Trivia

It originally was intended by director Stanley Donen that Cary Grant would play the part of "Delacro", the American tourist, whilst Rex Harrison and his real-life wife Kay Kendall were cast as "Victor Rhyall" and "Hattie", respectively. But Kendall died soon after completing an earlier Donen film, Once More, with Feeling! (1960), and Harrison dropped out of the film because of this. Grant agreed to play Victor instead of Delacro, and both Rock Hudson and Charlton Heston were approached about playing the American character. Both refused, and Robert Mitchum was cast quite late in the proceedings, making no fuss at all about taking third-billing. Grant often claimed this had "saved the film" and praised his performance highly.

Originally Cary Grant turned down the part of Victor. The role subsequently was offered to his friend Rex Harrison, who accepted. However, right before shooting began, Harrison's wife fell gravely ill, and he was forced to leave the production in order to tend to her. Grant, out of respect for cast and crew, and to keep the filming running according to schedule, then decided to take the part.

Cary Grant refused to wear a smoking jacket for one scene, believing that if the audience saw him dressed that way they would immediately lose sympathy with his character. Director Stanley Donen later said that a type of old-fashioned comedy died that day.

The dilemma of a titled couple struggling to keep their familial stately home running was a common one in post-WWII Britain. The National Trust helped save and restore many of these houses and continues its work today (2024).

Charlton Heston regrettably passed on the role of Charles Delacro because he was committed to a stage play with Laurence Olivier. Heston stated in his autobiography, "I missed out on the only chance I ever had to play opposite Cary Grant. He stood out among his peers as the best at light comedy. I would have leapt at the chance just to sweep up after him."