Gene Kelly wanted Moira Shearer to play the role of Fiona, however Shearer declined preferring to perform on the classical stage.
James Mitchell, who originated the role of Harry Beaton on Broadway, was initially scheduled to repeat the part on film; he ultimately chose instead to tour with the Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre.
Howard Keel and Jane Powell were originally slated to play the leads. When commitments on other films left them unavailable, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse were cast instead, and dancing subsequently emphasized over singing.
Although one of the greatest female dancers in the history of the movie musical, Cyd Charisse singing in films was almost always dubbed, most notably by Carol Richards in Brigadoon.
As with The Robe and Oklahoma!, two completely separate versions of this film were produced simultaneously, requiring separate takes. One version was in CinemaScope and the other had a 1.75:1 aspect ratio.
Average Shot Length (ASL) = 32 seconds - about three times as long as most films made during the Classical Hollywood era.
Brigadoon opened at the Ziegfeld Theater on March 13, 1947 and ran for 581 performances.
Four of the show's musical numbers - "Come to Me, Bend to Me", "There But For You Go I", "From This Day On", and "The Sword Dance" - were filmed and/or recorded, but eliminated before the film's release. The sound and picture for three of them are included as extras on the Warner DVD release, but only the audio for "There But For You Go I" has been included.
Michael Maule, a featured dancer with the New York City Ballet, was originally cast as Charlie Dalrymple, with his songs to be dubbed by John Gustafson. Before filming began he was replaced by Jimmy Thompson but the pre-recordings by Gustafson were kept for the film.
Most of the heather used in the film was really sumac spray-painted purple.
Star Gene Kelly and director Vincente Minnelli both wanted to film scenes on location in Scotland but the studio bosses at MGM insisted the film be shot entirely at the studio. When the movie was released critics noted the staged studio feel of the movie.
The background set was so realistic that some birds from outside flew into it.
The Breen office wouldn't allow the use of the two songs the Meg Brockie character sang in the stage version, "The Love of My Life" and "My Mother's Wedding Day" as the lyrics were too risqué.
The highland backdrops were over 600 feet long, and 60 feet high, and cost $382,280.
The long-horned cow was scary for 'Gene Kelly. (I)' For his scene with the animal, he ordered that it be blindfolded and chained to the floor. Plastic eyes were attached to the blindfold.
To get the effect of Brigadoon emerging from the mist, Vincente Minnelli filmed the sets with the fog being pumped in, then reversed the shot to show the mist moving away.