Anthony Franciosa and Henry Silva reprise their roles from the Broadway production. Anthony Franciosa and his Broadway costar Shelley Winters were later married.
Anthony Franciosa was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Polo in the original Broadway production. He was nominated for an Academy Award for reprising the role in this film.
Adapted from a Broadway play by Michael V. Gazzo. The original stage production opened on Nov. 9, 1955 at the Lyceum Theatre in New York and ran for 389 performances. Ben Gazzara and Shelley Winters played the two leads in the original stage play.