Outrage!

Prior to filming, one late Friday afternoon, Robert Preston was ushered into Irwin Allen's office for a casual meeting and discussion. While Irwin was talking, Preston dozed off into a nap. Irwin stood at his desk, walked out of the office to check with his secretary and with his Art Director. Returning to his desk, he sat waiting, Preston awakened, and Irwin continued his conversation. Again, Preston dosed off asleep. About five minutes, Preston revived, and again the conversation resumed. After the meeting, Irwin Allen had his Production Manger take Preston over to the St. John's Hospital for a complete medical checkup. Irwin didn't want Robert Preston bailing out on him in the middle of the film shoot.

This was Irwin Allen's last completed film production before he retired.

Final acting role of Robert Preston, the same about Elizabeth Rogers.

The courtroom set was a standing feature set, designed by Gene Callahan, which had not been struck. Taking advantage of the budget savings, Irwin Allen and Columbia Pictures dictated the use of the standing set for the court room scenes. The major expense for using the set was for filling the enormous room with extra casting.

Downtown Los Angeles, a block north of Los Angeles Street, filming was scheduled in an alley. Prior to filming, the entire block long alley had to be steamed cleaned for the cast and crew to work in, including cleaning out the alley's abandoned garbage. The set decorator then had to dress the alley with clean items that had been distressed with paint. The morning of filming the alley scene, the morning temperature was extremely frigid cold. Irwin and his assistant arrived wearing heavy overcoats with their hands deep in their overcoat pockets. In the parking lot across from the alley, where the catering truck had set up, one of the local unfortunate alley inhabitants spotted Irwin with his assistant side-kick standing in the parking lot, a few yards away from the catering truck. The bum walked over to Irwin, asking him directly, "can you spare a dollar?" Irwin turned to Steve and said "Give him a quarter!" Steve reached deep into his pocket, pulling out a quarter, handing the coin to the bum! Looking at the quarter in his palm, the bum said "O.K." And walked away...