Filmed in 1971 as "The Greatest Story Overtold," before Bette Midler's career took off. In 1974, the film had a brief theatrical run in New York City as "The Divine Mr. J" (Mr. J supposedly referring to Jesus), suggesting that the now-famous Midler, who had a minor role as The Virgin Mary, was the star. The movie quickly disappeared after legal threats from Midler and horrific reviews. In the early 1980s, it briefly resurfaced on home video, titled ''The Thorn'' in an attempt to cash in on Midler's mainstream hit The Rose (1979). It quickly disappeared after another round of legal threats.
The name of the book that the pregnant Virgin Mary is reading at the start of the film is "Going Steady with God" (1965) by Anna B. Mow.
The movie was initially conceptualized as a spoof of the 1950s biblical epic drama The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). The picture's working titles were actually ''The Greatest Story Overtold'' and ''A Story Too Often Told'' whilst the film was actually initially first shown briefly under the title of ''The Greatest Story Overtold'' in 1971 at the Detroit Institute of Art.
The picture in the early part of principal photography was filmed as a black-and-white silent movie according to an article published in the 18th May 1974 issue of 'The Los Angeles Herald Examiner' newspaper. The silent film which was an inspiration to the production was D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916).
The movie's opening statement reads: "No film company that any of you who may be present in the audience ever heard of made this film. It was produced by Framemonger Productions and distributed by National Entertainment Corporation, which will accept all the plaudits this picture may deserve and all the reverse reactions as well. The references to any product or person are in fun only and are not to be taken as adverse comment or criticism. Anyone offended by a satire based upon the new testament should leave this theater at once. End of disclaimer".