According to a 20 Sep 1970 LAT interview with director Cy Howard, ABC Pictures Corp. president Martin Baum first saw Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna’s play Lovers and Other Strangers during its pre-Broadway run in Detroit, MI. Interested in making a feature film, Baum optioned the rights in a deal that was officially announced in the 20 Sep 1968 NYT, just two days after the show’s New York City bow at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Along with an upfront figure of $250,000, ABC agreed to pay an additional ten percent for every profitable week the show enjoyed on Broadway and in other post-Broadway engagements until reaching a maximum “ceiling price” of $500,000. Among the ninety-five backers was actor Dick Van Patten, who was set to appear in the Broadway stage production alongside Kay Michaels and Mary Louise Wilson, but their parts were ultimately cut. Although relatively successful, the show closed after just seventy performances in order to relinquish the theater space to another production. The final sum paid for the property was estimated somewhere around $300,000 or $325,000, according to the 20 Sep 1970 and 8 Nov 1970 LAT.
       Development of the film began in earnest the following year, when the 9 Aug 1969 LAT announced that Baum and producer David Susskind were in negotiations to hire Dyan Cannon for a starring role. On 27 Aug 1969, an LAT casting announcement listed comedienne Kaye Ballard for the role of “Bea Vecchio,” but she was replaced by Bea Arthur around the time production began.
       According to a 26 Sep 1969 DV production chart, principal photography got underway 22 Sep 1969 in New York. A 30 Oct 1969 NYT article indicated that most location work was completed first, including a banquet scene shot in the Hendrick Hudson Ballroom of the Hilton hotel in Tarrytown, NY, which featured some seventy-seven extras hired by casting coordinator Sylvia Fay. The remainder of the twelve-week schedule took place at a studio facility in New York City. The 4 Feb 1970 Var listed a negative cost of $2.25 million.
       On 29 Apr 1970, Var announced that singer-songwriter Dion DiMucci (also known as “Dion”) was attached to sing a title theme, but the artist’s involvement was not mentioned in any later contemporary sources.
       A 26 May 1970 DV brief indicated that Lovers and Other Strangers was recently screened at a fundraising event for Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, CA, where it received an enthusiastic audience response. New York City engagements began 12 Aug 1970 at the Loew’s State II and Tower East theaters, and on the West Coast one week later at the Westwood Village Theater. Citywide screenings in Los Angeles began 30 Dec 1970.
       After the film was released with an R rating, ABC Pictures Corp. filed an appeal with the Motion Picture Association of America to have it changed to GP. However, the 3 Sep 1970 DV revealed that the motion was unsuccessful, as the appeals board voted to uphold the decision due to the story’s sexual themes.
       Richard Castellano was the only member of the legitimate cast to reprise his role for the screen, and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role. The film was also nominated for Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium), while the song “For All We Know” won in the category for Music (Song—Original for the Picture).
       Lovers and Other Strangers marked the feature film debut of actress Diane Keaton, who next went on to co-star with Castellano (her onscreen father-in-law) in The Godfather (1972, see entry).