Jackie Cooper did not like his performance, writing in his autobiography that he felt an older English boy should have played Jim Hawkins.
MGM boss Louis B. Mayer insisted on a happy ending, so there had to be a reshoot. Wallace Beery so resented this that he sabotaged the extra work by blowing his lines, staying in his dressing room for hours or taking long breaks. As a result, what was scheduled as a one day shoot took four days.
According to TCM, in spite of the popular pairing of Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery, in the 1930s (5 films together), Cooper did not enjoy working with Beery and actually felt he was a grumpy curmudgeon, saying he was difficult to work with and a scene stealer.
Due to this film's success, Wallace Beery achieved his highest placement ever among the Top Ten Box Office Stars in 1934. He was ranked #4, making him M-G-M's second most popular star, behind Clark Gable (who was ranked #2).
This film was so popular that M-G-M re-released it in 1937, grossing an additional $144,000 for the studio (nearly 100% profit).