The film's original source material is a 1930 play by Zoe Akins called The Greeks Had a Word for It, which ran for 253 performances on Broadway. Another play called Loco (1946) by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert was also used for inspiration. Loco ran a total of 37 performances on Broadway.

The 1932 Pre-Code film The Greeks Had a Word for Them is another version of the same story based on Zoe Akins original play. It starred Joan Blondell, Madge Evans and Ina Claire.

The title How to Marry a Millionaire has been referenced numerous times in various film and television projects including episodes of I Dream of Jeannie ("How to Marry an Astronaut"), Frasier ("How to Bury a Millionaire"), The Jeffersons ("How Not to Marry a Millionaire") and Cheers ("How to Marry a Mailman").

How to Marry a Millionaire was turned into a TV series that ran from 1957-1959. It starred Barbara Eden, Lori Nelson, Merry Anders and Lisa Gaye. It was Barbara Eden's (I Dream of Jeannie) first television series on which she was a regular.

A television movie loosely based on How to Marry a Millionaire aired during the Christmas season of 2000 called How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale. This time the roles were reversed and the plot featured three broke men looking for rich women to marry. It starred John Stamos, Joshua Malina and Shemar Moore.

A television movie called Rich Men, Single Women aired in 1990, which was loosely based on the How to Marry a Millionaire premise. It starred Suzanne Somers, Heather Locklear and Deborah Adair as the three scheming women.

According to Hollywood trade papers, actress Nicole Kidman purchased the rights to How to Marry a Millionaire in 2007 through her production company with the intention of starring in an updated remake.

by Andrea Passafiume