The music score was by Max Steiner, the Technicolor cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr., the art direction by Leo K. Kuter and the costume design by Howard Shoup.

The film shows the story of conflict between a young, independent-minded man and his stepfather, a ruthless tobacco tycoon.

Young Parrish McLean and his mother live on Sala Post's tobacco plantation in the state of Connecticut.

Other notable appearances include Frank Campanella as Foreman, Terry Carter as Cartwright, Don Dillaway as Max Maine, Gertrude Flynn as Miss Daly, Vincent Gardenia in a bit part, House Jameson as Oermeyer, and Carroll O'Connor as Firechief.

[6] A nationwide talent search was launched to find the younger male lead[7] although Anthony Perkins was also a frontrunner.

She was quoted during filming as saying: My central theme — and fortunately Mr. Daves agrees about this — is that young people today are neither "beat" or "lost".

I wanted to show an affirmative hero who may be confused because of his youth and sex troubles, but who is still masculine, unaffected and optimistic — able to get ahead on his own two feet.

[1]Delmer Daves differentiated the film from his earlier A Summer Place: There I tried to dramatize the terrible end of communication between parents and children.

Here, in this day of mass identification, I show the need for a young man to establish his individual liberty against the world's increasing push towards conformity.