When filming a scene in which Brian (Sean Astin) is being abused by his mother (Patty Duke), Astin found it very hard to cry, instead he would laugh hysterically as it reminded him of situations their family had been in. This was until his mother (Patty Duke is Sean's mother) took him aside and told him, "Look, I took a chance on you. What do you think you're doing? This is my career, this is my life... These people are counting on me. They're counting on you." Astin promptly burst into tears and Duke signaled for the cameras to keep rolling so that they could complete the scene.
After its initial release, social workers who specialize in child abuse cases have cited this film as a learning tool where child abuse cases are now successfully prosecuted in a court of law once a successful case is established. This also involves local law enforcement and case workers who officially document child abuse cases.
Nancy McKeon acts with Patty Duke and her son Sean Astin in this movie. A few years later she co-stars on The Facts of Life with Mackenzie Astin, the son of Patty and the brother of Sean.
An early draft of the script ended with Barbara not only slapping Nancy but subsequently forcing the girl, along with Michael and Brian, to leave the house at gunpoint...in part for their own safety from Barbara herself. All three youngsters comply, with Nancy assuring the boys that her parents will take them in. Meanwhile, Barbara disposes of the boys' clothes at a homeless shelter, and their other belongings at a pawnshop. This ending was rewritten, as the producers found it much too downbeat for their target audience.
This is Sean Astin's first acting movie.