John Ford cast Jack Lemmon as Ensign Frank Pulver in La nave matta di Mister Roberts (1955) after having seen him test for this film.
Location filming at West Point was done during the summer when most cadets were gone with the exception of new "Plebes" so as not to disrupt normal activities.
Tyrone Power wore huge lifts for this film.
Walter Ehlers ("Mike Shannon") received the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism on July 9/10, 1944, at Normandy, France. He was a Staff Sergeant in the 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division.
The film notes the West Point Class of 1915 as "the class stars fell on." Wikipedia says, "Of the 164 graduates that year, 59 (36%) attained the rank of general, more than any other class in the history of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; hence the expression."