Released theatrically in England two months before it aired on American television (February 9, 1964) as "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" in three parts on The Magical World of Disney (1954). Feature film edit cuts over an hour of subplots, paring it down to a lean action suspense thriller.
Original broadcast on American television of part one (of three) was directly up against the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan, February 9, 1964.
Approved by the British Board of Film Censors on December 6, 1963. Released theatrically in England on or before December 24, 1963 as the second half of a double bill with The Sword in the Stone (1963).
A paperback novelization by Vic Crume of the screenplay was published by Pyramid Books (ISBN 0-515-04045-2) to tie-in with the U.S. theatrical release in November 1975.
Re-released on a double bill with Treasure Island (1950) in the summer of 1972.