- All-Star Cast: The Ensemble Cast is a who's-who of American (Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, Dan Duryea), British (Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser), and European (Hardy Krüger, Christian Marquand) stars. Future Italian exploitation man Gabriele Tinti also appears in an early role.
- Actor-Shared Background: Jimmy Stewart was an accomplished civilian and military aviator, serving in the US Army Air Forces during World War II and later becoming a Major General with the Air Force Reserve.
- California Doubling: Filmed in California and Nevada, representing the Sahara.
- The Cast Showoff: Barrie Chase, who plays the belly dancer Farida in Watson's hallucination, was a professional dancer as well as an actress.
- The Danza: Gabrielle Tinti plays Gabrielle, and William Aldrich plays Bill, which is short for William.
- Fatal Method Acting: Renowned stunt pilot Paul Mantz performed the aerial stunts in the film. On the morning of July 8, 1965, he was flying the Tallmantz Phoenix P-1, performing touch-and-go landings for the cameras, when the fuselage buckled during a touchdown. The movie model broke apart and cartwheeled, killing Mantz and seriously injuring stuntman Bobby Rose.
- In Memoriam: The film is dedicated to the memory of stunt pilot Paul Mantz, who was killed during filming when the plane serving as the Phoenix broke apart during a "touch and go" manoeuvre intended for use as a takeoff shot in the film.note
- Real-Life Relative: The two riggers who are killed in the crash, Bill and Tassos, were played by William Aldrich, director Robert Aldrich's son, and Peter Bravos, husband of William's sister Adell (who worked on the film as a script apprentice).
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