Many of the supporting cast and minor characters were played by friends of Houseman and Ray, although RKO contract player Robert Mitchum expressed interest in playing Chicamaw, saying that like Ray he knew all about the Depression-era South and had once been in a chain gang. Mitchum went so far as to shave his head and dye it black for the role (in the original novel Chicamaw is an Indian), but because Mitchum was a rising star and had recently received an Oscar nomination, the role of a bank robber was deemed unfit for him. He and Ray did end up working together on projects, including "The Lusty Men". The role of Chicamaw went to Howard Da Silva, who had made an impression in Marc Blitzstein's musical "The Cradle Will Rock" (1937), produced by Houseman. Other minor roles were played by people Ray knew from his time in the New York theater, including Marie Bryant from "Beggar's Holiday" (the nightclub singer singing "Your Red Wagon"), Curt Conway (the man in the tuxedo at the night club) and Will Lee (the jeweler). Byron Foulger appears as the owner of the cabin where the couple try to hide out.