Scenically, the water ballet from this picture was one of the most elaborate of Esther Williams' career, providing a 180-degree vista through two sets - the floral lagoon that marks her entrance, and the lavish high cliff from which Howard Keel's character dives into the water. The underwater section of the ballet uses seven separate 'rooms' linked photographically to create the illusion that Williams remains below sea level without rising for air. Decades after the fact, this number provided a lavish centerpiece for the Esther Williams tribute sequence in That's Entertainment! (1974).
The original title for this film was "Tahiti." The writers of the music for the film, Harry Warren and Arthur Freed, wrote a song by that title, but when the title of the movie was changed, the song was dropped and Nacio Herb Brown and Freed's "Pagan Love Song" was added.
The melody to the song "The House Of Singing Bamboo" was actually written in 1945 by Harry Warren for the MGM picture Las chicas de Harvey (1946), which starred Judy Garland. The song was called "Hayride" and it originally had lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was cut from the picture. In 1950, the Mercer lyrics were dumped and the melody was changed slightly for use in this picture.
Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse were the first choices for the leads, but Cyd Charisse was pregnant at the time. A new screenplay was then written for Esther Williams to star in.