Roddy McDowall first worked with screenwriter William Spier in 1947, when McDowall was a child actor appearing on the popular radio series "Suspense", which Spier produced and directed.
Film critic Roger Ebert states in his review of this film that he interviewed director Roddy McDowall who said that he made it because he wanted to make a tribute to Ava Gardner, and that the movie was a gesture of love.