The movie was written by George Bradshaw and Charles Schnee. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli.
It won Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Gloria Grahame), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Kirk Douglas). In 2002 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.