Young Man with a Horn

Kirk Douglas's trumpet licks were performed by Harry James, who also taught Douglas the correct fingering of the instrument.

The film contains a reference to homosexuality, although the Hays Office--the industry's censor--required any mention of it be subtle. The character of Amy (Lauren Bacall) is lesbian, which is why Rick (Kirk Douglas) walks out on her, telling her that she is "a very sick girl." Many decades later, Bacall told a Turner Classic Movies interviewer that the reference was so subtle (and she was then so young and naive) that she didn't understand until years later that the character she played was supposed to be lesbian.

While making this film, Kirk Douglas tried to warn Doris Day about taking financial advice from her then manager Martin Melcher. Douglas had gotten burned by Melcher, and thought Day naive to be so trusting of him. Not only did Day ignore Douglas' advice, she later married Melcher and, after his death in 1968, discovered that he had both squandered the fortune she had earned during her 20-year film career, and left her seriously in debt to the IRS.

Doris Day wrote that she was unhappy making this film, which brought back stressful memories of her early career as a band singer, and also because Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall (having dated at one time in real life) seemed to intentionally shut her out, making her feel unwelcome.

The three main actors all proved to be remarkably long-lived. All were around to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the movie's release. Lauren Bacall passed away in August of 2014 at the age of 89. Both Kirk Douglas and Doris Day were around for the film's 69th anniversary. Day passed in May of 2019 at the age of 97. Douglas was the sole survivor when he passed less than a year later in February of 2020 at 103.