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The one person from ONE MILLION B.C. I ever talked to was Jean Porter, who's in all the Shell People scenes as Carole Landis' sister:

<< You know that D. W. Griffith was the producer...and this was his last producing credit. It was kind of an honor to even talk to that man, Griffith having done so many beautiful and wonderful films. On One Million B.C. he didn’t do much except sort of "oversee" everything. He sat over by the sound stage door, the great big sliding door on wheels. I’m talking about the big door which they brought set walls in through, that they brought the trees in through, the door that all the trucks came through. That’s the door he always sat by...I’d hate to think it was an easy getaway [laughs]! But he liked that door open about a foot, and his chair was near that open door. All of us remarked about that. I don’t know if he had asthma or something and he needed it for breathing, but he just liked to be right near the door. We all knew where to find him! He kept sitting in that chair, and we knew that was Mr. Griffith, and he was there for a reason. He was there every day, I think. But he didn’t direct.
[What was he like personality-wise? Serious?] Not too serious...he spoke very nicely. But very quiet. And he was all wrapped up. We [the actors] were mostly unclothed, we were running around in skins, and he had an overcoat and a felt hat that was kinda pulled down. He looked like he was chilly all the time. I just remember he was nice to talk with, and we were so respectful that he was even there. He and I didn’t carry on conversations that I can remember, just "How are ya?" and things like that.
[So who did direct the scenes you were in?] I’d say it was Hal Roach, Jr., but don’t go by my word because both of 'em were on set [Sr. and Jr.]. It seems to me Hal Roach, Jr., did most of the directing, but Hal Roach, Sr., was on the set, and it would be hard for me to be absolutely sure which one was doing what. <<

There's a good chance the idea for ONE MILLION B.C. was kicking around a good long time before it was finally made. When I interviewed Richard Denning, he said one of his first Hollywood offers was the lead in ONE MILLION B.C. but his agent told him to turn it down and he went to work at Paramount instead. IF he's right about the chronology, that'd mean that he was offered it in 1937.