Monty Python collaborator Neil Innes allegedly said of this movie, "The star was an alcoholic, the writer was an alcoholic, the producer was an alcoholic and the director was an alcoholic".
Due to its only having a running time of around 70 minutes, the picture in its debut theatrical release was supported by the reissue of a short, The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959), starring Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, which played before the feature. Both films are absurdist and "Goonish" in nature and also both in black-and-white.
Vivian Stanshall's initial response to Trevor Howard being cast as Sir Henry was that he would be "too upper-crust" but Stanshall later conceded after the end of filming that Howard was a better Sir Henry than his own characterization of him.
Creator Vivian Stanshall (21 March 1943 - 5 March 1995) died in 1995, which was exactly the 100th Anniversary Century year that the real-life 1st Baronet Major-General Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson GCB (5 April 1810 - 5 March 1895) had died, and reportedly, both even on the same day and month of 5th March.