Beulah Bondi portrayed James Stewart's mother five times: In It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Of Human Hearts (1938), and Vivacious Lady (1938), and once on his television series, The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971).
Gene Reynolds, who played Jason Wilkins as a boy, became a successful television producer and director. M*A*S*H (1972), Blossom (1990), Lou Grant (1977), and Room 222 (1969) were among his most memorable series.
The title was chosen in a nationwide contest MGM held on its radio program. The winner, high school student Ray Harris, not only won $5,000 but also was a special guest at the world premiere of the movie in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. The film's battle scene cost $50,000 and required 2000 men to film. Ted Healy is on early production charts, but died before the end of filming. He is said to appear in one scene.
The story takes place on a small town located on the Ohio River called "Pine Hill, Ohio". There is an actual town in Ohio by that name, but it is located in Carroll County, many miles north of that important waterway.