Production
The film began as a screenplay called Bogart Slept Here (essentially the story of what happened to Dustin Hoffman after he became a star), that was to star Robert De Niro and Mason. After several table readings, it was decided De Niro wasn't right for the role. Dreyfuss was brought in to try out with Mason. At the end of the reading, Neil Simon decided, "It doesn't work, but they do." He rewrote the screenplay in six weeks.
The film's exteriors were shot in New York City and the interiors were shot on sets in Los Angeles.
The title song, "Goodbye Girl" was written and performed by David Gates in 1977, and was a #15 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.
The film was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and now distributed worldwide by the former. It is the only film in the WB library whose copyright is owned by both WB and Turner Entertainment (the initial buyer of MGM's pre-1986 library). It is also the only post-1950 WB film to be owned by WB/Turner.
Read more about this topic: The Goodbye Girl
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