Siegel and producer
Walter Wanger had been desperately trying to persuade the
warden of San Quentin Prison to allow the use of the facility to film
Rebelião no Presídio (1954), but the warden had adamantly refused. After the final meeting
in the prison, when the warden had said there was nothing Siegel or
Wanger could do to persuade him to allow filming there, Siegel turned
to speak to his assistant,
Sam Peckinpah. When the warden heard Peckinpah's
name, he asked, "Are you related to Denver Peckinpah?" Sam replied that
Denver was his father. It turned out that Denver Peckinpah was a
well-known jurist in northern California who had a reputation as a
"hanging judge" and the warden had long been an admirer of his. He
immediately granted the company permission to shoot the movie in San
Quentin.
