Baby Name Trend Killer: Lolita became a no-go, especially in the USA after the publication of the book, due to its association with a supposedly sexually precocious Fille Fatale.
Banned in China: The book was banned in Great Britain and France.
The story is said to have been inspired by Charlie Chaplin's marriage to Lita Grey.
Author Sarah Weinman makes a compelling case that many details of the novel came from the story of Sally Horner, who was kidnapped at age 11 in 1948 and taken on a cross-country road trip for a year and a half before finding the courage to make a phone call that led to her rescue. Many of the events in the novel actually happened to Sally.
The Red Stapler: Thanks to the novel and the film, the name "Lolita" has become a common term applied to sexually precocious young women.
What Could Have Been: Nabokov intended to publish the book under a pseudonym because of its controversial subject matter. It was turned down numerous times, and he reluctantly published it under his own name.
Write What You Know: Nabokov would himself downplay it somewhat when asked about it, but he did occasionally mention in interviews and his own memoirs that he had been a victim of repeated sexual abuse at the hands of his uncle, Vasiliy Rukavishnikov, as a child, and that it had played at least some role in his inspiration for the book. Especially one scene, where Humbert masturbates under the pretense of bouncing Dolores on his knee, was specifically mentioned by Nabokov as having been directly inspired by an incident that happened to him at the hands of said uncle.
California Doubling: The movie was filmed primarily in England both because the money was raised there, and because Kubrick was based there at the time (and had a deathly fear of flying).
Creator-Preferred Adaptation: Nabokov approved the decision to open the film with Quilty's murder, and later gave his praise to Kubrick and the cast.
The censors insisted that a physically-developed, well-endowed actress be cast as the titular character, worried about a less-developed actress portraying a sexually active fourteen-year-old. Sue Lyon was cast mainly because of the size of her breasts. This was also the reason for the Age Lift from twelve to fourteen.
A scene from the book where Humbert gazes at Dolores's picture while in bed with Charlotte was protested by the censors. In the end it was given Adaptational Modesty - filmed with Charlotte fully dressed and Humbert in a robe.
The Red Stapler: The heart-shaped sunglasses Sue Lyon wears on the poster got a surge in popularity, despite her not actually wearing them in the film itself. There she wears cat-eye glasses instead.
Throw It In!: A lot of Quilty's stuff in the film came from Peter Sellers improvising and ad-libbing. Kubrick even shot his scenes with several cameras at once, so as not to lose spontaneity.
Child star Hayley Mills (of Pollyanna and The Parent Trap fame) was the first choice for Dolores. As she was under contract to Disney, she wasn't allowed to take it. Nabokov later said the ideal actress for the role would be Catherine Demongeot. Tuesday Weld was also an early choice, but she turned it down, later famously saying "I didn't have to play it. I was Lolita."
Nabokov wrote a draft of the script that wasn't used, but was later published as "Lolita: A Screenplay." It diverged greatly from the book, and featured a Creator Cameo as "that nutter with a butterfly net" (referencing Nabokov's lepidopterology hobby).
Early drafts of the script had Humbert and Dolores getting married in a state that allowed young people to wed. This ending is thought to be written to appease the censors.
Kubrick's first choice for composing the score was Bernard Herrmann, but the composer balked at having to use Bob Harris' "Theme from Lolita" in his score.
The 1997 Adrian Lyne film:
Banned in China: It took two years to convince Australia to release the film, due to concerns about pedophilia.
Box Office Bomb: Budget, $62 million. Box office, $1,071,255. Difficulties in finding a distributor for this controversial film resulted in it opening in Europe before America, and landing on Showtime before hitting theaters, where it became one of the biggest bombs of 1997. It was the last in a series of bombs that subsequently derailed the career of producer/presenter Mario Kassar for 5 years, and director Adrian Lyne also did not direct another film for 5 years, with his next movie being his last for 18 years.
Dawson Casting: Dominique Swain was fifteen during filming, older than the character in the book. But a body double had to be used when filming the sex scenes.
Reality Subtext: Melanie Griffith plays Dolores's mother. She herself had began a relationship with a much older man when she was only fourteen.
Jeremy Irons turned the role down at first, worried it would harm his career. Glenn Close convinced him that working with Adrian Lyne was an experience he shouldn't miss, so he reconsidered. Dustin Hoffman was also originally signed to play Humbert. Warren Beatty was deemed too old and Hugh Grant too young. Ralph Fiennes and Dennis Hopper were also considered.
to make her look like an older teenager to avert squicking the viewers.