Charlton Heston took no salary for this movie, instead he took a piece of the box-office.
Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher who co-wrote the screenplay, are best known as the creators of the long running TV show "Leave it to Beaver".
St. Catherine's Military School, which still exists in Anaheim, California, supplied the scenery and its students as extras for the film. The K through 8th grade school is the only Catholic Military School west of the Mississippi. It was established in 1880.
This movie was loosely remade in 1995 as the Damon Wayans movie, "Major Payne."