Trivia from Zelig

• The word zelig is taken from the German word, selig, meaning blessed.
• Mia Farrow's character, Dr. Eudora Fletcher's, name was taken from one of Woody's old school Headmistresses.
• The original title for the film was to be The Cat's Pyjamas.
• Mae Questel, the voice of Betty Boop from 1931 to 1989 is the voice of Helen Kane singing "Chameleon Days".
• Woody Allen originally wanted Greta Garbo to be one of the people interviewed.
• Because it took so long to match Woody Allen to the old newsreel footage, Allen managed to film and complete A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy and Broadway Danny Rose, in the time it took to complete this. Woody Allen later claimed that there is no mechanical way to age film, so they would either scrunch the negative up, or stamp on it.
• To create authenticity, the production used actual lenses, cameras and sound equipment from the 1920s, and used the exact same lighting that would have been done. In addition, Gordon Willis took the exposed negatives to the shower, and stomped on them.
• Factual Errors: On the Nazi film reel, the announcer calls Zelig a "schweinhund" - real Germans in the 1940's never called anyone that; the proper term is "schwein". "Schweinhund" was invented in American World War II movies at the time.

• Academy Awards, USA
  Year 1984
  Nominated Oscar
  Best Cinematography
  Gordon Willis
  Nominated Best Costume Design
  Santo Loquasto
• BAFTA Awards
  Year 1984
  Nominated BAFTA Film Award
  Best Cinematography
  Gordon Willis
  Nominated Best Editing
  Susan E. Morse
  Nominated Best Make Up Artist
  Fern Buchner John Caglione Jr.
  Nominated Best Original Screenplay
  Woody Allen
  Nominated Best Special Visual Effects
  Gordon Willis, Joel Hynek, Stuart Robertson, Richard Greenberg
• Bodil Awards
  Year 1984
  Won Bodil
  Best Non-European Film (Bedste ikke-europiske film)
  Woody Allen (director)
• David di Donatello Awards
  Year 1984
  Won David
  Best Foreign Actor (Migliore Attore Straniero)
  Woody Allen
• Golden Globes, USA
  Year 1984
  Nominated Golden Globe
  Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
  
  Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
  Woody Allen
  
• New York Film Critics Circle Awards
  Year 1983
  Won NYFCC Award
  Best Cinematographer
  Gordon Willis
• Venice Film Festival
  Year 1983 Won Pasinetti Award Best Film
  Woody Allen
• Writers Guild of America, USA
  Year 1984
  Nominated WGA Award (Screen)
  Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
  Woody Allen