This was originally supposed to be a Walter Matthau/Jack Lemmon movie with the role of Matt Douglas written for Matthau. However, due to illness, Matthau pulled out and was replaced by James Garner.
At the Russell P. Kramer Presidential Library in Ohio, there is a life size cutout of President Kramer in a U.S. Naval officer's uniform. Jack Lemmon really served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
In his memoirs, Garner wrote that he enjoyed working with Lemmon but felt the director "was a self appointed genius who didn't know his ass from second base and Jack and I both knew it."
Kramer and Douglas were originally written to be younger, with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman eyed to star. This would have reunited the actors after starring in Hook (1991).
Jennifer Austin: As a Marilyn Monroe lookalike who speaks to former Democrat President and ladies' man Matt Douglas (James Garner). In real life, movie star Marilyn Monroe had an affair with former U.S. Democrat President John F. Kennedy.