Actor-Inspired Element: The lead characters' names are notably similar in some way to actresses' names (Judy and Jane are both short and start with J, Doralee and Dolly both start with D and end with the sound "lee", and Violet and Lily are both flowers). It's not quite The Danza, but it's clearly not an accident. Indeed, the film was written with that trio in mind from the start.
Darkhorse Casting: While Dolly Parton was a big name in music, this was her first film. She not only committed to memory her own part, but the parts of every other role in the film. She was so inexperienced with film-making that Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin burst out laughing when she asked if the film would be shot in sequence.
Mid-Development Genre Shift: According to Jane Fonda, the film was at first going to be a drama, but "any way we did it, it seemed too preachy, too much of a feminist line. I'd wanted to work with Lily for some time, and it suddenly occurred to Bruce [Gilbert, the producer] and me that we should make it a comedy." Along with the change in genre, Colin Higgins was called in to lighten up Patricia Resnick's original dramatic screenplay (Resnick still got co-writing and story credit). Even in the finished film, the first act is mostly dramatic (albeit with some relatively realistic comedy sequences such as the malfunctioning Xerox machine). Once the girls have their "pot party" it transitions into a more lighthearted revenge fantasy.
Playing Against Type: While this wasn't the first time Jane Fonda had portrayed a mild-mannered female character, and as part of her post-Vietnam public rehabilitation in the late 1970's tended to portray heroines who started out green or inexperienced and developed into strong characters by the end of the film (for instance in Julia or Coming Home), Judy Bernley is a wimp even by this standard. She's comically prim, mousy, and remains the least assertive of the three leads by the completion of her arc. This is the complete opposite of Jane Fonda as she existed in the popular imagination (either as a militant 1960's radical or as a glamourous 1980's fitness guru), in which she generally is thought of as the most proactive of the film's three stars.
Produced By Castmember: The film was based on an idea by Jane Fonda, who had recently formed her own production company, IPC. Fon. This was their third film.
Stillborn Franchise: Universal developed a sequel with Colin Higgins. Tom Mankiewicz worked on it for a while and says that while Dolly Parton was enthusiastic, Jane Fonda was not and Higgins' heart was not in it.
In a 2005 BBC One interview, Fonda, Parton and Lily Tomlin all expressed interest in a sequel. Fonda said if the right script was written she would definitely do it, suggesting a suitable name for a 21st-century sequel would be 24/7. Parton suggested they had better hurry up before they reach retirement age. In the DVD Commentary, the three reiterate their enthusiasm; Fonda suggests a sequel should cover outsourcing and they agree Hart would have to return as their nemesis.
In a 2018 interview, Parton announced that a sequel is in the works to bring the story into a modern-day setting. In July 2018, Fonda also confirmed that a sequel was in the works with the trio returning to their roles as mentors to a new generation of women. Fonda revealed that she was also an executive producer on the project. Rashida Jones and Patricia Resnick (co-writer of the original) were attached to write a script. On October 23, 2018, Fonda reiterated news about the development of a sequel on GMA Day. On October 30, 2019, Parton announced the sequel had been dropped.
Throw It In!: Lily Tomlin ad-libbed the line about Judy's big hat needing its own locker at work. She claims it was her only ad-lib, but the reaction of the others suggests that may not have been the case.
Typecasting: This was largely the only sort of role Dabney Coleman could land from then on (though Recess had him being somewhat sympathetic to his female coworkers and the children he has to look after in school, although mostly it's so he can be promoted to a middle school principal).
He did get to play against this with his role as William Cox in the Leonard Nimoy film Never Forget, where he plays a lawyer representing a Holocaust survivor against a hate group.
Wag the Director: Dolly Parton accepted the role with the condition that she would write and sing the theme song, which was nominated for an Academy Award and won two Grammys. Parton made the same deal for almost every other movie, in which she has starred. The exception was Steel Magnolias, which declined to use the Parton-penned song "Eagle When She Flies."
An earlier version of the script saw the trio intentionally try to kill their boss. Colin Higgins was the one who shifted it all into fantasy sequences.
Though Violet and Doralee were written for Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, the creative team did have backups in mind in case either of them turned the film down. For Violet, it was Carol Burnett, while for Doralee, it was Ann-Margret.
The TV series
Keep Circulating the Tapes: Despite lasting for five seasons, the TV show has never been re-released on DVD or reran on TV.
or Coming Home), Judy Bernley is a wimp even by this standard. She's comically prim, mousy, and remains the least assertive of the three leads by the completion of her arc. This is the complete opposite of Jane Fonda as she existed in the popular imagination (either as a militant 1960's radical or as a glamourous 1980's fitness guru), in which she generally is thought of as the most proactive of the film's three stars.