The supporting cast features Ty Hardin from Bronco, Peter Brown from Lawman, Andrew Duggan from Bourbon Street Beat, and Will Hutchins from Sugarfoot.

The film begins with off-screen narration over black-and-white historical footage of the World War II Burma campaign, including mention of all nationalities of Allied forces who participated.

With reluctance, Merrill summons Stockton to brief him on their next mission, and the unit continues their march through hellish swamps before taking Shaduzup from the enemy.

The men, led by Stockton, slowly rise up and trudge toward Myitkyina as an incredulous "Doc" cradles Merrill in his arms.

Fuller was then attempting to have Warner Bros. finance and make his dream project, The Big Red One (like Ogburn, influenced by his own WWII combat experience), and initially refused Sperling's offer.

After Cooper declined the role, Fuller was impressed with former Universal Pictures contract star Jeff Chandler and cast him.

[10] Samuel Fuller and Milton Sperling simplify, but follow the events and narrative of Ogburn's historical account, but they use the character structure of Denis and Terry Sanders's screenplay for The Naked and the Dead; an earnest young lieutenant "Stock" in command of a military intelligence and reconnaissance platoon is a mediator between his men and a fatherly Brigadier General Frank Merrill.

[citation needed] Fuller structured the script differently than his previous films, with little dialogue, combining "lots of quick shots to capture the raging storm of combat."

One of the scenes of which he was most proud had no dialogue and showed the tough, bearded Sergeant Kolowicz breaking down in tears after being fed rice by an elderly woman [8] The film was shot in the Philippines, with 1200 soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, American soldiers of the 1st U.S. Army Special Forces Group at Okinawa and Clark Air Force Base, and cast the leading roles with several Warner Bros. contract stars who were then the leading men of popular programs, but would not be paid extra salary, three stuntmen (Chuck Roberson, Jack Williams, and Chuck Hicks), two Filipino film stars, and the film's technical advisor.

Merrill's Marauders was photographed by William H. Clothier, who used a trick from his work on The Alamo - silence precedes and follows the loud battle scenes.

[citation needed] Fuller felt that the studio's removal of the sequence in which GIs shot each other in the maze detracted from the reality of the film.

He fainted during shooting in the hot jungle, was flown back to Clark Air base in a U.S. Army helicopter and finished the film without further problems.