The character Cage Tyler, played by John Robinson, was based on real life actor Rock Hudson whom Armistead Maupin had met. In the novel, the character is never mentioned by name and simply denoted by two underscored lines (e.g. Michael went to visit the home of movie star ____ _____ ) so as not to "out" Rock Hudson against his wishes. The name "Cage Tyler" was created purely for this adaptation.
Sandra Oh would later go on to portray the adult version of the character Anna Day in The Night Listener (2006) seen in Further Tales of the City as a toddler.
Mother Mucca did not appear in the book that this was based on, but Armistead Maupin was so awed by Jackie Burroughs' performance in "More Tales of the City" that he created an original storyline for her.
The movie that Brian is watching when Jennifer Rabinowitz sits down next to him is the French film "La Cage Aux Folles."
Jackie Burroughs (Mother Mucca), who plays the mother to Olympia Dukakis (Anna Madrigal), is actually 8 years her junior.