After winning the Oscar, Michael Todd hired out Madison Square Garden and threw a huge party. 18,000 guests attended, with the celebration frequently threatening to degenerate into all-out chaos. Todd himself called the party a disaster.
Although it wasn't nominated for Best Original Song, the theme tune "Around the World" by Victor Young and Harold Adamson became a huge international hit for Bing Crosby.
Contrary to popular belief, production reports show that the large majority of this film was shot in Hollywood. An extensive number of exterior second unit locations were used, but most of the scenes were actually shot on sound stages in Hollywood, and on the back lots of over seven major studios including RKO-Pathe, RKO, Universal-International, Warner Bros., Columbia and 20th Century-Fox.
For the Spanish-dubbed version of the film, Cantinflas himself provided the voice of his character Passepartout.
In order to make the film really stand out from the crowd of epic films, producer Michael Todd implored theater owners to promote the film "exactly as you would a Broadway show": organize reserved seats, pass out playbills before the movie, remove clocks from the theater and ban the sale of popcorn.
In the original novel, Princess Aouda's Eastern garb is taken off her when she is rescued by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout from the sacrifice. She is then dressed by them in European garb, specifically: a dress, a magnificent Otterskin jacket, and a large cloak. She wears this garb for the rest of the journey around the world and the trip back to England.
Is generally considered the single largest film project ever undertaken in Hollywood. Filming was completed in 75 shooting days.
One of the many coups that Michael Todd pulled off was to get permission to shoot a rocket launch which can be seen at the start of the film. Todd directed this sequence himself.
Only about two or three process (visual effects) shots appear in the entire film, early on when David Niven and Cantinflas are in the balloon and we see them looking out over the Pyrenees. These shots were accomplished by animation cameraman William Williams, who also worked on the process shots for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo.
Only nine Todd AO cameras were in existence at the time of shooting, and all of them were employed in the making of this film.
Original director John Farrow was fired from the production by Michael Todd after about a week. He realized quickly that only one person could run a Michael Todd production and it wasn't going to be him. Farrow's involvement was such that he was given a screenplay credit, and ironically, won an Oscar for his troubles.
Over a dozen airline companies provided service to the actors and technicians on this film as they flew from Hollywood to the locations overseas. These included such major companies as Pan Am and TWA, as well as foreign companies such as Middle Eastern and Pakistan Air. Private pilot Paul Mantz also provided airline accommodations for producer Michael Todd.
Phileas Fogg, Passepartout, and Princess Aouda travel east across the U.S. on the locomotive Jupiter. The Jupiter was the Central Pacific Railroad's representative at the Golden Spike ceremony that created the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.
Producer Michael Todd had a reputation for being tight-fisted. Reportedly, S.J. Perelman required payment in cash before handing over pages of the script.
Some of the ship scenes were completed in the Sersen tank at 20th Century-Fox studios under the supervision of Fox visual effects supervisor Fred Sersen. The visual effects team worked on the boat props as well. The Sersen tank was used for a number of independent productions including Walt Disney's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Some sources list Ava Gardner as one of the cameo performers in this film. It is unclear whether or not she may have contributed to the film with her performance being cut, or whether this is simply an error.
The barge used in Bangkok belonged to the King of Thailand, who lent it to producer Michael Todd.
The bullfighting sequence was added because Cantinflas had bullfighting experience. He actually was in the ring with the bull, eschewing the use of a stunt double. This was one of the first sequences to be shot.
The cameo role of the manservant that Phileas Fogg discharges at the beginning of the film was originally offered to Laurence Olivier, who turned it down. It was played in the film by John Gielgud.
The film began shooting with John Farrow as director, and Emmett Emerson as the first assistant director in London. Both were replaced.