Buster Keaton was recommended for the role by Douglas Fairbanks, who had created the role on Broadway and turned down the chance to play it again in the film.
Bronson Howard's play, "The Henrietta," opened in New York on 26 September 1887; a revised play, "The New Henrietta," by Winchell Smith and Victor Mapes opened there on 22 December 1913 and closed in February 1914 after 48 performances. The opening night cast of the latter play included Douglas Fairbanks as Bertie, Zeffie Tilbury as Hattie and Arthur Stuart Hull as Dr. Wainwright.
A rare Buster Keaton smile is visible in the scene in which Bertie reads the newspaper account on the raid of the gambling house.
One of the few Buster Keaton films in which a hand double is used in a close-up shot to avoid showing that Keaton was missing his right index fingertip.
This was Buster Keaton's first feature film.