Anthony Mann refused to direct the film, saying nobody would understand it. He also said he believed the script was bad, and Audie Murphy and James Stewart would not be believable as brothers. After the film opened to poor reviews and business, Stewart never spoke to Mann again.
James Stewart was disappointed by the film's critical and commercial failure, and did not agree to make another western for four years, until John Ford cast him in Les Deux Cavaliers (1961).
This was originally intended to be the sixth Western combining the talents of James Stewart and Director Anthony Mann, but Mann pulled out of the project because he wasn't impressed with war hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy. Stewart and Mann never made another movie together.
The scenes with James Stewart and Audie Murphy were filmed carefully in an attempt to downplay their marked difference in height. However, at certain times, this is quite apparent.
Some critics felt that Audie Murphy, who was 31, looked too young to be the brother of 48-year-old James Stewart.