Joan Crawford was originally assigned the role of Katie O'Shea but left before shooting began because of differences with director John M. Stahl. She switched roles with Myrna Loy, who had been assigned to The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.
After the movie flopped at the box-office, Clark Gable told MGM not to bother casting him in any more "period" pieces, preferring to play only in contemporary movies. This was part of the reason Gable was reluctant to accept the role of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind.
One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.
The film lost $637,000 at the box office and is considered by many to be the worst flop in Clark Gable's and Myrna Loy's distinguished careers.
The original play opened in New York on 11 November 1935.
To get Clark Gable and Myrna Loy in the mood for the sad ending of the movie, the director put on sad music over and over again. Gable complained to then-girlfriend Carole Lombard and the next day instead of the regular music a jazzy version of "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You" started playing.