Hollywood Reporter news items and MGM publicity material provide the following information about the production: MGM purchased MacKinlay Kantor's novel in February 1942. Filming began on October 6, 1942, but when director W. S. Van Dyke became ill in early November 1942, production was halted. Tay Garnett was to take over direction on November 9, 1942, but the project was shelved and not revived until June 1944.
The 1942 version was produced by Sam Zimbalist and starred Robert Taylor as Lloyd Richland, Susan Peters as Mary Lingen, Spring Byington as Annie Goss, Charles Grapewin as Barrow and Morris Ankrum as the sheriff. When the project was revived in 1944, the script was rewritten and all the principal crew and cast, except Ankrum and Craig, were replaced.
Production dates: August 7 — early September 1944. Additional scenes began late September 1944.
John Philliber, who plays Barrow in the film, died on November 8, 1944, shortly after filming ended. Gentle Annie was his last picture.
