Shirley Booth was 60 years old when she played the part of Dolly Levi in this film. Her age was more appropriate for the character of a middle-aged widow than Barbra Streisand who took the part in the musical remake Hello, Dolly! (1969) 11 years later. Streisand was only 27 at the time.
The stage version of "The Matchmaker" opened in New York on December 5, 1955 at the Royale Theatre and closed on February 2, 1957 at the Booth Theatre. Ruth Gordon starred as Dolly Levi and Loring Smith as Horace Vandergelder. Robert Morse as Barnaby Tucker was the only actor to reprise his role in the movie version.
This movie was based on Thornton Wilder's play, originally produced as THE MERCHANT OF YONKERS, and revised as THE MATCHMAKER. The play was the basis for this movie as well as the musical "Hello, Dolly", first on Broadway in 1964 and later on film: Hello, Dolly! (1969).