Part of the controversy surrounding this movie was because it included use of the words "bitch", "contraceptive", "panties", "penetration", "rape", "slut", and "sperm".
Otto Preminger sued "Columbia Pictures" and its TV subsidiary "Screen Gems" when it sold this film in a package of 60 films to television for $10 million. In New York, ABC interrupted the 160-minute film 13 times with 36 commercials. Preminger was furious that his film was being mutilated and took them to court in a highly publicized case. He lost.
James Stewart's father was so offended by the film, which he deemed "a dirty picture", that he took out an ad in his local newspaper telling people not to see it.
The interior of Barney Quill's bar is not a movie set. It's the interior of the Thunder Bay Inn Tavern in Big Bay, MI. It is approximately 325 yards down the road from the Lumberjack Tavern, where the actual murder -- on which the novel and film are based -- took place in 1952.
Otto Preminger originally wanted Lee Remick for the part of Laura because he had been impressed with her debut in "A Face in the Crowd (1957)": he knew that she could play a young sultry woman (even though she was eight months pregnant when Preminger approached her for the role). A few weeks later he called to tell her that he had given the part to Lana Turner and instead offered her the smaller role of Mary Pilant, but Remick boldly refused. Later, on an especially hectic day, she received a call saying that she did indeed have the part of Laura because Turner turned it down. Remick thought it was a joke and hung up. It took another phone call to convince her.