The "wolf" that Larry Talbot fights with was Lon Chaney Jr.'s own German Shepherd.
The first transformation takes place with Talbot in an undershirt (although he is fully dressed in a dark shirt once on the prowl). Only the feet transform on screen in six lapse dissolves. In the second transformation there are eleven shots - again of feet only. The third transformation features 17 face shots in a continuous dissolve.
The first Universal picture since The Black Cat to introduce the major characters during the opening credits - and the actors playing them - with brief clips from the movie.
The silver top of Larry's wolf-head cane was made of vulcanized rubber so none of the actors or stunt doubles would get injured if they were accidentally hit by it.
The Wolfman battled a bear in one scene but unfortunately the bear ran away during filming. What few scenes were filmed were put into the theatrical trailer.
Universal had another unproduced werewolf script originally planned as a vehicle for Boris Karloff on file but writer Curt Siodmak did not utilize any of it for his script.
Universal originally planned the project for it's horror superstar, Boris Karloff.
Universal, lacking a theater chain, had planned to market the film as part of a double bill (with The Mad Doctor of Market Street) but feared that the public would avoid an all-horror bill after the attack on Pearl Harbor.