Although the movie was publicized as the first screen pairing of Warner Bros.'s two biggest stars, James Cagney and Bette Davis had co-starred in Jimmy the Gent (1934) seven years earlier and had wanted to find another opportunity to work together.
"The New York Times" dismissed this movie as "a serviceable romp". "The New York Post" reviewer Archer Winston succinctly put it: "Okay, Jimmie (James Cagney) and Bette (Bette Davis). You've had your fling. Now go back to work". Despite the critical reviews, the film was a popular favorite and one of 1941's top 20 box office movies.
Both James Cagney and Bette Davis were interested in changing their movie personas, with Cagney moving away from the gangster-themed roles while Davis had been seen only in serious dramas, and a romantic comedy was the way.
This was one of Bette Davis's rare forays into comedy, a genre at which she never considered herself especially adept.
Principal photography took place in the Death Valley, California in January 1941. The shoot was problematic as temperatures soared, script problems were unresolved, and Bette Davis fell into a cactus, famously having 45 quills pulled out of her rear.
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