The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway was initially involved in the production, although the extent of his participation after selling his book's film rights to Warner Bros. was to go marlin fishing off the coast of Peru to try to find a fish suitable for use in the film. In the end, the producers used a rubber marlin and stock footage of marlin fishing in which Hemingway didn't participate. After seeing the film, Hemingway expressed his disappointment, remarking that Spencer Tracy looked less like a Cuban peasant fisherman than the rich actor he was. Nevertheless, Tracy earned an Oscar nomination for the role.

Although the Old Man is supposed to be way out at sea and all alone, at around 33:00 a small boat with a person on it can clearly be seen between the old man's body and his left arm. Apparently the previous wide shot (Old Man in boat) is reused as background for a following close shot of the Old Man.

The only opening credit is the following: Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The cast and crew all appear in the closing credits. There were only three cast members named and are listed in the following order: Felipe Pazos Jr., Harry Bellaver, Spencer Tracy.