Ann Miller was only 15 years old when this movie was filmed. Her character is called on to perform numerous (amateur) ballet positions, including dancing en pointe. She had never been trained to do so, and wasn't using shoes with the proper support. She was just forcing her feet up onto their toes, which was very painful for her. She hid this from the cast and crew, but would cry (out of sight) off stage. James Stewart noticed her crying, though he didn't know why, and would have boxes of candy to make her feel better.
Shortly before filming began, Lionel Barrymore lost the use of his legs to crippling arthritis and a hip injury. To accommodate him, the script was altered so that his character had a sprained ankle, and Barrymore did the film on crutches.
Counting "Jimmy the Crow", thirteen actors from this film also appear in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
The first of only two Best Picture Academy Award winners to have been adapted for the screen from plays which won the Pulitzer Prize. The other is "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989).