In the 1960s Walt Disney remade "Swiss Family Robinson", The Disney Studios bought up the rights to the 1940 version produced and distributed by RKO, then Walt Disney confiscated all known prints of RKO Radio Pictures version so there wouldn't be comparisons to the Disney remake. Luckily there were a few survivors to this cinematic holocaust, so the film survives today, much to the relief of film historians and preservationists.
Orson Welles received his first screen credit for narrating the introduction and was paid $25, which he donated to the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital.
The earliest documented telecasts of this film took place in New York City Saturday 29 March 1947 on WNBT (Channel 4), in Washington DC Sunday 28 March 1948 on WNBW (Channel 4), in Chicago Thursday 1 April 1948 on WBKB (Channel 4) and again Saturday 25 December 1948 on WGN (Channel 9), in Buffalo Sunday 30 May 1948 on WBEN (Channel 4), in Fort Worth Sunday 17 October 1948 on WBAP (Channel 5), in both Baltimore and Philadelphia Saturday 6 November 1948 on WAAM (Channel 13) and WFIL (Channel 6), in Detroit Saturday 25 December 1948 on WXYZ (Channel 7), in Memphis Tuesday 11 January 1949 on WMCT (Channel 4), in Los Angeles Saturday 22 October 1949 on KNBH (Channel 4), and in Cincinnati Wednesday 9 November 1949 on WKRC (Channel 11).
As a prank, Orson Welles recorded another introduction for a private showing hosted by Gene Towne saying that Towne was a fool for abandoning a profitable writing career to become a producer.
As of October 2021, the film is available for viewing on Disney+ streaming service. Prior to that, however, the film was never released on home video by Disney.