Whatever misgivings Cooper had about entering the ring with Brennan, he also realized that Walter was too good an actor and had too refined a sense of ensemble acting to do anything other than make Cooper look good. It was all good, as a matter of fact. Wyler was able to shoot the film on location in Tucson, Arizona, benefitting from Goldwyn's million-dollar budget, which allowed for the construction of a replica of the opera house that Lilly Langtry appeared in. For Wyler, Brennan, and Cooper what mattered was the work.