One of the most fun things for Shelley prior to filming REPLACING DAD was when Mary McDonnell, who plays the lead role of Linda Marsh, asked for a tape of Shelley’s radio commentaries so that she could copy Shelley’s accent as she played the part. Whenever the dog in the movie was on the set, it was always accompanied by a member of the Humane Society. Filmed in California in a house on the beach near Santa Monica, the filming was completed in three weeks. When the producers asked Shelley what she most cared about, she told them, “the children’s pain. Be sure to express the children’s pain in the breakup of their family.” In honor of her wish, the budget was expanded to find some of the best child actors of the time, in fact, several won awards. The roof of the house was changed by the crew, working throughout the night, to highlight the last scene when the family sits on the roof to watch the sun come up, symbolizing the family’s outlook for the future.