According to co-writer Ellis St. Joseph, this and the episode which followed ("The Catwoman Goeth"), as originally planned, were to have Sandman as their only villain, and Robert Morley had agreed to play the part. Then, the producers decided to incorporate Catwoman into the story, and co-writer Charles Hoffman was brought in to make the necessary changes. St. Joseph was very much dissatisfied with the new direction the script was taking (although evidently not enough to have his name removed from the credits), as was Morley, who backed out of doing the part. David Tomlinson was then offered the part, and declined for the same reason. Michael Rennie, who was doing a lot of TV at the time, ultimately played the role.
The Sandman was a villain created for the series. However, there was a superhero called the Sandman in the DC Universe, a member of the Justice Society and a teammate of the original Batman.
The Sandman's henchmen Snooze and Nap are based on Laurel & Hardy.
Derwin Alley, where Catwoman's hide-out is located, was named after the episode's second unit director, Bill Derwin.