One of former silent star Dolores Costello's last roles. She was forced to retire from the film business as her face had become badly scarred by early film makeup, which was highly caustic.
The consensus of opinion according to nearly everyone who saw the original conclusion - which included a tour of the decaying Amberson mansion - was that it was much more powerful than the tacked-on "happy" ending.
Composer Bernard Herrmann had his name removed from the credits to protest the way RKO tampered with his work.
The set for the Ambersons' mansion was one of the most elaborate and expensive sets ever built at the time. RKO would utilize the standing set for other films.
The re-cutting of this film caused a deep rift in Orson Welles' friendships with Robert Wise and Joseph Cotten. Cotten later wrote several letters of apology to Welles, and the two later reconciled. Welles and Wise, however, remained on acrimonious terms for some 42 years until Wise was invited to come to the stage by Gilbert Cates when the Directors Guild of America honored Welles with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984. The former rivals ended up shaking hands as the crowd rewarded them with a standing ovation.