Anecdotes

At about 18 minutes into the film while Richard Widmark and Karl Malden's characters are shooting pool there is a sign on the wall that reads: Watch Your Language Single Men Present. A real "sign" of the times.

Originally based on a story about the training of U.S. Marines, and was to be shot at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California. However, the Marines refused to cooperate with the production "because they did not want to stir up controversies over the toughness of their training program", according to an article in the 7 December 1953 edition of Life magazine. The U.S. Army cooperated fully with the studio.

The horizontal white bars on the rear of Sergeant Ryan and Sergeant Holt's helmet liners indicate they are NCOs (non-commissioned officers). Officers had vertical white bars on the backs of their helmets. The purpose of the markings was to quickly identify those in command from the rear.

This film was successful at the box office, resulting in a profit to MGM of $244,000 according to studio records.

Ryan, Holt, and the soldiers and recruits at Ft. Bliss wear the shoulder patch of the 4th Army - a white four-leaf clover on a red diamond. The 4th Army was activated in 1932 as the U.S. Western Defense Command. During World War II, the 4th Army operated the Louisiana maneuver area, and was credited with training about half the combat units that went overseas.