Yvonne De Carlo's first starring role. The movie's success made her a star and she signed a contract with Universal Pictures.
Merle Oberon was producer Walter Wanger's second choice for the title role. After Oberon asked for a very high salary, Wanger opted to save some money and hire the relatively unknown De Carlo.
Ruth Roman recalled that she and Yvonne De Carlo auditioned for the title role in La reina misteriosa (1945), a Universal serial. Roman won the part of the jungle queen Lothel, but De Carlo was cast in "Salome" (a much more prestigious production) and became a star. Roman had to endure four more years as an extra/supporting player until she reached stardom at Warner Brothers.
Yvonne De Carlo wrote in her autobiography that she and her agent had visited MGM and Warner Bros. before they got an interview with Universal. At MGM they were welcomed as a "needy relative", while at Warners they "felt lucky we weren't thrown out on the pavement." De Carlo said, "So to come to Universal and be treated humanely was something."
Universal was first interested in Yvonne De Carlo as a backup to Acquanetta. She made a screen test with Milburn Stone for the title role in Atavismo que mata (1944). Several days later, in Universal's casting office, she saw Walter Wanger and was told, "He says he's intrigued by your face, by your look." Wanger thought De Carlo resembled his wife, Joan Bennett, and believed she could play Salome. He was looking for a young woman who could dance, sing, and act. After several screen tests and an interview with Wanger, De Carlo got the role.