This was the first production of "Amahl" to be videotaped. Composer-librettist Gian Carlo Menotti could not attend the taping because of prior commitments, and was furious when he learned that they had proceeded without him being present. He disapproved of the new production, and after the 1965 repeat of it, refused to allow it to be shown again. As of 1965, no one has seen this production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors". However, there was a record album made with the cast of the 1963 production.
This production was originally presented as one of the first videotaped episodes of "NBC Television Opera Theatre". It was also one of the last episodes of that series. In 1964 and 1965, it was presented on the "Hallmark Hall of Fame".
The first television production of "Amahl" in which the role of King Balthazar was sung by a real African-American. Earlier productions, including the 1951 original version, had had a white man in blackface singing the role.
