Fritz Lang had desperately wanted Peter Lorre to play Jeff Warren, but Lang had treated Lorre so abusively during the making of M that the actor refused.
Fritz Lang wanted to film the movie in Jasper, Alberta, Canada.
Lang did not like the title and thought it redundant. "What other kind of desire is there?" is his reported comment.
The "Central National" Railroad was portrayed by equipment and properties of the Southern Pacific Railroad.