Final film of Florence Wright.
Fred Zinnemann and producer Samuel Marx, invited Morton Thompson, the author of the underlying material in his book 'Joe, the Wounded Tennis Player,' to a projection room screening of the first rough cut, which included 'scene missing' tags and ragged sound. After that first screening ended, Mort got up, never looked at either Zinnemann or Marx, and walked out angrily, slamming the door. Marx commented that obviously, authors do not need the written word to show their unhappiness.
This film received its USA television premiere in Los Angeles Thursday 8 November 1956 on KTTV (Channel 11); in Philadelphia it was first telecast 24 September 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in New Haven CT 8 October 1957 on WNHC (Channel 8), in Tucson 9 October 1957 on KVOA (Channel 4), in Honolulu 18 October 1957 on KHVH (Channel 13), in Altoona PA 22 October 1957 on WFBG (Channel 10), in Chicago 16 February 1958 on WBBM (Channel 2), in San Francisco 31 March 1958 on KGO (Channel 7) and in New York City 9 April 1958 on WCBS (Channel 2).
Second of two movies in a row that director Fred Zinnemann made with a cast consisting of Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins, Spring Byington, Charles Bates and Gary Gray. The first was Little Mister Jim (1946).