Film rights to playwright Tennessee Williams’s first novel, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1950), were initially sought by producer-director Harry Horner, according to a 29 Jun 1955 DV item. Although the 5 Jul 1955 DV stated that Williams had agreed to adapt the script for Horner, the project went dormant. Three years later, the 17 Sep 1958 NYT noted that Ben Levinson wanted to produce a film adaptation, possibly starring Irene Rich as “Karen Stone.” Williams’s agent, Audrey Wood, reportedly agreed to the collaboration barring script approval. However, Levinson was no longer involved when a 22 May 1960 NYT article announced that producer Louis de Rochemont had acquired rights to Williams’s novel, and was pursuing Panamanian theater director José Quintero to direct, and Vivien Leigh to star. The 23 Jun 1959 DV noted that Williams’s “asking price,” including rights to his screenplay, was $250,000.
       Gavin Lambert was hired to write a new script. A Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike was underway at the time, but the project was unhindered since de Rochemont’s independent production company was on the “non-struck list,” according to a 6 May 1960 DV brief. On 13 Sep 1960, NYT stated that Seven Arts Productions, Ltd. would co-produce. Later that month, the 22 Sep 1960 DV reported that Warner Bros. had acquired rights, and it was unclear whether or not the project would remain a de Rochemont-Seven Arts collaboration.
       Filmmakers originally planned to shoot on location in Rome, Italy, where an advance unit spent eight weeks preparing for production, according to a 16 Nov 1960 Var item. However, the Italian Ministry of Culture deemed the script unacceptable due to its portrayal of “café society vice.” The 15 Jan 1961 NYT noted a recent increase in Italian censorship, partly owing to Federico Fellini’s controversial 1960 film, La Dolce Vita. In lieu of Rome, principal photography moved to Associated British Elstree Studios in London, England. Shooting began there on 6 Dec 1960, as cited in a 15 Feb 1961 Var production chart. Permission was eventually granted for three weeks of exterior shooting in Rome, which commenced in mid-Apr 1961, according to a 26 Apr 1961 Var news brief.
       An article in the 15 Jan 1961 NYT stated that Warren Beatty was cast as “Paolo di Leo” days prior to the start of filming. John Saxon had previously been considered, as noted in the 30 Sep 1960 DV, and Beatty was initially turned down on the basis that the actor should be Italian. Determined to get the part, Beatty flew to Puerto Rico to lobby Tennessee Williams. With Williams’s blessing, he subsequently convinced de Rochemont, Quintero, and Vivien Leigh. A 5 Nov 1962 LAT article reported that Beatty “was so anxious” to do the role that he promised Seven Arts an option to appear in more pictures. Beatty allegedly reneged on the deal, and Seven Arts sued him.
       On set, Beatty was coached “all day” by an Italian tutor, according to the 13 Dec 1960 DV.
       Although a 23 Jun 1960 LAT brief announced that Ilona Massey had been cast in a starring role, Massey did not remain with the project. The 5 Jan 1961 LAT stated that welterweight boxer Jack “Kid” Berg would play a small role, and an 8 Feb 1961 DV “Film Castings” column listed Terence Stamp, John Lane, Ludo Greco, Sarah Miles, Gabriella Licudi, and Mouira Budgerg as recent additions to the cast.
       Quintero sought Elmer Bernstein to compose the score, the 1 Dec 1960 DV reported, but Richard Addinsell was ultimately hired.
       The film opened to mixed reviews on 22 Dec 1961 at Los Angeles, CA’s Beverly Theatre, and on 28 Dec 1961 in New York City. According to a 15 Feb 1962 DV brief, in Erie, PA, it opened under the title The Widow and the Gigolo.
       In her first onscreen appearance since the 1931 German film, The 3 Penny Opera, Austrian singer Lotte Lenya was nominated for an Academy Award for Actress in a Supporting Role, and a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture.
       The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone marked the sole theatrical motion picture directed by José Quintero. The 30 May 1962 Var stated that Quintero was the first Panamanian to have directed a theatrical feature film.
       A remake starring Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez debuted on the Showtime cable network in 2003. According to the 27 Apr 2003 LAT, the later version hewed more closely to Williams’s novel, partly because it was based in 1950 (as opposed to 1961, as in the original film), in the post-WWII poverty that ravaged Italy and drove the character of Paolo di Leo. In addition to changing the time period, Gavin Lambert’s screenplay also excised the novel’s flashbacks to Karen Stone’s past, as stated in the 15 Jan 1961 NYT.