Nicholas Ray had wanted a more downbeat ending in which Wilson tries to reconcile with Mary, but she spurns him, asking him, "What difference does it make?". Wilson then returns to his job but with a newfound sense of calm. However, RKO made Ray film a new ending which is in the film.
A hand-held camera was used in many scenes to give a "live action" feel to those sequences. This was extremely rare in feature films of the time.
After being completed, the film was shelved for two years, which was not uncommon in RKO under the control of Howard Hughes. Upon Hughes insistence, 10 minutes was cut out of the film, and a scene which originally was just before the ending, the assassination of Myrna, was moved to the ending of the first part of the film.