Producer Stanley Kramer filmed in secrecy under the working title of "High Noon". The film was completed in thirty days, for the cost of US$525,000, with Kramer using three different units at the same time. The majority of the film was made on indoor sets, except for the climax that took place on Malibu beach with a former navy PT boat. Associate Producer Robert Stillman financed the film with the help of his father, without the usual procedure of borrowing funds from banks.