The original play ran on Broadway for two years and 838 performances.

The play was still running on Broadway when the film of You Can't Take It with You was released. It marked the first time in history that a Broadway play and a film based on the same play ran simultaneously.

When You Can't Take It with You was being reviewed by the Production Code Administration, PCA Director Joseph Breen was reportedly concerned about the way the film's African American characters Donald and Rheba interacted with the Caucasian family. According to the American Film Institute, he wrote in a letter to Columbia Pictures President Harry Cohn, "[When] showing the negro characters Reba [sic] and Donald, care should be taken to avoid objection in the Southern sections of this country where the showing of negroes in association with whites has sometimes been subjected to criticism by the public generally and to deletion by political censor boards. Such criticism has been based on the feeling that negroes in pictures have been shown on terms too familiar and of 'social equality'."

Frank Capra's 3-year-old son Johnny died just before the release of You Can't Take It with You from complications that arose following a routine tonsillectomy.

The play of You Can't Take It with You has 19 parts for actors. The film version has 153.

Famous Quotes from YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU

"Maybe it'll stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends." – Lionel Barrymore (as Grandpa Vanderhof)

"Lincoln said, 'With malice toward none, with charity to all.' Nowadays they say, 'Think the way I do or I'll bomb the daylights outta you.'"– Lionel Barrymore (as Grandpa Vanderhof)

"Sometimes you're so beautiful it just gags me." – James Stewart (as Tony Kirby), to Jean Arthur's Alice Sycamore.

"You know, every time I think about how lucky I am, I feel like screaming." – James Stewart (as Tony Kirby)

"If you had any sense, young woman, you'd stay where you belong and stop being ambitious." –Mary Forbes (as Mrs. Kirby), to Jean Arthur's Alice

"The die is cast. I'm a lily!" – Donald Meek (as Poppins) "Confidentially, she stinks." – Mischa Auer (as Kolenkhov), referring to Essie's ballet dancing.