Robert Harling, living and working in New York City, not only distraught over his sister Susan's death, he was also upset with his brother-in-law, who remarried within six months of his sister's demise. Stressed and distraught, Harling was advised by his fellow acting class workshop members to put his thoughts on paper. Harling began writing his story in a script form, which the acting class members would read and act out his stage directions. These segments developed, combined, and became the script for the off-Broadway workshop presentation, eventually becoming a full fledged drama presented professionally on-stage. Ray Stark, prompted by Herbert Ross, negotiated the film rights for the property. Production designer Gene Callahan became involved because of his past association with Ray Stark, and his Louisiana heritage and knowledge of everything Southern. The film's schedule occurred during a Hollywood writer's strike, which required Robert Harling not be involved (re-writes) due to the writer's union contract. Ray Stark, Herbert Ross, and Gene Callahan flew to Natchitoches, Louisianna, South of Shreveport, scouting Robert Harling's town, (where the actual story occurred), for the film's location sight, which would remove the production from the Hollywood union jurisdiction problem. Incognito, Robert Harling was present during filming, and available for any re-writes. Negotiating with the President of Northwestern University, the University's satellite teachers training school facility provided a complex for production offices (principle, administrative, and attendance offices); one large indoor gym for a stage, located in the central core of the building's offices, classrooms, and labs (art department, set decorating and property room, wardrobe, screening room, lunch break room acting as a "green room"); another smaller gym, which functioned as a construction mill and stage; playground exteriors providing parking for the companies circus of support vehicles. The female cast were given each a motor home for a dressing room. A Georgia motor home and vehicle dealer provided the motor home vehicles and the film companies transportation requirements. The motor homes were delivered and parked on the school's front main entrance, on the grass lawn, fanned-lined parallel with the vehicles' nose pointed toward the school's main door entrance. Instead of yellow school buses, the front of the school facility looked like a gypsy camp with boardwalks, on top of the grass, set between the vehicles. Each morning's exodus, a driver steered a motor home to the filming location, creating another parking nightmare for the transportation Captain. The male cast members were not provided a dressing room vehicle nor trailer.

Film

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