During filming, temperatures reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, making life miserable for both cast and crew. The intense heat caused the film stock to warp, and it had to be packed in ice to remain intact. Lillian Gish touched an outside door handle, and was so severely burned that a small part of her palm's flesh was scalded off.
The airplane propellers blowing hot air, sand and smoke were so dangerous that crew members were forced to wear long-sleeved clothing (in 120-degree weather), eye goggles, bandannas around their necks and greasepaint on their faces whenever the machines were being run.
The film's artificially happy ending was insisted upon by the studio after test audiences balked at the original ending, where the insane Letty wanders into the desert, certain to die. This more appropriate ending reportedly still exists in Europe.
The wind in the film was created by the propellers of eight aircraft stationed on location in the Mojave Desert.
This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1993.