To help prepare for his role, Al Pacino spent time with then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins.
In the theater lobby, when Mayor Pappas asks Frank Anselmo what he thought of the musical play, Anselmo replies, "Good act. No voice. My Nettie could sing better." Nettie Anselmo, Frank Anselmo's wife, was played by Roberta Peters, a famous opera singer.
The scenes at the snowy train station were actually filmed in 80-degree weather.