At the last minute, the producers wanted to add a scene where Bette Davis' character goes insane and commits suicide. Davis refused, saying it was out of character for the role.
Although repeatedly denied at the time, this film (and the novel on which it was adapted) were widely believed to be based on the infamous Lana Turner / Johnny Stompanato murder case of 1958. Stompanato, a violent gangster, was Turner's lover, and her daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Stompanato to death as he was assaulting Turner. Cheryl's defense at her murder trial was that she was afraid that Stompanato, who had beaten Turner many times before, was actually going to kill her this time. Crane was acquitted.
Patty Duke, Deborah Walley and Laurel Goodwin were all mentioned for the role of the daughter, ultimately played by Joey Heatherton.
Edith Head's costumes apparently cost $200,000 to create.
The intense dislike between the characters played by Susan Hayward and Bette Davis was echoed by the antagonistic real-life relationship of the two actresses.