According to news items in the 28 Mar 1962 DV and 29 Mar 1962 LAT, Man’s Favorite Sport? began at Paramount Pictures, where filmmaker Howard Hawks was contracted to produce three pictures within the next four years. One of these projects was a yet-untitled adaptation of Pat Frank’s short story, “The Girl Who Almost Got Away,” which first appeared in the Jul 1950 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. NYT reported that Cary Grant was attached to star as of 8 Jul 1962, while Hawks was in Paris, France, searching for a female co-star. Reports in the 11 Jun 1962 and 23 Oct 1962 DV indicated that Juliet Prowse and Leslie Parrish were considered before the casting of Paula Prentiss.
       In late 1962, the property moved from Paramount to Universal Pictures, as indicated by a 24 Sep 1962 DV brief stating that Rock Hudson was now being courted for the lead character, “Roger Willoughby.” Around this time, Grant and Hudson were also slated as co-stars for Universal’s Bedtime Story (1964, see entry), but the roles eventually went to Marlon Brando and David Niven.
       An 8 Nov 1962 DV news item revealed that a photography crew traveled to San Francisco, CA, to film exteriors before production officially began. After minor delays, the 11 Dec 1962 DV announced that principal photography got underway that day at the studio’s facilities in Universal City, CA. A 31 Jan 1963 DV brief indicated that the unit occupied Stage 32.
       According to a 22 Jan 1963 NYT article, Howard Hawks felt that slapstick comedy was particularly susceptible to plagiarism, and refused to complete a script in order to protect his routines from agents who may then pass the gags on to their television clients. As a result, the scripts contained several blank spaces, leaving Hawks to sit down with the actors, such as Hudson, to work out how a scene should be played just days before it was supposed to be shot.
       The 23 Apr 1963 DV reported that Glenn Adams and Rollie Lane served as still photographers on the set. Items in the 19 Dec 1962 DV and 27 Feb 1963 LAT also named Pitt Herbert, Mike Olton, and Regis Toomey among the cast, but their participation could not be confirmed.
       On 28 Feb 1963, DV announced that Molly Bee had been hired to sing Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s title theme over opening credits, as well as another unnamed “ballad” written by Mancini.
       According to the 22 Feb 1963 DV, promotional efforts began at a sports exhibition at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and continued well into the next year, when a 15 Jan 1964 Var item announced that Paula Prentiss was set to complete a one-month Florida-area publicity tour surrounding the film’s Miami premiere on 30 Jan 1964. Man’s Favorite Sport? debuted 11 Feb 1964 in Los Angeles (citywide) and Washington, D.C. A 22 Jan 1964 DV brief indicated that the latter engagement marked the first screening at the Loew’s Palace Theatre since its $225,000 renovation. In New York City, Universal implemented a “showcase” strategy, opening the picture at the Astor and multiple other area theaters on 19 Feb 1964.