The horse that Kirk Douglas is riding in the film is a movie star in his own right. The horse's name is "Pie" and appears in many Western movies, mostly those with the actor Jimmy Stewart. Besides Stewart and Douglas, he was ridden by Glenn Ford and Audie Murphy. Pie appeared in 17 Westerns. Jimmy Stewart loved the horse and said he was "...one of the best co-stars I ever worked with." Pie can be seen in, amongst others, Sin miedo y sin tacha (1954), Winchester 73 (1950), and Tierra y Esperanza (1952). Pie lived until 1970 and was buried on Jimmy Stewart's ranch in California.
One of the first films that Kirk Douglas made through his production company. The film was a box-office hit.
Richard Boone appears here almost two years before his classic Western television series, Have Gun - Will Travel (1957).
The autobiographies of both Kirk Douglas and King Vidor - as well as various interviews - suggest strongly that the two men had an abrasive and unfriendly working relationship. However, screenwriter Borden Chase, who did not often speak glowingly of directors, was effusive in his praise of Vidor and said that he had transformed a routine story into something special.