Marlon Brando was considered for the role of The King.
Maureen O'Hara campaigned for the role Anna. She later said that she'd been cast in the role until Richard Rodgers objected, reportedly saying that he would not have a "pirate queen" play Anna.
Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress (for Carmen Jones), was the original choice for Tuptim, but she refused because Tuptim was a slave.
Yul Brynner pushed for Deborah Kerr to be cast. He had seen her stage work and was impressed.
Early in development, Fox executives suggested that the ending be changed so that the King was gored by a white elephant instead of falling ill due to humiliation. Yul Brynner was furious and the original story was retained.
A modifier was placed on Marni Nixon's microphone so that she would sound older. Nixon was hired on a six-week contract and attended every rehearsal that Deborah Kerr was in. She would walk through the scene beside Ms. Kerr, both of them singing and Nixon observing Kerr's facial expressions to imitate them later.
The following musical numbers were recorded and were included on the soundtrack album but were not in the film as relased.
- "My Lord and Master"
- "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?"
- "I Have Dreamed"
- An opening verse of "Song of the King"
- A choral reprise of "Whistle a Happy Tune"
Reports from before shooting started stated that "My Lord and Master" would not be in the film.
Gertrude Lawrence had a contractual guaranteed that she would star in the film version. But she was diagnosed with cancer and died during the Broadway run.
The film premiered in both New York and Hollywood on June 28, 1956. The premieres were both benefits. At Grauman's Chinese in Hollywood, the premiere was a benefit for the UCLA Medical Center Group. At the Roxy in New York, it was a benefit for the Police Athletic League.
