Robert Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana during the filming of the movie.
Average Shot Length (ASL) = 20 seconds
Both Otto Preminger and Marilyn Monroe were forced to do the film against their will, due to contractual obligations. They both expressed their frustration over the script which they considered below par. However, the film was a box office hit upon its release and remains a popular classic western.
During the shoot in Jasper, local resident Wilbur Stanley and a friend were watching some of the scenes. Robert Mitchum accepted their invitation during a break and they returned to their car, where they each had a beer and talked. Afterward Mitchum got out of the car, threw the bottle across the ground near there, and commented "Best breakfast I ever had!"
The 3 pairs of jeans that Marilyn Monroe wore in the movie were among a collection of her personal items that were sold for $42,550 at auction at Christies Auction House to designer Tommy Hilfiger.
The film ran over schedule and budget due to mishaps caused when director Otto Preminger insisted that actors perform their own stunts for the scenes of the raft struggling down the rapids. On one occasion Marilyn Monroe had to be saved from drowning when her boots filled with water, and on another she and Robert Mitchum had to be rescued when their raft became stuck on a rock and was on the verge of overturning. However, according to Lee Server's biography "Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care", they didn't do their own stunts. The people on the overturning raft were stunt performers Roy Jenson, Helen Thurston and midget Harry Monty. Mitchum would often "appropriate" anecdotes; this appears to be one of them. The stars were only allowed to perform on a raft secured to the riverbank, although Monroe actually did twist her leg.
This was not the first meeting of Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. Mitchum had worked at Lockheed Aircraft with Monroe's--then known as Norma Jean Baker--first husband James Dougherty. The two had met on at least one occasion during the mid 1940's.