Orson Welles always wore a fake nose when he worked, so when he would sweat on this film, his fake nose would slip. Make-up people had to keep applying material to keep the fake nose from falling.
Oscar Levant said about Producer Jerry Wald, "He suddenly became involved with Faulkner. He'd buy a Faulkner property and that turgid, incomprehensible prose was on one occasion transformed into " The Long, Hot Summer." In that picture Orson Welles played a "big daddy" type of role. Sometimes he was inaudible - Those were his best moments."
Joanne Woodward became pregnant during production only to miscarry on her and 'Paul Newman' (I)'s honeymoon, less than a month before the world premiere.
Director Martin Ritt was forever known after this movie as the man who tamed Orson Welles. During filming Ritt drove Welles into the middle of a swamp, kicked him out of the car and forced him to find his own way back.
It took five days to film the barn-burning scene because the sky, winds, or amount of sunlight were not acceptable to the director.
The title song "The Long Hot Summer" was a hit single for Jimmie Rodgers who had a peak year in 1958 with 7 consecutive hit recordings.
This film marks Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman's first cinematic collaboration.