According to production notes in AMPAS library files, actor-filmmaker Paul Mazursky conceived Scenes from a Mall in 1988, following the completion of his previous picture, Enemies, A Love Story (1989, see entry). Mazursky discussed his ideas with co-writer Roger Simon, and after “preliminary research by reading several pop psychology books,” Simon wrote a first draft of the screenplay, which Mazursky later revised. The filmmaker told the 22 Feb 1991 LAT that he and distributor The Walt Disney Company had been considering several actors for the role of “Nick Fifer,” including Kevin Kline, Richard Dreyfuss, and William Hurt, but casting actor-filmmaker Woody Allen opposite actress Bette Midler drew the most enthusiastic response. Because he and Allen shared the same agent, Mazursky was able to deliver the screenplay on a Friday and receive Allen’s approval the following Monday. Although the story was set in the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, CA, Allen only agreed to the role if production was based in the New York City area, so he could sleep in his own home, as reported in the 24 Feb 1991 Long Beach Press-Telegram. Over one hundred malls were scouted in the United States and Canada, before the Stamford Town Center in Stamford, CT was chosen. To ensure that filming would be completed on schedule, production designer Pato Guzman created a two-story replica of the mall’s interior, built on a soundstage at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, and constructed over a fourteen-week period by one hundred and fifty crewmembers. Cinematographer Fred Murphy used available lighting from skylights, fluorescent fixtures, and reflectors, which he described as “chaotic lighting,” to give the film a natural look, while depicting “the commotion of modern life.” Approximately 2,600 background actors were required, all of whom were costumed in contemporary Los Angeles fashions.
       Mazursky told the 31 Dec 1989 NYT that principal photography would likely begin in Jun 1990, and described it as his latest picture about the institution of marriage. A 25 Dec 1990 release was planned. Photography began at the Stamford Town Center, either on 11 Jun 1990, as reported in the 12 Jun 1990 HR, or on 14 Jun 1990, as reported that day in DV. The 29 Jun 1990 HR described the Stamford shooting schedule as Monday through Friday for eleven hours per day, ending 6 Jul 1990. Although set dressers decorated the mall for the Christmas season, some retailers, such as FAO Schwarz and Johnston & Murphy, supplied their own decorations, one of several reasons Mazursky commended the people of Stamford for their cooperation. The 3 Aug 1990 LAT reported the production’s move to the Beverly Center, where filming resumed in mid-Aug 1990.
       According to the 14 Apr 1990 Screen International, Woody Allen, who openly disliked California, agreed to a two-day shoot in Los Angeles if he and his family were flown across the country in Disney’s corporate jet. Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg also promised Allen’s domestic partner, actress Mia Farrow, and her nine children a guided tour of the Disneyland amusement park. In the 24 Feb 1991 Long Beach Press-Telegram, Mazursky commented on Allen’s eccentricities, including his disdain for elevators and escalators, fear of flying, and his perception of shopping malls as “a science fiction thing,” all of which had to be overcome to complete the picture. Mazursky also overcame Allen’s aversion to rehearsing, committing the actor to three weeks of rehearsal prior to filming.
       As stated in the 16 Oct 1990 DV, Disney postponed the release until 22 Mar 1991, reserving 25 Dec 1990 for Green Card (1990, see entry), reportedly to “maximize revenues” for both pictures. The 11 Feb 1991 Var announced the 16 Feb 1991 world premiere at the Palace Theater in Stamford. Proceeds benefited the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut and Save the Children. Scenes from a Mall was released 22 Feb 1991 to mixed reviews. The Apr 1991 Box estimated gross receipts of only $7 million for its first ten days.
       End credits include the following statements: “The producers wish to thank The Taubman Company, Inc.”; “Filmed on location at Stamford Town Center, Stamford, Connecticut, and Beverly Center, Los Angeles, California”; “The New York Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting”; “Filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York”; “For Pato.” According to the 13 Jan 1991 Var, Pato Guzman died 2 Jan 1991 of an undisclosed illness. Scenes from a Mall was his twelfth and final collaboration with Paul Mazursky.