Sean Connery can be seen as the life boats are being loaded as a bearded deck hand assisting passengers.
Dennis Price sought a role in this project.
Laurence Naismith and Michael Goodliffe (who here share three scenes together), would later appear in two separate James Bond films. Naismith in Diamonds Are Forever, and Goodliffe in The Man with the Golden Gun. While Honor Blackman and Desmond Llewelyn (who here share no scenes together), would later appear in the third James Bond film Goldfinger (again sharing no scenes), Blackman as Pussy Galore, and Llewelyn as 'Q' (his second appearance). And finally, Kenneth More would later be considered for a role in the eighth James Bond film, Live and Let Die, replacing an ill Bernard Lee in the role of M.
Irene Worth sought a role in this film
Walter Lord found 64 survivors in researching his book "A Night to Remember." The Rank Organisation found many more in making the film, and several visited the set, including Edith Russell, a dress designer who had with her a lucky stuffed pig that played music. During one of her many visits to the set, Miss Russell (along with her stuffed pig) had the chance to meet the actress (Teresa Thorne) who was playing her. She also had the chance to show her the stuffed pig, which was much bigger than the one used in the film. It was bequeathed to Walter Lord in her will.
Walter Lord recorded that the painting hanging in the First Class Smoking Room was of New York Harbor and was called "The Approach to the New World". The painting was faithfully reproduced for the film and after completion it was presented by the Rank Organization to Lord, who later discovered that the painting had actually hung in the Titanic's sister ship, Olympic. It was a painting of Plymouth Harbor that hung in the Titanic.
According to Roy Ward Baker, the only cast member who caused him any trouble was Tucker McGuire (Molly Brown) whom he said was "ornery ... I don't know what got into her."
After the ship leaves Southampton, and we see the caption April 14, the shots of the Titanic and the passengers on deck were taken from Titanic, a Nazi propaganda film.
At least 28 members of the cast went on to appear in Z Cars
During the filming of the locations, while the indoor sets were being built at Pinewood, it was Rank's twenty-first birthday, but this was the only film being made. It required all of the 1,200 work force and for the first time, everyone was working on the same production.
During the scene of lunch at the Captain's table, the same menu was served as had been eaten by the Captain's guests. Roy Ward Baker said: "There was no need to do this, but some food had to be eaten and it might as well be correct. It all helped the atmosphere, which ... helped the actors."
Each page of the script was marked with the angle of the ship's deck at that point in its descent. This way, when they shot scenes out of order, they could maintain accuracy and continuity.
In the film you see two brief shots of a playroom for the first class children, but the Titanic (and the Olympic) never had such a room. There was however, one on their sister ship, the Britannic.
It was only after seeing this film that James Cameron decided to make Titanic. In fact, Cameron was so taken by this film that he lifted ideas, plot lines, conversations and characters, including a minor character similar to the one played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
It wasn't until 1985 when the wreckage of Titanic was discovered, that they found out it had split in two while sinking in 1912. In this film the Titanic does not split in two, but goes down in one piece.
Lawrence Beesley, a survivor from second class, was on the set during filming. At one point when the sinking was being filmed, he attempted to enter the scene and - perhaps symbolically - "go down" with the ship. Director Roy Ward Baker didn't allow this, as it would have been a union violation, which could have closed down production.
Producer William MacQuitty had been one of the spectators at the launching of the Titanic on May 31, 1911. He was 6 at the time and found the experience most impressive.
Second Officer Lightoller, the hero of the film, went on to serve with distinction in World Wars I and II, rescuing many men at Dunkirk. He died in 1952. Lightoller's son advised Kenneth More on how to play his father and his widow visited the set (and More) to observe the filming.
The ad for toilet soap that Kenneth More reads at the start of the film is a genuine advertisement from the days prior to Titanic's launch.
The Austurius was the ship used for most exterior shots. Another ship used during the filming was the "Largs Bay".