In a pure "pre-Code" moment, Sister Fallon's chauffeur, Lou, gives Hornsby "the finger" (out of Hornsby's sight) immediately after Hornsby warns him about what he must do to keep his job. The Hays Office surely would have rejected this scene had the movie been made after 1934.
The character of Florence Fallon was largely based on popular evangelist preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. Some people nicknamed her "The Miracle Woman" because of her supposed healing powers, but others derided her as a fraud and con artist, saying she never "cured" anyone and was just using the pulpit to make money.
The wooden church set that burned was large enough to hold 25,000 people. It had to be built outside of Hollywood's city limits for safety reasons.
The tin wind-up toy with a clown playing "Farmer in the Dell" on the xylophone was called a Zilotone, first produced in 1929 by Wolverine Supply & Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The automaton's movement is driven by serrated disks that spin on cam plates to operate spring-loaded rods that move the striker and rotate the body of the clown. The Wolverine Zilotone came with several disks, with optional ones available for purchase separately. There were a total of nine different disks (i.e., songs) made. The Zilotone was priced at $2.50, with extra disks costing 50¢ each. As of the 21st century, these toys are a rare find for collectors.
Barbara Stanwyck had only one day of rest between the completion of this movie and the first day's shooting of Night Nurse (1931).