The last film that Jean Renoir directed in Hollywood, and a very painful experience for him as it was severely compromised.
The original working title "Desirable Woman" was changed to "The Woman on the Beach" in order to cash in on the success of the similarly titled The Woman in the Window (1944), which also starred Joan Bennett.
According to contemporary articles in The Hollywood Reporter, previews were so bad that RKO brought in another screenwriter and demanded director Jean Renoir re-shoot about half the picture, which he did in December 1946, nine months after the production has initially wrapped.
According to RKO studio records, this film bombed at the box office with a loss of $610,000.
The age gap of the four main actors spanned 33 years. Charles Bickford was the oldest, born in January 1891, making him 56 years old as of the July 1947 release date. Robert Ryan was born in November 1909, making him 37 years old. Joan Bennett was born in February 1910, making her 37 years old, while the "baby" of the bunch was Nan Leslie, who was born in June 1926, making her only 23 at the time. Both of the male actors were far older than their initial female love interests, Bickford by 19 years and Ryan by 14. Of the four, Bennett lived the longest to age 80, followed by Bickford at 76, Leslie at 74, and Ryan at 63.