Legend has it that Edie Adams, who originated the role of Eileen on Broadway, was replaced for the TV production because Rosalind Russell was jealous of the reviews and attention that Adams had received for her performance. Jacquelyn McKeever was chosen to play the role.
Rosalind Russell, Cris Alexander, Jordan Bentley, Ted Beniades, Isabella Hoopes, Dort Clark and Michele Burke all reprise the roles they created on Broadway.
The original Broadway production of "Wonderful Town" opened at the Winter Garden Theater in New York on February 25, 1953, ran for 559 performances and won the 1953 Tony Award for the Best Musical. Rosalind Russell won the 1953 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and recreated her role in the movie version.
Only a badly degraded print of this television special seems to exist.
Columbia Records issued a best-selling sound track album in conjunction with the television broadcast. Rather than release the live recording from a kinescope, producer Goddard Lieberson brought the cast and orchestra into Columbia's New York studios to capture what would become the definitive recording of the score - in stereo, which the original Broadway cast album was not.