The movie was written by Robert Getchell and directed by Martin Scorsese.
It won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Ellen Burstyn) and was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Diane Ladd) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
A television series, Alice, was based on this movie. Vic Tayback played the same role in the series as in the movie. Diane Ladd, not initially appearing in the series, eventually joined the show, but not in her movie role.