Who Knew?

Because the studio expected it to bomb, the budget of Casablanca was so low that the plane used in the background of the final scene was a small cardboard cut out.  To give it the illusion of being full-sized, the producers hired midgets to portray the crew preparing it for take off.

The above tidbit is quoted from the book Who Knew? Things You Didn't Know About Things You Know Well by David Hoffman.