Blackmer and Shirley Booth both won Tonys for the Broadway production, but since neither was a film star it was decided that only one could be in the movie with a star playing opposite them. When Burt Lancaster greed to take male part, Booth was in and Blackmer was out.

Writer William Inge wanted Blondell rather than Shirley Booth, whom he considered too plain to have been a high school beauty.

Bette Davis turned down the role of Lola Delaney, later said it was "one of the really great mistakes of my career."