History Trivia / Carousel

* CreatorPreferredAdaptation: Ferenc Molnar, writer of ''Liliom'', sat in on a few rehearsals. Rogers & Hammerstein were terrified of what his reaction would be - only for the man to say he loved what they had done, especially changing the ending.

* MagnumOpusDissonance: Shirley Jones preferred this to ''{{Theatre/Oklahoma}}'', despite ''Carousel'' not being as well-received. She said this was her favourite Rogers & Hammerstein score altogether. Richard Rogers also considered ''Carousel'' to be his favourite score.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The musical was going to open with an overture, but Rogers changed his mind because he felt that the music could never be properly heard over the sounds of latecomers getting to their seats. So the show instead opens with a pantomime scene and "The Carousel Waltz".

** Initial performances of the musical included God and a wife (named Mrs God by Richard Rogers later on) depicted as a New England minister and his wife in a parlour - and Billy would appear before them after his death. After a few performances, they realised it wasn't working. So the parlour was scrapped, Mr God was renamed the Starkeeper and put on a ladder, and Mrs God was dropped entirely.
** The DarkReprise of "If I Loved You" was added after Richard Rogers felt the second act needed more music.

** "Soliloquy" was originally just about Billy dreaming of a son. Richard Rogers - who had two daughters - suggested the second part of the song where Billy suddenly considers that Julie might have a girl instead.

* PlayingGertrude: After the TimeSkip, Shirley Jones continues to play Julie fifteen years older. Yet she was only four years older than Susan Luckey - playing Louise.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos. While the VHS tapes, [=DVDs=], and Blu-ray Discs[[note]]sold only in a boxset with Fox's other R&H adaptations and the 1945 version of ''Film/StateFair''[[/note]] eventually went out of print, ''Carousel'' does remain available today on Digital HD.

** The DarkReprise of "If I Loved You" was added after Richard Rogers felt the second act needed more music. The ballet

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos. While the VHS tapes and [=DVDs=] eventually went out of print, ''Carousel'' does remain available today on Digital HD and Blu-Ray.

** "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan" and "Blow High, Blow Low" from the stage version were recorded for the film, but ended up as {{Cut Song}}s. They're still included on the soundtrack album however.

* BreakawayPopHit: This was the least successful of the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals and flopped at the Box Office. However "You'll Never Walk Alone" became a hit and received many cover versions. It even became the anthem for British football team Liverpool FC and the theme for Creator/JerryLewis' telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

* BreakawayPopHit: This was the least successful of the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals and flopped at the Box Office. However "You'll Never Walk Alone" became a hit and received many cover versions. It even became the anthem for British football team Liverpool FC.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos. While the VHS tapes and [=DVDs=] eventually went out of print, ''Carousel'' does remain available today on Digital HD and Blu-Ray - although the Blu-Ray currently remains exclusive to the eight-disc ''Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection'' BD boxset.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos. It remains available today on DVD, Digital HD, and Blu-Ray - although the Blu-Ray currently remains exclusive to Amazon, as part of their eight-disc ''Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection'' BD boxset.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As mentioned above, Music/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy. Also, Creator/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As mentioned above, Music/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy. Also, Creator/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos. It remains available today on DVD, Digital HD, and Blu-Ray - although the Blu-Ray currently remains exclusive to Amazon, as part of their eight-disc R&H BD boxset.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The movie took longer to receive an official home video release than the other Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations in Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's library did. Its first VHS release didn't occur until 1990, when CBS/FOX Video heralded the Silver Anniversary of the ''[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Sound of Music]]'' film version with a line of R&H-composed videos.

* TheOtherMarty: FrankSinatra was cast as Billy Bigelow in the film version, but left production a few weeks in rather than shoot each scene twice (once on 35mm, another on 55mm). A few weeks after Gordon Macrae came on board, [[ShaggyDogStory they discovered a conversion process between the formats.]]

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey It's Those Guys]]: Billy and Julie in the movie were played by the exact same couple that portrayed the leads in the film adaptations of ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' one year earlier.

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey It's Those Guys]]: Billy and Julie in the movie were played by the exact same couple that portrayed the leads in the film adaptations of ''{{Oklahoma}}'' one year earlier.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Music/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy in the film version but quit two weeks into production because they were basically requiring him to act in two movies: a 35mm version and a 70mm version. Oddly enough, the studio soon did away with that requirement after Sinatra left.
** Creator/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie for the movie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

** Main/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie for the movie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Music/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy in the film version but quit two weeks into production because they were basically requiring him to act in two movies: a 35mm version and a 70mm version. Oddly enough, the studio soon did away with that requirement after Sinatra left and just shot one version.

** Also, Main/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie for the movie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy in the film version but quit two weeks into production because they were basically requiring him to act in two movies: a 35mm version and a 70mm version. Oddly enough, the studio soon did away with that requirement after Sinatra left and just shot one version.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy in the film version but quit two weeks into production because they were basically requiring him to act in two movies: a 35mm version and a 70mm version. Oddly enough, the studio soon did away with that requirement after Sinatra left.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/FrankSinatra was originally cast as Billy in the film version but quit two week after production started because they were basically requiring him to act in two movies: a 35mm version and a 70mm version. Oddly enough, the studio soon did away with that requirement after Sinatra left.
** Also, Creator/JudyGarland was almost cast as Julie for the movie but was passed over because she was considered too unreliable.

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey It's Those Guys]]: Billy and Julie in the movie were played by the exact same couple that portrayed the leads in the film adaptations of ''{{Oklahoma}}'' one year earlier.