The working title of this film was Smash-Up. A May 1946 Hollywood Reporter production chart places Victoria Horne in the cast, but her appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. Although an August 1946 Hollywood Reporter production chart credits Mark Hellinger as producer, his contribution to the released film has not been determined. Many reviews compare this picture to the 1945 Paramount film Lost Weekend because of its topic of alcoholism. According to a New York Times news item, the PCA initially tried to dissuade producer Walter Wanger from making this picture because the topic had recently been dealt with in Lost Weekend. Using the argument that the code only prohibited the depiction of unnecessary social drinking and that imbibing to further plot and characterization is permitted, Wanger finally won the PCA's approval. To assure authenticity, Wanger consulted with the National Committee for Education of Alcoholism and incorporated their suggestions about the necessity of continued vigilance into the scenario. A Life magazine article adds that director Stuart Heisler consulted with a Yale University authority on alcoholism. A New York Times news item notes that parts of the film were shot on location at Central Park and Sutton Place in New York City. This was screenwriter John Howard Lawson's last assignment before being subpoened by HUAC as one of the Hollywood Ten. (For additional information on HUAC, see entry above for Crossfire.) Susan Hayward was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in this picture. This was the first of many "long-suffering heroine" roles for Hayward.