The film did so unexpectedly well in the States that Columbia Pictures did market research to find out why so many people had gone to it. Their answer: Sidney Poitier.
The producers sought permission to film in the British Museum for the outing sequence, were denied only a few days prior to filming, although stills photography was permitted. Stills photographers Laurie Ridley and Dennis C. Stone were given a free hand, following the cast throughout the museum, creating the iconic montage sequence for the movie.
Sidney Poitier's deal for the picture, was a flat fee of $30,000 plus 10% of the box-office gross. The film's huge unexpected success meant that he eventually earned the equivalent of $45m in today's money.(2024).
The South African Publications Control Board banned the film, claiming it was "offensive to see a black male teaching a class of white children".
While it wasn't identified in the movie, the book explains what was burning in the classroom stove that caused Thackeray to lose his temper: a sanitary pad.