Trivia for
My Favorite Year (1982) More at IMDbPro »

• Joseph Bologna's character, "King Kaiser," was based on "Your Show of Shows" (1950)' Sid Caesar.
  
  
• The character of Benjamin Stone was based on Mel Brooks, while Alan Swann was based on Errol Flynn. Also, one of the lines Swann uses was based on something said by another actor with a drinking problem, John Barrymore.
  
  
• The original premise for the film took place at the turn of the century in New York and Wyatt Earp was the celebrity that had to be watched. The concept was changed to New York in the 1950's because it was cheaper to film.
  
  
• Peter O'Toole talked the producers into paying for a fencing instructor to get him in shape for the fight sequence.
  
  
• The film was the basis of a Tony Award-winning musical play.
  
  
• Cameron Mitchell was offered his part after the filmmakers happened to see him in the studio commissary while discussing who to cast as Rojack.
  
  
• The main character's first name, Benjamin, is the same as the last name of the director, while his last name, Steinberg, is the same as the last name of one of the screenwriters.
  
  
• This film was produced by Mel Brooks's production company. The main character was based on him, and he had some input into the script.
  
  
• Peter O'Toole was originally hesitant about doing the film. However, in the script, when there is a close up of Swann's tombstone, the date of Swann's death was, in fact, the date of O'Toole's birthday. O'Toole phoned Richard Benjamin to find out if they did that with all of the actors they had offered the part to. The director replied that the script had not been given to anybody else, at which O'Toole agreed to do the film.
  
  
• At one point, a television network expressed interest in turning the film into a weekly comedy series.
  
  
• The restaurant scene has Alan Swann stealing another man's date. The man yells "Somebody stole my girl!" The song the band breaks into is "Somebody Stole My Gal" which was written by Leo Wood in 1918.
  
  
• Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.
  
  
• According to Cameron Mitchell his Boss character was based on Jimmy Hoffa, while the character of Herb was modeled after Neil Simon.
  
  
• When he was younger, Richard Benjamin worked as a page in the NBC building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where many scenes take place.
  
  
• The Broadway musical version opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on December 10, 1992, ran for 36 performances. Lainie Kazan recreated her role from the movie and was nominated for the 1993 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actress in a Musical.
  
  
• Benjy Stone is described as: Benjamin Steinberg; Ben Stoneberg; Ben Stoneberger.
  
  
• Director Richard Benjamin offered Peter O'Toole the role of Alan Swann the day that O'Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for The Stunt Man (1980). When executive producer Mel Brooks found out about the timing of the offer, he yelled at Benjamin "Well that was brilliant. Do you have any idea how much money that cost us?"
  
  
• Tim Curry was nominated for the 1993 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Musical for "My Favorite Year" as the larger than life actor Alan Swann.
  
  

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