The film opens with the following written prologue: "In 1897, just as today, many public spirited citizens were aroused by the problems of delinquency among the youth of various communities...This story of one such community is based on fact." The onscreen opening and closing cast credits differ slightly in order.
       Although a March 1955 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Albert Band and Lou Garfinkle were to write the script from their own original screen story, only Garfinkle is credited onscreen. The same news item stated that Hayes Goetz, who purchased the story, was to produce the film, but an October 1955 Los Angeles Times news item noted that Garfinkle and Band were to co-produce following a setback for the project. [Richard Heermance was ultimately credited onscreen as producer.] The article added that Garfinkle was to expand the screenplay into a novel that would be published about the same time the film was released. That novel was never published.
       A September 1955 Los Angeles Examiner news item noted that Band considered casting the sons and daughters of famous actors in the cast. That news item also stated that John Barrymore, Jr. and Edward G. Robinson, Jr. had already been signed, but they were not in the released film. Several reviews note that the film was "a story of juvenile delinquency on the range."