During the shooting of the movie in England, Sir Sean Connery was confronted by Johnny Stompanato, an ex-marine turned mob enforcer, who was in an abusive relationship with Lana Turner. At the time, Connery and Turner got along very well, so much that when Stompanato found out about it, he suspected that they were having an affair. Stompanato, who was notorious for his jealousy and violent tendencies, then stormed to the set and threatened Connery with a gun. But he quickly disarmed Stompanato and forced him from the set. Following that incident, Stompanato was deported by Scotland Yard. Shortly after he arrived in the USA, he met his end at the hands of Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl, who fatally stabbed him in self-defence while he was beating her mother. Connery, who was filming Darby O'Gill et les farfadets (1959) at the time of the latter incident, behaved very cautiously when he walked the streets of Los Angeles, because it was rumoured that a mobster made him responsible for Stompanatos death. That caused him to avoid the USA for several years.
This movie was released four months ahead of schedule to capitalize on the Johnny Stompanato murder.
The fictional village of St. Giles was filmed in two locations. The station the train arrives at is the old station at Looe, the pub Lana Turner visits when she arrives is The Jolly Sailor Inn, the oldest pub in Looe dating back to 1516, whilst the remaining shots are at Polperro, about 8 miles further west, both on the south coast of Cornwall.
Though the opening credits state "Introducing Sean Connery", several movies in which he appeared were released before this one.
Lana Turner said to the director and producer that she would not do this movie unless Glynis Johns was in it.