Gary Cooper was, at nearly 57, a decade older than Lee J. Cobb who played his "Uncle" Dock Tobin. Even with heavy makeup, it was generally agreed that Tobin still looked younger than Link Jones. Cooper was actually about 20 years older than his character was supposed to be. In addition, Cooper and John Dehner talk about being children together, but Dehner was actually 14 years younger than Cooper.
The opening credits list a title song, composed by Bobby Troup, the husband of leading lady Julie London. However, there is no song featured in the actual movie.
The movie was shot the same year as William Wyler's The Big Country (1958) and both share set designer Edward G. Boyle. As was often the case with Western productions, the two films also share a major location: the ghost town of Lassoo in the last act of the movie is exactly the same set that was used for the Hanassey hideout/ranch, located at the end of Blanco Canyon, in the final stretch of The Big Country (1958).
Jean-Luc Godard, a film critic before he became a director, raved about the film, saying it was the best film of that year. Because of his recommendation, the film has been re-evaluated and is now considered a classic western.