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The filming location of the classic final scene has been erroneously thought to be Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but is in fact Malibu, California. For die-hard fans who want to visit the true location, it is a secluded cove on the far eastern end of Westward Beach, between Zuma Beach and Point Dume. Ignore the wide curving beach by the car park and clamber over the rocks to the east until you get to the quiet, often deserted, little beach surrounded by cliffs. (The Statue of Liberty was an optical effect skillfully achieved with a matte painting blended into a still existing rock structure.)
During breaks in filming, actors made up as different ape species tended to hang out together, gorillas with gorillas, orangutans with orangutans, chimps with chimps. It wasn't required, it just naturally happened.
At one of the first test screenings, a woman walked up to Charlton Heston and asked how he was doing. Heston had no clue who she was until she revealed that she was Kim Hunter (Zira). He did not recognize her because he had not previously seen her without ape make-up.
Roddy McDowall, an experienced actor, recommended to his companions in makeup that they should frequently add tics, blinks and assorted facial gestures to add a sense of realism and keep the makeup from appearing "mask-like". McDowall reportedly became a merry prankster with the makeup, driving home with his make-up on, and shocking some of the other drivers on the freeway. While doing the Planet of the Apes (1974) television series, Roddy surprised Carol Burnett when he showed up on The Jackson Five and Roddy McDowell (1974) in full Galen makeup while she was taping her intro talking to the audience.
There were three other endings suggested for the film's climax, one which involved the apes chasing Taylor and killing him. The one favored by Charlton Heston ultimately won out.
The "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" gag was entirely ad-libbed on the set on the day of shooting. It was kept in because people found it amusing when the film was threatening to get too serious.
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