"Day of Violence" and "Bed of Fear" were both working titles for the film.
Stanley Kubrick and producer James B. Harris first attempted to produce the movie around New York, where they lived, but after failing to find an East Coast racetrack that would allow the crime to be filmed there, they moved it to Bay Meadows, near San Francisco, which closed in 2008. Although named "Lansdowne" for the movie, "Bay Meadows" can be seen above the starting gate at the start of the race early in the film.
Stanley Kubrick delayed filming in order to wait until Marie Windsor was finished with another film, Swamp Women, Roger Corman's directorial debut.
Stanley Kubrick initially wrote a script outline. He then asked Jim Thompson to flesh it out with dialog.
Rodney Dangerfield reportedly appears as an extra in the racetrack fight scene.
Frank Sinatra expressed interest in this project, but production rights were granted to Stanley Kubrick first.
Kirk Douglas was so impressed with this film that he sought out the director for his next project, Paths of Glory.
Marie Windsor landed the part of Sherry Peatty after Kubrick saw her performance in The Narrow Margin.
Sterling Hayden was paid $40,000 for his lead role (Jack Palance and Victor Mature were both considered for the part). Stanley Kubrick took no fee as director of the film.
As Johnny leaves the store after buying a suitcase, advertised on the wall just beyond his car is a burlesque show featuring Lenny Bruce.
Body Count: 8.
Director Stanley Kubrick formed a production company with James B. Harris, Harris-Kubrick Pictures, before making this film. Kubrick and Harris bought the rights to the Lionel White pulp novel "The Snatch" for $10,000, but found out that the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA) Code would not allow movies to be made about the kidnapping of children, the premise of White's potboiler. White subsequently swapped the rights to his novel "Clean Break" for "The Snatch" to get them out of the predicament. United Artists had considered buying "Clean Break" as a vehicle for Frank Sinatra. "The Snatch" later was made into The Night of the Following Day in the more permissive 1960s, when the MPPDA Code had been superseded by the ratings system.
Initial test screenings were poor, citing the non-linear structure as the main problem. Stanley Kubrick was forced to go back and edit the film in a linear fashion, actually making the film even more confusing. In the end, it was released in its original form, and is often cited as being a huge influence on other non-linear films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.
Once they had convinced Sterling Hayden to come on board, Stanley Kubrick and his producer James B. Harris were able to approach United Artists about securing the extra financing for the film.
One of the horses in the race in which all of the characters are called to a meeting is Stanley K, named for the director.
The car Nikki was driving was a MG TD.
The film was effectively dumped by United Artists, premiering as the second half of a double feature; Richard Fleischer's Bandido was the main film. However, it made Stanley Kubrick's reputation, and Kirk Douglas and Marlon Brando soon hired him.
The film was shot in 24 days.
The horse targeted for assassination was named Red Lightning, running in the seventh race, the $100,000 Added Landsdowne Stakes.