Ragtime featured Cagney's and Pat O'Brien's final film appearances, as well as early roles for Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Samuel L. Jackson, Ethan Phillips, and John Ratzenberger.

At the turn of the 20th century, architect Stanford White unveils a nude statue atop Madison Square Garden, modeled after former chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit.

Among them are Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth McGovern, Richard Griffiths, Fran Drescher, Andreas Katsulas, Ethan Phillips, Mandy Patinkin, John Ratzenberger, and Stuart Milligan.

Altman and Doctorow rejected Joan Tewkesbury's initial draft in 1976, as it focused primarily on Mother's journey, deviating from their shared vision of the movie's structure.

Miloš Forman and Michael Weller were hired as director and screenwriter, respectively, and streamlined the script by focusing primarily on Coalhouse Walker and omitting notable historical figures who had appeared in the novel, such as Henry Ford and Sigmund Freud.

Renowned actor James Cagney, who knew Forman socially, was enticed back to the screen after a two-decade retirement to play New York Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo.

Mariclare Costello was cast as radical feminist Emma Goldman and filmed scenes, but her entire part was ultimately cut by De Laurentiis.

Shepperton Studios in London constructed significant sets, including a meticulous reproduction of a six-and-a-half-acre stretch of Madison Avenue c. 1900 and the formal façade and lush interiors of the J. P. Morgan Library.

Carpenters and painters worked on this location due to a blend of existing period architecture and moderate commercial activity, choosing it over the more familiar and bustling Orchard Street.

Additional arrangements included providing garage parking for contemporary cars and setting up a temporary "Ragtime Summer Camp" behind Kalish's Shoestore for over forty children who could not play on the street during filming.

One address on the street was reverted to its original function as a livery stable to accommodate the production's fifteen horses, with inspection by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

[1] In Mount Kisco, New York, Von Brandenstein spent three months converting a fifteen-room Victorian home to represent the film's archetypical middle-class family setting.

The transformation involved rebuilding porches, graveling the driveway, installing an antique kitchen, hanging hand-blocked period wallpaper, and adding a gazebo to evoke a turn-of-the-century ambiance.

The production rented the home for $20,000 for a three-week shoot, investing an additional $40,000 in permanent improvements while accommodating the homeowners' preferences by removing any alterations they disliked.

[1] Composer Randy Newman crafted an original score to capture the mood of the film's historical period, avoiding the use of music from that era.

The poster featured actors Howard E. Rollins, Moses Gunn, Debbie Allen, and James Cagney, accompanied by the statement: "A black man said 'Respect me or kill me!'

"[3] Vincent Canby gave the film a more mixed review, praising the performances and cinematography but criticizing Forman's narrative choices that created an unclear sense of time and prioritized certain storylines at the cost of others: "[Ragtime] is sorrowful, funny and beautiful.