As a diminutive reference to the large gay population in San Francisco, Abe Vigoda's character refers to a particular street corner as "Third and Bulldike".

Though Phil Silvers is shown prominently in the credits, he has only about 2-3 seconds of screen time at the end of the movie. Silvers suffered a stroke in the early 70's; "The Cheap Detective" was made in 1978. His speech had become slurred and likely affected his performance abilities.