Tsuru Aoki's first credited filmed role of any kind in 36 years. It was also her last appearance, as she died the following year.
Certificate No. 19675.
Final film of Tsuru Aoki.
Several hundred veterans of the Japanese Imperial Army took part in the re-creation of the Battle of Saipan, which was filmed on Okinawa.
The age of the principle actors was a challenge. At the time the combat events portrayed in this film, Guy Gabaldon was approximately eighteen years old. At the time of production of this film (completed April 1960), Jeffrey Hunter was 33 years old, and looked nothing like a teenager or even anyone is his early 20s. Further, David Janssen, portraying veteran Sergeant Bill Hazen, and Vic Damone playing veteran Corporal Pete Lewis, were supposed to be older than Hunter playing Gabaldon. However, this was not the case, since Hunter was born in 1926, Damone in 1928, and Janssen in 1931. Fortunately, Damone and Janssen both looked older than Hunter, but not by much. Also, George Takei, who was supposed to be approximately the same age, playing Gabaldon's foster brother George, was approximately 10 years younger than Hunter, and George Shibata, playing Gabaldon's much older foster brother Kaz, was born only eleven days before Hunter.
The real Guy Gabaldon - unlike Jeffrey Hunter, the tall Anglo actor who played him - was Chicano and only 5'4", 130 pounds. He enlisted in the Marines after Pearl Harbor at age 17. Even though he captured more enemy soldiers single-handedly than anyone else, including WW I hero Sergeant Alvin C. York, he was not awarded the Medal of Honor, as York was.
The screen rights for Guy Gabaldon's story were initially purchased by Gramercy Pictiures the day after he appeared on the This Is Your Life broadcast of June 19, 1957.
The speech given by Gen. Matsui (Sessue Hayakawa) to his surrendering troops in Japanese recounts the popular Japanese folktale of Momotaro the Peach Boy, and it stresses kindness, courage, and strength.
There were initially many objections to the striptease dances done by Famika and Sheila, and both were cut considerably in reaction to those objections.
Working titles included "Beyond the Call" and "Beyond the Call of Duty."