According to Don Siegel in his biography, Universal Studios did not properly manage the release of the movie, presenting it as one more action movie starring Clint Eastwood , which of course disappointed audiences faithful to his usual movies. Siegel also said that this movie should have been shown in local theaters in New York City and then could have probably been a moderate success instead of a failure at the box office.
Clint Eastwood stated, "I was a bit in awe of Geraldine Page, because she was such a renowned New York stage actress, and I thought she might not be too thrilled working with me. But much to my surprise, the first day on the set, she walked up to me, smiled, and said she was a big fan of mine from my TV series Rawhide (1959)".
Pamelyn Ferdin, who was 11 during filming, said in a 1995 interview that Clint Eastwood kissing her to keep her from screaming when she sees troops passing by was a total surprise. She wasn't expecting it because it wasn't in the script. He was supposed to just cover her mouth. She found out later that director Don Siegel told Eastwood to do it because it would be more provocative. She said they used the first take because her stunned expression, which was real, was perfect.