This film inspired the name of one of the most famous World War 2 bombers, the B-17 "Memphis Belle", one of the first to complete a full combat tour of 25 missions against targets in Nazi Germany in May 1943.
The aircraft was the namesake of pilot Captain Robert K. Morgan's sweetheart, Margaret Polk, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee. Morgan originally intended to call the B-17, Little One, after his pet name for her, but after Morgan and his co-pilot, Jim Verinis, saw this movie in which the leading character owns a riverboat named the Memphis Belle, he proposed that name to his crew. After their combat service, the Belle and her crew were sent home on highly successful war bond tour. They were also featured in an award-winning 1944 documentary by William Wyler.