The film tells the story of a young comedy writer[2] and stars Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, and Joseph Bologna.

During the week of rehearsals, Kaiser is threatened by gangster Karl Rojeck, a corrupt union boss who objects to being parodied on the show.

Disruptive events, ambiguous between real sabotage and random accidents, are noted after Kaiser belligerently insists on performing the "Boss Hijack" sketch.

Benjy narrates the epilogue, relating that Swann, his confidence bolstered, visited his daughter the next day, enjoying a heartfelt reunion.

The girl in the Old Gold cigarette box was played (uncredited) by Lana Clarkson, who was murdered years later by Phil Spector.

Swashbuckler Errol Flynn was a guest on one episode, and his appearance inspired Dennis Palumbo's mostly fictional screenplay.

[citation needed] According to Brooks, the character Rookie Carroca was based on a Filipino sailor in the U.S. Navy who was his neighbor in Brooklyn.

[3] My Favorite Year was the first film directed by actor Richard Benjamin, who worked as an NBC page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1956.

[6] In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Janet Maslin called My Favorite Year "a funny and good-natured comedy" and wrote that director Richard Benjamin "works in a steady, affable style that is occasionally inspired, always snappy and never less than amusing.

The site's consensus states: "My Favorite Year is a joyful ode to the early days of television, carried with a deft touch and Peter O'Toole's uproariously funny performance.

[11] Lainie Kazan was the only member of the cast to reprise her film role for the 1992 Broadway musical version of My Favorite Year, in which Alan Swann was portrayed by Tim Curry and Alice Miller by Andrea Martin.