The movie was adapted by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt and Ring Lardner Jr (uncredited) from the novel by Vera Caspary. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulian (uncredited) and Otto Preminger.
It won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Clifton Webb), Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Director (Otto Preminger) and Best Writing, Screenplay. In 1999 the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.