Actor Sidney Poitier offered to work on the film for a lower fee in exchange for a part of the earnings. For his efforts, he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor. For the film, Jester Hairston created the song “Amen” and labeled Sidney Poitier’s singing voice.
Jester Joseph Hairston was a composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and performer who lived in the United States. He was considered as a key authority on black spirituals and choral music in the United States.
The semi-fictional novel Lilies of the Field is centered on the true story of the Sisters of Walburga, a group of East German Catholic nuns who moved to Arizona to create a nunnery.
The film was shot in Tucson’s northern reaches (between Sabino Canyon and Cloud Road). The church doors were handcrafted by local Tucson craftsman Charles Bolsius and were borrowed from the Chapel in Sasabe, Arizona.
