Norman Mailer, the author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed novel on which the film is based, was reported to have said it was the worst movie he had ever seen after viewing the film.
In the Norman Mailer novel, the behind-the-lines reconnaissance patrol is terminated when the members are attacked and somewhat comically ran off by swarming hornets.
Charles Laughton was originally slated to direct " The Naked and the Dead ", but the commercial failure of The Night of the Hunter (1955) put Laughton off the idea of ever directing again.
The U.S. Navy ship seen approximately five minutes into the movie is the USS Alfred A. Cunningham, DD-752, an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer.
This film was originally to be released by RKO Radio Pictures, but by the time it was ready for release, that studio had closed down and the film was distributed by Warner Bros. It may be the only instance where the logos of both companies appear on the same film. The TCM print bears an RKO Radio Pictures logo, stretched out to wide screen proportions, and an RKO Teleradio Pictures copyright statement.