San Quentin housed both male and female inmates until 1933, when the women's prison at Tehachapi was built.
Based on the play "Women in Prison" by Dorothy Mackaye of her own experiences while serving a sentence for concealing and distorting facts regarding the manslaughter trial of Paul Kelly. Kelly, who was having an affair with Mackaye, and Ray Raymond, Mackaye's then-husband, got into a violent, alcohol-induced fight on April 16, 1927. Raymond was seriously beaten about the head, and lingered for two days, but succumbed to a brain hemorrhage. Kelly was found guilty of manslaughter and served a little over two years. Mackaye had tried to convince police that Raymond had died of "natural causes". She was released after 10 months.
Nan says "I must have a swell pan. Everybody's remembering me these days." "Pan" became an American slang term for "face" in the early 1920s, as in the term "deadpan" meaning "no facial expression".
Upon arriving in prison, Nan is told it's "not a pink tea." A "pink tea" is a formal afternoon tea notable for a high degree of decorum.
Film has some rather blatant and oddball plugs for Warner Brothers stars. In several scenes photos of Joe E. Brown (whom Lillian Roth sings to) and Dick Powell are seen in the women's cells.