This was one of the first films to use the word "sex." Ray Milland says, "Rage is a pretty good substitute for sex, isn't it?"
Paramount paid $285,000 for the film rights to the stage hit, a record at the time. $115,000 to producer Sam Harris, $85,000 to librettist Moss Hart and $42,500 each to composer Kurt Weill and lyricist Ira Gershwin.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 29, 1945, with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland reprising their film roles.
In the original Broadway production, Danny Kaye sang his famous patter song, "Tchaikovsky (And Other Russians)," in which he dashed off the names of 50 Russian composers in 39 seconds. By the time the movie version was made, Kaye was under contract with Samuel Goldwyn, and could not appear in the film. His role as the photographer, Russell Paxton, was given to Mischa Auer, and the "Tchaikovsky" number was dropped.
The Broadway production of "Lady in the Dark" was designed by Harry Horner, whose set design used an inner turntable, with an outer turntable ring, allowing both turntables to operate independently or simultaneously, either in the same direction or turning in opposition to each other. Turntable set design had first been seen on Broadway in The Band Wagon (1931) courtesy of designer Harry Horner, who was brought to New York by Max Rhinehart as stage manager for his imported production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."