'The Hollywood Reporter' of 21 March 1949 reported that this movie would feature background choral work performed by the Jester Hairston Choir.
'The New York Times' of 20 March 1949 reported that this movie's Associate Producer Robert Stillman "paid the entire cost of the picture with the help of his father without recourse to the banks, a startling departure from Hollywood custom."
According to the 23 March 1949 edition of 'Daily Variety', producer Stanley Kramer astoundingly had started principal photography for two whole weeks before legally acquiring the rights to Arthur Laurents' play.
According to the Australian video-cassette release sleeve notes of this movie, scriptwriter "Carl Foreman changed the Jew of the play to an African-American to avoid clashing with two previously released films on the same subject - "Gentleman's Agreement" and "Crossfire" See: Gentleman's Agreement and Crossfire.
Apparently, African-Americans in Houston, Texas were only permitted to go to midnight sessions of this movie.
Apparently, former American President Harry S. Truman requested to see a film print of this movie by Screen Plays according to 'The Hollywood Reporter' of 30 March 1949.
Producer Stanley Kramer organized a special "Black Press" campaign for this movie together with release of the film in New York's Harlem District.
The 28 February 1949 edition of 'The Hollywood Reporter' stated that filming locations for this movie included shooting at such Californian locales as the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles and Malibu whilst real combat footage of fighting in the Pacific from the US Government would also be used for the film.
The African-American character in this film was originally a Jewish character in the original source play by Arthur Laurents. The 'Variety' review for this film noted that the change was due to the anti-semitism theme being close to having been overdone in films.
The G. W. Carver Memorial Committee recognized this movie's producer Stanley Kramer for the making of this movie.
The piece of music heard when the troop escapes from the Japanese force is "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (aka "Motherless Child"), a traditional Negro spiritual music piece but a choral rendition by composer Dimitri Tiomkin.
The poem recited by Sergeant Mingo (Frank Lovejoy) was 'The Coward to Edwards' (1943) by Eve Mirriam.
There were serious concerns about how this film would fare in the American South. Apparently, this movie was not censored in that region nor did it receive protests.
This 1949 movie features an African-American soldier. A year before, in 1948, Executive Order 9981 by President Harry S. Truman mandated that US Armed Forces be fully integrated.
This film is one of the late-1940s "tolerance" cycle movies according to a Hal Erickson review in the 'All Movie Guide'.
This film was banned by the South African Government in Southern Rhodesia. When it eventually was allowed to be screened in public though, natives and children were not allowed at showings.
This is one of few early World War II films to feature an American soldier who was an African-American.
This movie represented a significant positive change in the way African-American characters were portrayed in movies. They were no longer cast in roles confined to being just servants, plantation workers, slaves, singers and hoofers.
This movie was called "the first picture dealing with anti-Negro prejudice" by 'The Motion Picture Herald'.
This movie was included in the National Board of Review's Top Ten of its 1949 year, ranking at number eight.