At one point in the film, Professor Sutwell takes Dolores up in the air for a flight in a small plane. She asks him where he learned to fly, to which he says he was a pilot instructor during World War Two. In real life, Robert Cummings was an accomplished pilot and had in fact served as a WWII military flight instructor.
Although "old fogey" Professor Sutwell knew nothing about beach life, actor Robert Cummings was a competent surfer himself, as documented in personal home movies shot in Hawaii by Hollywood's television host and author Ken Murray.
When Marianne is waiting for Professor Sutwell to return from the beach, she listens to a record album. The label on the record is from 'American International Records', a reference to the production company that made the movie.
Although more than one shooting location has been given (often mixed up with various other beach movies) for the beach scenes, the exact spot is about 830 yards east of the intersection where Malibu Rd. splits off from the Pacific Coast Highway, between Point Dume and Malibu Bluffs Park. Satellite views of the coastline confirm the double rock formation just beyond the shoreline seen in many of the outdoor shots.
Three quarters into the film, before Marianne listens in on Robert and Dolores' conversation, she switches on a vinyl record. The audio is from the album, "Annette's Beach Party" on Walt Disney's Buena Vista label (an offshoot of Disneyland Records created in 1959 for teens, adults, shows and soundtracks), but the record shown is on American-International Pictures' short-lived label. The record has only one track and may be a test pressing. Singer Tony Casanova is credited on the prop record's label. He was a singer who recorded for American-International Records and was the cousin of pop artist Ritchie Valens.