At the end of his first scene with Tommy, Pedro mentions he will appear on the TV show "You Bet Your Life". Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, who plays Pedro, actually appeared as a contestant on "You Bet Your Life" in 1953. This appearance led directly to his acting career as it caught the attention of John Wayne and his production company Batjac which signed him to a contract and also produced this movie.
There really was a Grover's Lock and Key on Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood. Apparently, it was easier to use the existing storefront than create a phony one for the movie.
This was one of the low budget non-John Wayne movies made by Wayne's company, Batjac Productions.