Production began with Louis Calhern playing Col. Purdy, but Calhern died after more than a month of filming. Paul Ford was quickly recruited, as he had created the role on Broadway, and this resulted a revived career for the lovable, irascible character actor.
There was a rivalry between Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando on the set, since both had different way of acting. Brando loved improvisational techniques, whilst Ford did not. So, Ford decided sometimes to destabilize Brando by improvising himself. But director Daniel Mann got upset because of those childish games between the two stars and ordered them to stop.
Producers begged Glenn Ford to take a plane, instead of a ship, to get from Japan to the USA, to proceed with shooting in the studios. He was afraid of flying. He eventually took a plane despite his fears, but the plane had an engine issue that resulted in him almost not reaching LAX airport. He then swore that he would never get into a plane again.
Marlon Brando's performance was so convincingly Japanese that many theater exhibitors reported moviegoers demanding their money back because Brando never appeared on screen.
Marlon Brando claimed Glenn Ford was trying to steal every scene that they had together. As such, Brando returned the favour on a few occasions.