The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA at the Greenwich Village Theatre, 220 W. 4th St., on 29 September 1920 and ran for 250 performances. It was produced by Max Marcin, the production associate of this movie, and included in its cast Charles McNaughton and Beryl Mercer, both of whom are in this film.
Beryl Mercer, Charles McNaughton and Claud Allister originated their roles in the 1929 version of the movie, Three Live Ghosts (1929).
The film actually started filming on 6 November 1935, but was halted on 8 November 1935 for script revisions. MGM then decided to scrap what had already been filmed and replaced cast members Ann Loring (who had the romantic lead), Una O'Connor, Charles Butterworth, May Robson and David Thursby. The setting was also changed from a contemporary one to World War I.
According to a contemporary article in The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Taylor was to be the lead in this picture, but was replaced by Richard Arlen shortly before production began.
The £1,000 reward equates to about £58,300 in 2021.