'The Hollywood Reporter' reported a number of location filming sites used in the movie. These included Camp Huemene, Santa Barbara, California; Camp Endicott, Davisville / North Kingstown, Rhode Island where the parade ground marching scenes were filmed; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Southern Califonia; as well as another military camp in Virginia.
George Reeves was originally going to co-star alongside John Wayne in this movie, so reported 'The Hollywood Reporter'. Like Susan Hayward in this film, Reeves was going to be loaned by studio Paramount Pictures to the Republic Pictures studio. However, the Army Air Corps drafted Reeves and as such he couldn't appear in this movie.
Roy Barcroft, a Republic stalwart, appears in this film as one of the Seabees. No effort was made to give him a "character" name, they simply referred to him using his real name, "Barcroft".
Joe Brooks' film debut.
An edition of 'The Hollywood Reporter' in July 1943 announced that the Republic Pictures studio was "writing the character of Captain Henry P. Needham, commanding officer of the Construction Battalions at Camp Hueneme, into the script . . . and Associate Producer Albert J. Cohen has wired for permission to have the captain play himself in the picture". From December 1942 to August 1944, as the officer in charge of the Advance Base Receiving Barracks / Advance Base Depot, Needham spent two tours at Port Hueneme. Needham was also the CBC Commanding OFficer at Port Hueneme from 1947 until 1951. However, in the end, neither a character in the movie was not named after Needham, nor did Needham appear in the film.
In 1949, Republic Pictures reissued this film on a double bill with Flying Tigers which also starred John Wayne.
One of the rare times we see John Wayne dancing. He performs the "Jitterbug" with a blonde girl in the night club scene.
Republic, being as "thrifty" as they were, used a large number of stock shots from Flying Tigers for the scenes involving "enemy" aircraft.
The film utilizes an oft-used storyline of the war movie genre which has two soldiers in love with the same girl.
The film's dedication states: "Proudly and gratefully we dedicate this picture to the Civil Engineer Corps and the Construction Battalions - the Seabees of the United States Navy who have fired the imagination of the world with their colorful exploits throughout the Seven Seas."
The motto of the real Construction Battalion Seabees is: "We build, we fight". This is encapsulated in the line of dialogue said by Lieutenant Commander Robert Yarrow (Dennis O'Keefe) at film's end when he says: "We build for the fighters, we fight for what we build".
The movie featured real footage of Seabees marching in review before the Secretary of the Navy from Camp Endicott, Davisville / North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The Paramount Pictures studio loaned actress Susan Hayward to the Republic Pictures studio to appear as Constance Chesley in this movie.
The production of this movie received extensive cooperation from the United States Navy.
The words to the fun song, the "Song of the Seabees" (Music by 'Peter de Rose' and Lyrics by Sam Lewis) heard in the movie go like this:"We're the Seabees of the Navy -We can build and we can fight -We'll pave the way to victory -And guard it day and night -And we promise that we remember -The 'Seventh of December' ....."We're the Seabees of the Navy -Bees of the Seven Seas" ....."The Navy wanted men -That's where we came in -Mister Brown and Mister Jones -The Owens, the Cohens and Flynn -The Navy wanted more -Of Uncle Sammy's kin -So we all joined up -And brother we're in to win!"
This is one of seven movies which John Wayne made that he actually dies in.
This movie is a tribute to the United State's Navy's Construction Battalions of the Second World War. Their nickname is the CB's or Seabees which explains the meaning and relevance of this film's title, The Fighting Seabees.
This movie is considered a Second World War wartime propaganda film of the United States.