The character Patrick O'Neal plays was simply called "Tow-Headed Soldier" in the original script. Director Jack Swanstrom and editor Sue Hoover decided during post-production to rename him "Grif," as an homage to director Samuel L. Fuller. Fuller's films often included a doomed character named Grif.
The first cut was over 50 minutes long.
Shot on Kodak 35mm short-ends over about 8 days and nights mostly in the hills behind Magic Mountain in Southern California.
Panavision generously provided the camera and lens package for free.
The writing credit for Shane Black - Holly Martins - comes from the Joseph Cotten character in The Third Man (1949).