This episode was originally intended by creator Roy Huggins to be the series pilot, but Warner Brothers chose "War of the Silver Kings" instead to lead off the series. In the years afterwards, Huggins would complain bitterly that by this underhanded trick Warner Brothers would cheat him out of legally being the creator of the show, which would cost him millions in lost royalties.
The plot of this story would be reused by Huggins in Everything Else You Can Steal (1971), where the bank teller is played by Patrick O'Neal and the woman by Jessica Walter.
James Garner met Luis Delgado in this episode. Delgado played an unnamed "townsman", but he would go on to work with Garner numerous times. He appears in 32 episodes of Maverick (1957), and in the Garner movies Boys' Night Out (1962), The Thrill of It All (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), 36 Hours (1964), Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969), Skin Game (1971), The Castaway Cowboy (1974), in 41 episodes of The Rockford Files (1974) and all 18 episodes of Bret Maverick (1981).
Director Budd Boetticher and actress Karen Steele (Molly) were husband and wife at the time this was made.