Somewhat a landmark film for 20th Century-Fox, as it was the first film they offered the exhibitors under the recently-established terms of the consent decree, conditions that no longer allowed a film studio or company to force the exhibitors to book a large block of films from the same company in order to get any film from that company in a production season. They could still require the exhibitor to make bookings in blocks of five, and "Charley's Aunt" was the first of the five offered. The other four could have been turkeys, but they had to be booked in order to get "Charley's Aunt."
Richard Haydn did not use his usual 'timid professor' voice when playing "Charley"; however, he did use that voice when dubbing the opening line of the movie ("Good afternoon, Mr. Redcliff") for what is presumably an uncredited extra.
The Gala World Premiere showing of this film occurred at both Loew's State
and Grauman's Chinese Theatres in Los Angeles on 31 July 1941.
(Daily News, ((Los Angeles, Calif.)) 28 July 1941)
At 27, Laird Cregar plays the father of 31-year-old Richard Ellison.