Fifth of six films based on the same novel and play - three silents and three "talkies" released from 1916 to 1947.
George M. Cohan's play opened on Broadway in New York at the Astor Theater on September 22nd, 1913 and ran for 320 performances.
Erville Alderson, who plays the police chief, also appears in the 1947 version, albeit in a smaller role as the station agent (played in this version by Walter Brennan).
Both this and the 1947 version feature a character named Professor Boulton--who is not in the play on which they are based.
This is the fifth filmed version of the play.