ДЄfter its television broadcast, The Sleepy Time Gal had several commercial theatrical playdates across the U.S. The film had a television premiere instead of a theatrical debut, with a debut broadcast on the Sundance Channel on March 29, 2002. Later that year, it was cited by the Village Voice in its annual survey of the year's best undistributed films. However, it was not acquired by a major distributor for theatrical release. The Sleepy Time Gal was first shown at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.

But unlike the characters in his film, Munch made no attempt to actively locate his long-lost half-sister. Munch also stated the inspiration for The Sleepy Time Gal was based on his mother's experience in giving birth to a baby girl out of wedlock and giving the infant away for adoption. 'It really was held together by chewing gum and a lot of care.' 'I didn't have a big enough chunk of money at any one point to do the whole thing,' he said. Munch shot the film over a two-and-half year period, and he later told an interviewer the extended stop-and-start shooting schedule was dictated by the lack of finances. The Sleepy Time Gal was the third film directed by Christopher Munch, whose previous work included The Hours and Times (1991) and Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day (1996). Part of her search takes her to a Daytona Beach, Florida, radio station where Frances worked years ago as a late-night disc jockey under the moniker of the Sleepy Time Gal. She is unaware that her lost daughter, Rebecca, who is now a corporate lawyer is conducting her own search for her missing birth mother.

Frances attempts to search for the child she gave away, but she is diagnosed with cancer before she is able to conduct a thorough search.ДЄs Frances is attended by one of her sons Morgan, and a nurse, Maggie. She also gave birth to a daughter following an affair she had with a married man, Bob, but was forced by her mother, Anna, to give up the baby for adoption. Frances has enjoyed a variety of jobs during her adult life and is the mother of two sons, each by a different husband.

The sleepy time gal