Alan Jay Lerner finished the screenplay of An American in Paris the day before his wedding.

The song "By Strauss" was originally completed by George and Ira Gershwin at Vincente Minnelli's request to include in a stage play of his, The Show Is On in 1936.

Cinematographer John Alton won his only Oscar for the color cinematography of the 17-minute ballet sequence in An American in Paris. But Alton is far better known for his exquisite black-and-white cinematography, as seen in such film noir masterpieces as T-Men (1947), Raw Deal (1948), and The Big Combo (1955).

The final ballet number featured 120 dancers.

In Oscar Levant's number, for which he performs all the instruments of a concerto, lyricist-screenwriter Adolph Green sometimes doubled for Levant as the conductor.

During preproduction, Vincente Minnelli recruited all French people living in Southern California to play lesser roles and crowd extras in the film.

An American in Paris is one of the few American musicals where all the singing is done only by men.

Only the opening panoramic shot was filmed in Paris. The rest of An American in Paris could've been called "An American in MGM's Backlot," as imagined by set decorators Edwin B. Willis and Keogh Gleason.

Oscar Levant came up with one of his own memorable lines: "It's not a pretty face, I grant you. But underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character."

When An American in Paris unexpectedly won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, MGM ran a tongue-in-cheek notice in the trade papers, acknowledging two pictures that were supposed to win. A caricature of Leo the Lion modestly claims, "Honestly, I was just standing 'in the Sun' waiting for 'a Streetcar.'"

Memorable Quotes from An American in Paris

Jerry Mulligan: Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French.

Adam Cook: I'm a concert pianist. That's a pretentious way of saying I'm... unemployed at the moment.

Jerry Mulligan: That's... quite a dress you almost have on.
Milo Roberts: Thanks.
Jerry Mulligan: What holds it up?
Milo Roberts: Modesty.

Adam Cook: It's not a pretty face, I grant you, but underneath its flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character."

by Scott McGee