During filming, high temperatures made life miserable for both cast and crew. The intense heat caused the film stock to warp, and it had to be packed in ice to remain intact. Lillian Gish claimed that she touched an outside door handle and was so severely burned that a small part of her palm's flesh was scalded off.
The wind in the film was created by the propellers of eight aircraft engines stationed on location in the Mojave Desert.
Lillian Gish was such at star at MGM that production chief Irving Thalberg gave her the choice to pick this film, along with her co-star Lars Hanson and director Victor Sjöström.
The airplane propellers blowing hot air, sand, and smoke were so dangerous that crew members were forced to wear long-sleeved clothing, eye goggles, bandannas around their necks, and greasepaint on their faces whenever the machines were being run.