George Cukor offered Marlon Brando the role of Norman Maine on the set of Júlio César (1953). "Why would you come to me?" asked Brando. "I'm in the prime of my life... If you're looking around for some actor to play an alcoholic has-been, he's sitting right over there"- pointing at his costar James Mason, who got the part.
Judy Garland was on her best behaviour during the early days of shooting, but she slowly lost control. She first called in sick on November 9, which kept her off the film for four days. She got sick again shooting outdoor locations and missed three more days. She was sick again for two days in December. Then they had to postpone a scene because she didn't like her costume. Other days, she had to leave early because she was too tired or sick to go on. By February, they were 41 days behind schedule. In late March, she took two weeks off to get herself off all prescription medications. Ultimately, the production would drag on for nine months.
Groucho Marx called Judy Garland's not winning an Oscar for Nasce uma Estrela (1954) "the biggest robbery since Brink's." Hedda Hopper later reported that her loss to Grace Kelly for Amar é Sofrer (1954) was the result of the closest Oscar vote up till that time that didn't end in a tie, with just six votes separating the two. In any event, it was a heartbreak from which she never really recovered and which has remained a matter of some controversy ever since.
Because the role of Norman Maine is that of a has-been actor, it was rejected by Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Ray Milland, Gregory Peck, Tyrone Power, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart and Robert Taylor before being finally accepted by James Mason. Judy Garland did suggest her former As Garçonetes de Harvey (1946) co-star, John Hodiak, for the role, but Hodiak was unavailable at the time.
The film was re-edited several times. Premiering at 181 minutes, the studio (Warner Bros.) cut the film by 30 minutes despite the objections of director George Cukor and producer Sidney Luft (Judy Garland's husband). In 1983, all but 5 minutes of the cut footage was found and re-instated, but some footage had to be reconstructed using production stills.
Ray Heindorf: musical director for this film appears at a party, where Matt Libby tells him "Hey, Ray! Great score, the best!"
Humphrey Bogart: (unconfirmed) Some sources credit Bogart, who turned down the role of Norman Maine, as the voice of the drunk café patron requesting "Melancholy Baby". Other listeners insist that it sounds nothing like him.