Synopsis

After losing his wife in a tragic accident, Chicago architect Bob Rueland struggles to rebuild his life. Grace Briggs, meanwhile, survives a long-awaited heart transplant and starts over with help from her friends. When Bob and Grace meet by chance and fall in love, neither realizes that her new heart came from Bob's late wife, creating an emotional complication neither is prepared to face.

Factoids & Trivia

• The project was originally announced under the title Distance Calls before becoming Return to Me.

• The film was shot primarily in Chicago, using real neighborhood locations rather than relying heavily on studio sets. The production also filmed its closing sequence in Rome.

• The restaurant called O'Reilly's in the film is actually Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern, a historic Chicago eatery. The production added a temporary facade to make the corner location appear to sit in the middle of a city block.

• Filming at Twin Anchors lasted about five weeks. The crew removed the fictional restaurant dressing after each Thursday shoot so the business could reopen for its regular weekend customers.

• The zoo scenes were filmed at Lincoln Park Zoo. The gorilla seen in the movie was Kwan, a real animal who was trained by his keepers to respond to a red-light target and use sign language.

• The title comes from "Return to Me," a song strongly associated with Dean Martin. The song appears as an important musical motif in the film.

• Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago was used as a filming location. The connection was arranged through a physician who was a member of the screenwriter's family.

• The film marked Carroll O'Connor's final screen role. It was also among Dick Cusack's final film appearances.