The show grew out of lip synching contests developed by William "Randy" Wood, who by 1982 had realized that his contests had grown so popular nationally that he needed to stage them on a broader scale. The planning process eventually grew into "Puttin' on the Hits" with Chris Bearde and Dick Clark serving as executive producers. Clark's son, Richard A. Clark, produced with Wood serving as the consulting producer. MCA Television served as distributor. "Puttin' on the Hits" was taped in Hollywood, California at Universal City Studios.