Producer Jesse L. Lasky sought approval from the Catholic Church of Frank Sinatra before casting him as Father Paul. The church had no objections.
It is rumored that Ben Hecht took the screenplay assignment on condition he didn't have to read the book. Quentin Reynolds, who is credited onscreen as screenwriter, supposedly read the book and reported its contents to Hecht.
Six years after the release of this film, Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote and directed "The Barefoot Contessa" (1954), which tells a similar story, the untimely death of an actress on the rise within a framework of flashbacks amid her funeral. A pivotal character in both films is the actress' press agent, played by Fred MacMurray in this film and Edmond O'Brien (who won an Oscar) in the latter.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on
May 31, 1948, with Fred MacMurray, Frank Sinatra and Alida Valli reprising their film roles.