The first film produced by Clint Eastwood's Malpaso Company.

Sergio Leone was approached to direct this film, but he turned it down since he was working on Однажды на Диком Западе (1968) at the time.

Reportedly, producer Leonard Freeman clashed with director Ted Post during production. One day Freeman showed up on the set, issuing orders and taking charge.
Post wanted to confront him, but Clint Eastwood intervened. Eastwood spoke to Freeman, and Freeman left the set and didn't return.
What he said was, "If you show up on this set again, there won't be a set ... won't be a cast, won't be a crew."

United Artists executives suggested experienced action film directors like John Sturges and Robert Aldrich,
but Clint Eastwood gave the director's reins to Ted Post, who had directed twenty-four episodes of Rawhide (1959) and was very good at dialogue.
Co-stars Charles McGraw, Ed Begley, Bruce Dern and Pat Hingle had all appeared in "Rawhide" episodes directed by Post.

Clint Eastwood turned down a part in the big budget film Золото Маккенны (1969) to make this film instead.