Film debut of James Cagney at age 31. Cagney was signed for the film, along with Joan Blondell, at the insistence of Al Jolson, who had seen the pair in the Broadway stage version, originally titled, "Penny Arcade," bought the rights, and insisted that they repeat their performances in the Warner Brothers film. Interestingly, though Cagney owed his film start to Jolson, the two would never meet.
Based on the Marie Baumer play "Penny Arcade", directed by William Keighley, which debuted on Broadway on March 11, 1930. It flopped, running just three weeks, enabling Al Jolson to pick up the screen rights for $20,000. He resold it to Warner Brothers at a tidy profit with a proviso that James Cagney and Joan Blondell be cast in their original roles.
First of seven films in which James Cagney and Joan Blondell appear together released from 1930 to 1934. They would co-star as leads in four: Blonde Crazy (1931), The Crowd Roars (1932), Footlight Parade (1933), and He Was Her Man (1934).
This film has been preserved by the Library of Congress.
At the end of the film, as the public returns to the carnival games, Mrs. Delano says "Never give a sucker an even break," which is a line generally credited to W.C. Fields from 7 years earlier in the stage musical "Poppy".
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