Novelist Harold Robbins considered this movie to be the "best movie adaptation of any of his works." The film was shot entirely on-location without any filming done on studio soundstages. The "assembly line" scenes for BMC (fictional Bethlehem Motors Company) were filmed at the AMC (American Motors Corporation) plant located at Kenosha, Wisconsin. In several shots, you can catch glimpses of 1978 AMC Gremlin, Pacer, and Concord models being built and painted. The plant was purchased by Chrysler, along with the rest of AMC/Jeep in 1987, and demolished by Chrysler in the early 1990s. Interestingly, most of the BMC models on display were not disguised AMC models. Almost all of the contemporary "BMC" model automobiles were poorly redecorated and remodelled Ford cars. Recognizable 1970s era Ford cars included the Granada and the LTD, among the unfortunate victims of fairly hideous restyling. The only car which did not seem easily recognizable, or quite so bad, was the title model itself, "The Betsy", which was probably a skinny restyled mid 1970s Ford Mustang II. 

Three famous Newport, Rhode Island mansions were used for filming Loren Hardeman's home. They were The Elms, Rosecliff, and The Breakers, all of which have been featured in many other movies, before and since. Also featured in the movie are glamorous estate houses in Palm Springs, California and Santa Barbara, California.