<P> Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, and John Wayne, were all considered for the role of the attorney, Sam Bowden . Peck was a last - minute replacement for Heston, who was originally cast . </P> <P> Jim Backus was set to play attorney Dave Grafton . </P> <P> Thompson had always envisioned the film in black and white prior to production . As an Alfred Hitchcock fan, he wanted to have Hitchcockian elements in the film, such as unusual lighting angles, an eerie musical score, closeups, and subtle hints rather than graphic depictions of the violence Cady has in mind for the family . </P> <P> The outdoor scenes were filmed on location in Savannah, Georgia; Stockton, California; and the Universal Studios backlot at Universal City, California . The indoor scenes were done at Universal Studios Soundstage . Mitchum had a real - life aversion to Savannah, where as a teenager, he had been charged with vagrancy and put on a chain gang . This resulted in a number of the outdoor scenes' being shot at Ladd's Marina in Stockton, including the culminating conflict on the houseboat at the end of the movie . </P>

Who played in the original movie cape fear