According to photographer William Claxton, the crew was shooting in Columbus, Texas on November 22, 1963 when the radio announced the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Everyone gathering around the radio was stunned. Especially Steve McQueen who took it very hard and kept very quiet for the rest of the stay in Texas.
Horton Foote was a native of Wharton, Texas, where portions of this movie were filmed. The Texas premier of "Baby the Rain Must Fall" was held in Wharton on February 4, 1965 at the now-demolished Rio Theatre.