Due to a labor dispute, the principal actors had to "live" on the set for a few weeks to avoid crossing picket lines. Marlene Dietrich took the time to learn how to play the zither; it was said she drove the rest of the cast and crew mad with her attempts to perfect her technique. Her efforts paid off, however, as illustrated in the scene where she plays the zither very competently.
First film of theatre actor Murvyn Vye.
In the climax where Lydia is escaping though the wilderness from the Nazis, in some shots she is seen wearing high heels and at other times appears in bare feet. This was because Marlene Dietrich refused to wear high-heeled shoes in spite of the fact that shots had already been filmed with her stunt double wearing heeled shoes.
In the scene with Lydia and the stew pot, dry ice was used to give the impression of vapors and heat. However, a small fire was lit under it, and when filming resumed, between takes Marlene Dietrich assumed there was no real heat and suffered third-degree burns to her hand. She refused to hold up production and instead kept dipping her hand in the pot that had been refilled with ice water.
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.
The song "Golden Earrings", written for this film, went on to be hit records by several artists, including Peggy Lee who co-wrote it.