David O. Selznick had a childhood passion for the novels of Charles Dickens, but period pieces were out of favour during the Depression, and it took several months of bombardment by memo to persuade Metro to finance the film. Selznick apparently carried around his own tattered copy of the novel during production, one which his father had given him as a boy.

The full title of the film is technically The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, and Observation of David Copperfield, the Younger!

MGM wanted Jackie Cooper for the role of David as a boy, since he was their most popular child actor at the time, but Selznick wanted to remain faithful to the novel by using an English boy. Freddie Bartholomew was the successful candidate.

Charles Laughton was originally cast as Micawber but was thrown off the picture by director George Cukor, who replaced him with W. C. Fields, a controversial choice at the time.

When Maureen O’Sullivan failed to produced real tears on cue, director George Cukor allegedly twisted her feet until she managed it.