According to a September 17, 1945 Hollywood Reporter news item, Warner Bros. paid $25,000 for the rights to the David Goodis novel, which was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from 20 July-September 7, 1946. Some scenes were shot on location in San Francisco, and many reviews noted the effective use of the city in the background footage. According to modern sources, "Irene's" house was torn down following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.