Produced immediately after Charlton Heston completed Les Dix Commandements (1956) and reunited him with co-star Anne Baxter. This was Heston's last film under his original Paramount contract. He felt that Tom Tryon, who was cast as his brother, was not right for the part. However, because "The Ten Commandments" had not yet been released, Heston hadn't yet achieved the star clout necessary to demand cast changes. (Later, in "The Actor's Life: Journals 1956-76", Heston writes that " ... he was very good in the part. We were lucky to have him".)
In one scene, Colt Saunders (Charlton Heston) leans against a rustic mantelpiece in his family home. Over the mantelpiece are two portraits, a seated woman and a standing military officer. These paintings were done from photos of Heston's grandparents so they would bear a family resemblance.