casting was a huge problem, and it was reported that producer darryl f. zanuck and director ford deliberated for weeks. marjorie rambeau and gene tierney were cast in november 1940. most other cast members were signed on in the same month. ford personally insisted that charley grapewin was cast as jeeter, because of their previous collaboration on "the grapes of wrath". to portray dude, william tracy had to diet and lose teeth. on his role, tracy commented in a december 1940 interview: "it's a swell part. it's one you can sink your teeth in, if you have your teeth."