Warner Brothers originally intended this property as a Technicolor vehicle for Bette Davis, who made a Technicolor screen test as the young nun. The project was soon cancelled, and several years later, when asked about it, Ms. Davis quipped, "Of course, the only thing I've never played is a nun!"
The role of Stuart was intended for Sir Dirk Bogarde. Bogarde turned it down and suggested Sir Roger Moore.
Carroll Baker was concerned about being typecast after her provocative role in the controversial Baby Doll (1956), and began refusing parts. The studio offered her a choice of roles, and she chose this one because it was as different as possible.
The last movie shot at the Warner Brothers Ranch in Calabasas.
Carroll Baker later claimed that this movie had been ruined by director Irving Rapper, who, she said, "hated women". Rapper, in turn, said the movie's catastrophic failure had been all her fault, and, in one interview, he even refused to refer to Baker by name.