In an interview on TCM, Cyd Charisse stated that she neglected to warm up one day on set due to being late. Choreographed to leap from one level to another, when she landed on the third level, she felt the ligaments tear in one of her knees. As a result, she was replaced by another dancer for that number ("The Pagan Mask") and was also forced to drop out of Easter Parade (1948), which paved the way for Ann Miller's MGM debut.
Cyd Charisse completed the bulk of this film (most impressively in two romantic dance duets with Ricardo Montalban), then broke her leg during the filming of the big ceremonial dance, where the corps de ballet is in island native makeup. A double completed her scenes (shot at full length), but the injury kept her out of her next scheduled film, Easter Parade (1948). That role, which would have advanced her to fourth billing, went to Ann Miller, making her MGM debut.
This was one of MGM's most successful films of the era. In fact, it was so popular that Esther Williams' ranking on the Top Money-Making Stars list catapulted from #24 in 1947 to #11 in 1948. From this point forward, Williams remained among the studio's top box office draws for almost a decade.
Peter Lawford's open resentment about being forced to make this film played a part in his never quite achieving full-fledged stardom. Studio head Louis B. Mayer felt the actor's lack of gratitude about being built up by MGM deserved to be punished rather than rewarded.
The little British girl is Kathryn Beaumont who did the voice of Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) (1951) and Wendy Darling in Disney's Peter Pan (1953).