Did You Know?

Film debut of Jonathan Winters.

Zasu Pitts' final film appearance. Suffering from cancer, she died during post-production several months after filming wrapped up and four months before the movie's release.

Arnold Stang broke his left forearm just days before his scenes were shot. In all shots, he wears garage workman's gloves on both hands and his his left arm is always crooked, and held in place by a cast concealed under his garage uniform.

Phil Silvers held regular crap games on the set.

The billboard that the twin-engine Beechcraft flies through was made of thin balsa wood, except for a thicker frame for support. Stunt pilot Frank Tallman had to fly the aircraft directly through the center of the billboard or the thicker frame would shear off a wing. The billboard was located at the end of the runway of the Chino Airport(40 miles from L.A. and just southeast of Pomona, CA) which made it ideal and isolated enough for filming. It was placed at runway's end due to the fact that the plane's prop would come to a halt after crashing through the wood, making it necessary for the pilot to land immediately. He did just that, flying through the billboard and landing on the runway directly behind it.

Contrary to popular belief, the car that Jack Benny drives in his cameo is not a Maxwell, the defunct brand of automobile famed as his "jalopy" on his radio show. The car he is driving is a 1931 or 1932 Cadillac. It is either a Series 355-0A (which came with a V-8 engine) or a Series 370-A (which came with a V-12 engine).

In the opening title animation, when the figure blows up the world and the actors' names scatter on the screen, there is a very brief moment - only three frames, in fact - when the letters form the names of the animators, including Bill Melendez, Bernie Gruver [ Bernard Gruver ], and other animators.

In the scene where Jonathan Winters backed the truck into the water tower, it actually fell too soon, before the truck actually hit it. To compensate, special effects split the screen and slowed down the side with the water tower so that the fall would coincide with the hit.

The fictional Santa Rosita State Park was located at Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes. It was landscaped for the movie, and is off limits to the general public today.

It became well known that Stanley Kramer was casting nearly every comedy performer he could think of. Some famous stars actually contacted Kramer to volunteer for the project, or to inquire as to why they had not been contacted.

The main part of the film was shot during the summer months of 1962 because many cast members were on hiatus from television series which they were working on.

Edie Adams almost didn't accept the role of Monica because her husband Ernie Kovacs was killed in an auto accident a few months earlier.

On 17 November 1963, the day before the movie opened for the public in New York, there was a much-publicized gala charity premiere benefit at the Cinerama Theater for the Kennedy Child Study Center in New York and the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Institute of Washington. In addition to the stars in attendance, most of President Kennedy's family was there, including his mother, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and brothers Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas five days later.

Ethel Merman's role was originally written as the father-in-law, and Groucho Marx was one of the choices to play it.

A dance sequence featuring The Shirelles was filmed but never used and appears to no longer survive. However, their uncredited performances of the title song and "31 Flavours" can still be heard on the soundtrack album.

Marvin Kaplan said that he and Arnold Stang were given the job of "entertaining" Jonathan Winters during the periods in between his scenes.

Many of the locations for "Santa Rosita" were filmed in Long Beach, CA. The "Santa Rosita" Police Department was in real life the main branch of the YMCA at 6th and Long Beach Blvd. The hardware store the Crumps were locked in was at 5th and Locust.

Most of the "chase" scenes - the sequences with the cars - were filmed near what is now Palm Desert, CA. If you look closely, you will see a road sign for Highway 74, which runs south from the heart of the city of Palm Desert. The vast open spaces are now largely residential country clubs with golf courses.

The role of Ray (one of the gas station attendants) was intended for Jackie Mason. Mason withdrew due to his nightclub commitments and Arnold Stang replaced him at late notice.

In-And-Out Burger restaurants feature a pair palm trees forming a "Big X" as an homage to this movie, the favorite movie of founder Harry Snyder.

Milton Berle's character is 6 months younger than his mother-in-law played by Ethel Merman.

Jack Benny:  the car driver who stops to offer help to Mrs. Marcus.

The "big W" is visible almost the moment the cast arrives at the park. In a wide shot showing the first ones to arrive (Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney) you can see three of the four palms to the extreme left of the screen, albeit obscured by bushes.