The film ran over schedule and budget due to mishaps caused when director Otto Preminger insisted that actors perform their own stunts for the scenes of the raft struggling down the rapids. On one occasion Marilyn Monroe had to be saved from drowning when her boots filled with water, and on another she and Robert Mitchum had to be rescued when their raft became stuck on a rock and was on the verge of overturning. However, according to Lee Server's biography "Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care", they didn't do their own stunts. The people on the overturning raft were stunt performers Roy Jenson, Helen Thurston and midget Harry Monty. Mitchum would often "appropriate" anecdotes; this appears to be one of them. The stars were only allowed to perform on a raft secured to the riverbank, although Monroe actually did twist her leg.