Marni Nixon, famed for doing similar voicing duties on The King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), sings for Margaret O'Brien in the synagogue choir scenes.
Although there was not a soundtrack album, MGM issued a 78-rpm boxed album featuring Betty Garrett (making her screen debut), along with recording artists Kate Smith (intoning her trademark "God Bless America," written by Irving Berlin), Art Lund and Hal McIntyre's Orchestra. From RCA Victor came two releases by cast members: a 78-rpm album by the illustrious soprano who had retired from the Metropolitan Opera, Lotte Lehmann (singing "God Bless America" in the movie and commercially for RCA Victor); and a single by Page Cavanaugh Trio of "Ok'l Baby Dok'l" (music and lyrics by Inez James and Sidney Miller) - performed here without Garrett, who shared the soundtrack version and then made her own studio cut with Hal Mooney and His Orchestra for MGM Records to include on its album and also issue as a single.
This film was a huge flop at the box office, resulting in a loss to MGM of $850,000 (about $11M in 2024) according to studio records. It did not even made back its negative cost, let alone expenses for print duplication, distribution and advertising.
The bridge behind the dedication is the Williamsburg Bridge over the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The Settlement House is on Division Street, which along with the bridge establishes the location as the Lower East Side neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City.