At a very early stage, Dalton Trumbo considered Steve Martin for the role of Joe Bonham. Martin was dating Trumbo's daughter at the time.
The film was a minor success when it was originally released. It became a well-known cult film in 1989 when it was included in the Metallica video "One" (1989). Eventually, the band bought the rights to the film so they could keep showing their music video (and using clips in live performances) without having to pay royalties.
Metallica used this story as the basis for their song One, appearing on the 1988 release '...And Justice For All'. The official promotional video also contained several clips from the original movie. The band has also integrated clips into their live performances of the song.
Before airing on PBS there was a huge public outcry about the nudity in the film. President Jimmy Carter recorded a special intro to the movie essentially saying the anti-war message was more important than the skin.