Because most of the studio sets were built in the open air, many viewers did not realize that the movie was filmed entirely in the studio.
Both Jack Wild and Oliver Reed were wearing lifts in the film. Although Wild was 15 at the time of filming, he was actually shorter than nine-year-old Mark Lester.
Early rumors regarding casting included Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as Bill and Nancy, and either Laurence Harvey or Peter Sellers as Fagin; though eventually Ron Moody was asked to reprise his stage role. Jack Wild had played one of Fagin's boys in the London production, but was now old enough to play the Artful Dodger. Shani Wallis finally won the role of Nancy nearly a year after first auditioning when she demonstrated an acceptable Cockney accent - the one she grew up with.
Fagin's owl proved to be a big scene-stealer as every time Carol Reed shouted "Action!", the bird would spin its head 180 degrees.
Final live action cinema film of Peggy Mount
In conjunction with the release of this film (c. 1968-1969), Random House published a hardcover novelization of the film's screenplay for younger audiences, illustrated with stills from the film. Among the stills featured were scenes showing the arrival at the workhouse and the death of Oliver's mother, who, at least in U.S. prints, never appears in the film.
In the original Broadway production, the Artful Dodger was played by future Monkee Davy Jones who was also nominated for a 1963 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.
It was also the last musical to win the Best Picture Oscar until Chicago 34 years later.
Since Mark Lester was unable to simulate tears, freshly cut onions were used to make his eyes water for the "Where Is Love?" number.
The "Consider Yourself" number took three weeks to film.
The cast included 84 boys between 8 and 15 years of age, and one member of Parliament suggested they were being exploited just as the depicted orphans had been. The filmmakers replied that they needed protection more than the boys did, due to the rowdy nature of the production during the summer.
The cast rehearsed for 6 months before a single frame was shot.
The film is always listed as running 153 minutes, but this is because of the Overture heard before the film, the Intermission Music, and the Exit Music. The actual film, including the opening credits, runs about 145 minutes.
The first film with an MPAA rating to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
The idea of Sikes using Oliver as a hostage to help him escape was taken directly from Sir David Lean's film Oliver Twist. It does not occur that way in the novel. Apparently Lean was not pleased about his friend Sir Carol Reed borrowing from his film without acknowledging him in the opening credits.
The London sets covered six sound stages and a huge studio backlot - with rich and poor sections. The sets were adaptable overnight in spite of their sturdy look, due to the fact that single dance numbers sometimes required changing sets up to a dozen times.
The lyrics to "Be Back Soon" were changed from "Bow Street Runners" to "nosy policemen" in case American audiences didn't understand the reference.
The Magistrate that Hugh Griffith plays in the film did not appear in the original stage production of "Oliver!" He does appear in Dickens's original novel, "Oliver Twist", on which the musical is based. In the novel the Magistrate is named Mr. Fang, and although Dickens wrote him satirically, he did not intend him to be comical.
The only G-rated film to be honored with an Academy Award for Best Picture.