29 Apr 1970 Var advertisement. The world premiere occurred a few months later, on 13 Jul 1970, at the Coronet Theatre in New York City. Promotions included a “special race” held in honor of the film at the Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island, NY, on 22 Jun 1970, as reported in the 24 Jun 1970 Var. Following mixed reviews, the picture was deemed a “modest commercial success” in the 10 Mar 1971 Var, which announced that UMC Pictures Corp. was facing liquidation after a vote by its board of directors. Meanwhile, the 12 May 1971 Var reported that UMC had enjoyed a good year in 1970, with its market share increasing “by three-fourths of 1%.” Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx and The Twelve Chairs (1970, see entry) were named as two of UMC’s top grossers, after The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and All the Loving Couples.
       The picture was initially released with an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). However, Omni Productions later took over distribution rights and re-edited the film for a PG-rating, according to the 22 Jul 1975 DV. In 1982, 21st Century Distribution Corp. reissued the picture under the new title Fun Loving, as stated in the 5 May 1982 Var.
       Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx marked the screenwriting debut of Gabriel Walsh, who received a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award nomination for Best Original American Comedy.