Patty Duke, Deborah Walley and Laurel Goodwin were all mentioned for the role of the daughter, ultimately played by Joey Heatherton.
Although repeatedly denied at the time, this film (and the novel on which it was based) were widely believed to be about the infamous Lana Turner / Johnny Stompanato case of 1958. Stompanato, a violent gangster, was Turner's boyfriend and her daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Stompanato to death as he was beating Turner. Her defense at her murder trial was that she was afraid that Stompanato, who had beaten Turner many times before, was going to kill her this time. She was acquitted.
At the last minute, the producers wanted to add a scene where Bette Davis' character goes insane and commits suicide. Davis resisted, saying it was out of character for the role. The producers attempted to sue her but Davis won the case.