Giorgio Tozzi was nominated for the 1980 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Musical for "The Most Happy Fella" and recreated his role in this production.
The original Broadway production of "The Most Happy Fella" opened at the Imperial Theater in New York on May 3, 1956, ran for 676 performances and was nominated for the 1957 Tony Award for the Best Musical.
The musical is based on the Broadway production of "They Knew What They Wanted" by Sidney Howard opened on November 24, 1924 at the Garrick Theater, ran for 192 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1925.