The original play opened in New York on 13 February 1928 at the Belasco Theater, with C. Aubrey Smith originating the role of Sir Basil; it ran for 263 performances.
Because of the subject of illegitimate children, the movie was banned in Ireland and underwent dialogue deletions in many areas, including Milwaukee, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
Completed and presented to preview audiences in 1930, the film bears a 1930 copyright statement. However, it is tagged a 1931 production by IMDB, according to their rule book, because it was not officially released until January 1931.
During the opening scenes, the female visitor Mrs. Webb is referred to as a "grass" widow, which means a woman whose husband is away often playing golf or other similar obsessional activities for a prolonged period.
During the living room scene where the children meet their father, Mrs. Bank uses the term "montebank" when referring to Toni's mother, a stage actress. Montebank is a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan. The word is derived from archaic Italian montambanco ("quack who mounts a bench to hawk his wares"), contracted from monta-in-banco ("mount on bench").