Linda Darnell was originally cast in the role of "Vivian." But her marriage to the much-older cinematographer J. Peverell Marley ran her afoul of studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, and she was put on suspension. Sheila Ryan replaced her in the role.
Alice Faye was pregnant with her second daughter during the filming of this movie.
Director Busby Berkeley was free to do this film because Judy Garland had him fired from Girl Crazy after he shot the film's ending number, "I Got Rhythm." Norman Taurog took over the direction of "Girl Crazy" and, rather than pay him his contract salary for not working, MGM loaned Berkeley to 20th Century-Fox for this film.
In a deleted scene (included on the DVD), Phillip Baker hosts a segment of his then-popular radio quiz show, "The $64 Question," with a young G.I. as a contestant.
On loan from MGM, Busby Berkeley, directing and choreographing this Twentieth Century-Fox musical, was given his first opportunity to work using perfected, three-strip Technicolor. Thirteen years before, Mr. Berkeley had choreographed for producer Samuel Goldwyn the Eddie Cantor frolic, Whoopee!, shot in early Technicolor.
The production number "The Lady In The Tutti-Frutti Hat" ran into problems with the censors. The Hayes office at first considered the way the gigantic bananas were held in front of the dancers as being too "phallic". The problem was resolved by having the dancers hold the bananas at waist level rather than at hip level.
The songs for this film were originally written for the eventually abandoned MGM picture "Babes in Hollywood".