The novel on which this film is based was written by poet Kenneth Fearing, as revenge on publisher Henry Luce and his "Time" magazine. Fearing was obliged to work there (for financial reasons) for many years. The fearsome Earl Janoth is often regarded as a libelous parody of Luce, even though the book received a rave review from the "Time" critic, as did the film.
Paramount Pictures insisted that director John Farrow's wife, Maureen O'Sullivan, who had been off the screen since Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942), do a screen test before she would be given the part.
When producer Richard Maibaum first came on the set, director John Farrow -- who liked to intimidate people who worked with him -- kept him at a distance by using a walking stick. Maibaum turned around, went to the props department and returned with a baseball bat. As if a spell has been broken, the situation immediately improved, and Maibaum and Farrow would go on to have an excellent working relationship.
Co-stars Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton were married to each other, as were star Maureen O'Sullivan and director John Farrow. Sadly, Lanchester was widowed in 1962, while O'Sullivan was widowed the next year in 1963.