Made as a silent during a time when Carl Laemmle couldn't beg, borrow or steal enough of Fox's Movietone recording equipment. Throughout 1928 and 1929 Universal rented the systems as often as they could, but was left in a position where they had to choose scripts that could be shot within a week as 100% talkies or take longer production times on higher quality material to be released as silents or part-talkies. This was often the financial kiss of death considering the public's appetite for sound movies.