Development The film was based on a 1956 novel by
Joseph and Merrijane Hayes. Joseph Hayes had written
The Desperate Hours and
Bon Voyage was his second book; he and his wife wrote it after taking a trip across the Atlantic. Film rights were bought by Universal before the book had even been published for $125,000 and that the film was to be produced by Ross Hunter and written by the Hayes'.
Esther Williams was originally announced as star. Then,
James Cagney was going to play the lead. Filming dates were pushed back when
Bing Crosby was linked to the project. In early 1960, Disney optioned the novel. Disney said it was likely
Ken Annakin would direct with
Karl Malden,
James MacArthur and
Janet Munro to star. Later, Robert Stevenson was announced as director. Disney said: "It's far out for us, but still Disney. I'm really a gag man and missed the kind of pictures
Frank Capra and
Harold Lloyd used to make. Since nobody else wanted to do them, I decided to make them myself." Eventually, Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, and Tommy Kirk were confirmed as the three leads, but casting the daughter proved more difficult. Disney commented: "You must build a picture. You don't write it all – only part of it. And it's the light and comic picture that's toughest of all to build."
Michael Callan was cast from the play of
West Side Story.
Deborah Walley was cast on the basis of her performance in
Gidget Goes Hawaiian (in which Callan had also appeared _.
Shooting Filming began on 15 August 1961. It took place partly on location on a genuine ocean liner, the
SS United States, travelling across the Atlantic and in France. Walt Disney accompanied the film on location.
Tommy Kirk did not get along with
Jane Wyman: I thought Jane Wyman was a hard, cold woman and I got to hate her by the time I was through with
Bon Voyage. Of course, she didn't like me either, so I guess it came natural. I think she had some suspicion that I was gay and all I can say is that, if she didn't like me for that, she doesn't like a lot of people. Kirk says the film was the only time he had a fight with Fred MacMurray. There was an actor on the movie, named Elliot Reid, who was always doing
Groucho Marx impressions, and I said a Groucho line, kidding Fred: “Oh, no, you've got the close-up and I get the back of my head." And he took it wrong and he turned around and turned red in the face, and he just shook from head to toe, and he put his finger in my face and gave me the worst bawling out I’ve ever had in my life. You know, whoa! The title song was written by
Disney staff songwriters,
Robert B. Sherman and
Richard M. Sherman. ==Reception==