Michael O'Shea looks a bit like a young Spencer Tracy but the resemblance ends right there. In fact, Jack London could have used an actor of Tracy's verve and vigor, the aforementioned Mr. O'Shea hardly suggesting the ruggedness of the legendary author. Not that the failure of the film is all down to O'Shea's too innocuous performance. The majority of the blame must instead go to screenwriter Ernest Pascal, who allows his protagonist to speak lines that sounds too much like book cover blurbs. The film biography marked the first production of Samuel Bronston and the screen acting debut of Virginia Mayo. The latter, who plays London's partner in an oyster boat, married Michael O'Shea in 1947.