Richard Pryor wrote favorably of his working relationship with Jackie Gleason in his autobiography. He said that the stories Gleason told on set were funnier than anything in the film.
In his E! True Hollywood Story (1996) bio, Scott Schwartz said that the hardest part of making this movie was working with Jackie Gleason. Schwartz was trained to memorize his lines, and Gleason's improvisations threw him off, resulting in Gleason yelling at him.
In the scene at the store when Richard Pryor is inside the wonder wheel (approx 18:55 into movie) you can see a hand and arm trying to slow the wheel down.
The film was shot in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some sections of the city were temporarily transformed into "Bates", confusing residents who weren't aware a movie was being filmed there. An Exxon refinery suddenly sprouted a huge sign that said "Bates Oil", and a department store parking lot was transformed overnight into an additional department store.