It was James Cagney's small role (as a fast-talking insurance salesman) in this film that made William A. Wellman decide to cast him in the lead role of Tom Powers in The Public Enemy. He had initially been cast as Matt Doyle, with Edward Woods playing Tom, but Wellman was so impressed by Cagney that he reversed the roles.
The characters James Alden and his wife Laura are played by real husband and wife George Arliss and Florence Arliss.