The character of Cesare Enrico Bandello is not, as widely believed, based on Al Capone. Instead, he is based on Salvatore "Sam" Cardinella, a violent Chicago gangster who operated in the early years of Prohibition.
In one scene, Edward G. Robinson had to fire a pistol while facing the camera. Try as he might, he was unable to keep his eyes open each time he pulled the trigger. The problem was eventually solved by having Robinson's eyes held open with cellophane tape.
Although The Doorway to Hell (1930), a gangster film released by Warner Bros. in 1930, was a big hit at the time, most sources consider this film to be the one that started a brief craze for the genre in the early 1930s.
Despite the film's huge success, the book's author, W.R. Burnett, was furious that no actual Italians were cast in the film.
The opening weekend of the film's release broke the all-time attendance record for Warner Bros.' Strand Theatre in New York, grossing $50,000 ($993K in 2023) in 11 performances. Both Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. made personal appearances at the New York premiere, for which the top ticket prices were $2.00 ($40 in 2023).