John Gielgud particularly wanted to play in this as a close friend of Molly Keane, who lived in Ardmore, County Waterford, near the location and came to watch filming. In 1938 he had directed her first play, co-written with her childhood friend John Perry, who was Gielgud's partner in the 1920s and 30s.
Director Bill Hays recalled "(Gielgud) was supposed to cook, but he couldn't do it: I had to show him how to use an egg-whisk... He also disliked cats, which he was supposed to feed and fondle. 'Oh can't we do the fucking cats tomorrow and get them out of the way?' he asked me".
In a letter dated June 2 1985, John Gielgud reported that he had just come home from the rainy Irish location: "I had to pretend to cook!! Also had a scene with 13 cats, which I managed to survive, and the sisters have three dogs, so the animal interest complicated the shooting a good deal, also a baby pig wrapped in a towel and put to keep warm in a slow oven!
The ladies were old dears and very well cast, but five weeks is rather a long time to be so gregarious, and the older men got drunk every evening (except me), which was rather a bore."