According to pre-production news items in Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times, RKO paid $20,000 for Luther Davis and John Cleveland's factual Collier's article and the studio initially considered Jackie Cooper for the role of "Bitz" and Ray Collins, George Raft and Brian Donlevy for other parts in the film. A news item in Hollywood Reporter notes that the studio was so impressed by Joan Merrill's test for this film that they ordered her part enlarged to a second female lead. According to other news items in Hollywood Reporter, this film marked the promotion of assistant director Clem Beauchamp from shorts to feature length films. The picture also marked the return of art director Feild Gray to RKO after a five-year stint as set decorator at M-G-M. George Murphy was borrowed from M-G-M to star in this film. The song "There's a Breeze on Lake Louise" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.