Creator Backlash: Allen disliked the film so much that he offered to make another one for the studio for free if they don't release this one.
Inspiration for the Work: The idea for the film came when Woody Allen was listening to a George Gershwin album of overtures and thought, "this would be a beautiful thing to make ... a movie in black and white ... a romantic movie".
According to actress Stacey Nelkin, Manhattan was based on her romantic relationship with Woody Allen. Her bit part in Annie Hall ended up on the cutting room floor, and their relationship started when she was 17 years old and a student at New York's Stuyvesant High School. Allen did not publicly acknowledge the relationship until 2014.
Former model Christina Engelhardt, who dated Woody Allen around that time while she was 16, has also told she was one of the inspirations for Manhattan, and that there were probably others.
Allen's character is a television writer, something he did in the 1950s.
she was one of the inspirations for Manhattan, and that there were probably others.