One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its earliest documented telecast took place in Boston Friday 26 September 1958 on WBZ (Channel 4); it first aired in Omaha Monday 16 February 1959 on KETV (Channel 7), followed by Milwaukee 18 April 1959 on WITI (Channel 6), by Seattle 18 August 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7), by Chicago 15 September 1959 on WBBM (Channel 2), by Johnstown 27 October 1959 on WJAC (Channel 6), by Pittsburgh 7 December 1959 on KDKA (Channel 2), and by Toledo 17 December 1959 on WTOL (Channel 11).
Director Edward Dmytryk told in his biography that Robert Ryan, as a former heavy weight prize fighter, could do a good job in the film. Ryan actually hit Denning so strong that Denning was sent to the hospital.
Quentin Breese (aka "Baby"), the boxing double for the film, was a professional boxer and ranked as one of the first ten light weights in the world, losing only 15 of 100 fights in his career.