After the world premiere in Cincinnati, Ohio, the New York Office of M-G-M ordered 30 minutes to be cut from the film, since exhibitors complained about its length. In his autobiography, King Vidor says he expected the cuts to come out of the documentary footage in the film, but that footage was already wedded to the music. So the cuts came out of the dramatic portions. Many of the actors listed in the cast may not be seen in the 121-minute cut version which Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has shown.
During World War II, there were no passenger car assembly lines in operation. As a result, Vidor had to borrow cars from Chrysler, take them apart, and reassemble them in a simulated assembly line.
Louis Adamic, author of memoirs and studies of the immigrant experience, drafted the first sections of the script.