Joan Copeland, who played Alice Marie in the movie, was at the time the real-life sister-in-law of Marilyn Monroe, whose life was rumored to be the basis for the story.
The Emily Ann Faulkner/Rita Shawn character (played by Kim Stanley) was primarily based on Marilyn Monroe with elements of the lives of Joan Crawford and Judy Garland.
Just as The Goddess (1958) was Kim Stanley and Joan Copeland's first Hollywood picture, it was director John Cromwell's last, although he made two additional features in other countries. He walked out on the production after a fierce dispute over the editing, which Paddy Chayefsky insisted on doing himself, despite a near-total lack of experience or expertise.
According to a modern source, Marilyn Monroe actually considered playing the part. A number of other actresses were also considered for the role. A January 1965 New York Times news item noted that Kim Stanley asked Paddy Chayefsky to "lighten up" the character of Emily Ann, but he refused.
Kim Stanley was the same age (born 1925) as Betty Lou Holland, who played her mother.
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