Jerry Lewis' musical entrance down the grand staircase was done in one take, a Lewis trademark. But his seven-second rush up the same sixty-three steps put too much of a strain on his heart and landed him in the hospital. In a 2011 interview, Lewis said he suffered his first heart attack while making this movie.
The dream car in the movie is the Golden Sahara, built by custom car king George Barris in 1955, based on a 1953 Lincoln Capri. Barris would become famous for designing the custom cars for Batman, and The Munsters.
Paramount wanted to release this in the summer of 1960, but Jerry Lewis insisted it should be a Christmas attraction. The only way the studio would agree to the delay was if Lewis provided another film for their summer slate, so Lewis wrote, produced, directed and starred in "The Bellboy," which was made in a record four weeks and rushed into release that July. Both films were hits, and contributed to Lewis being ranked 11th among the Top Box Office Stars of 1960.
Some exteriors were shot at the Bel Air, California mansion also used in The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), which later became the home of "Dynasty" producer Aaron Spelling.