Remarkably, the plot of this film mirrors aspects of Wallace Beery's real life --- Beery ran away from home at age 16 and joined Ringling Brothers Circus as an assistant elephant trainer, but left the company two years later after being clawed by a leopard.
According to an article in the 5 October 1935 edition of the New York Times, it was Beery himself who wrestles with the tiger and not a stunt double. However, it states there were "sharpshooters" positioned off camera with their rifles trained on the tiger. Also, it stated the studio invited film correspondents to sit with the extras in the audience for this scene.
A contemporary article in the New York Times stated MGM used 150 children for this film and assigned one private teacher for each ten kids during the production.
MGM bought the film rights to this story three years before the actual production began specifically as a vehicle for Beery and Cooper.
This film was first telecast in Los Angeles Monday 28 January 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), followed by Chicago 19 February 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), by Minneapolis 24 February 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), by Philadelphia 18 March 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), by Norfolk VA 30 May 1957 on WTAR (Channel 3), by Omaha 3 August 1957 on WOW (Channel 6), by New Haven CT 25 September 1957 on WNHC (Channel 8), and by Baltimore 7 October 1957 on WJZ (Channel 13); in San Francisco it first aired 25 May 1960 on KGO (Channel 7); its earliest documented telecast in New York City did not take place until 2 June 1961 on WCBS (Channel 2).