The film was shot in 1937 but released on January 7, 1940. William Dewhurst (Lord Chief Justice) died on October 26, 1937. His only child, Paul, died in 1937 fighting in the Spanish Civil War, only a few months before Dewhurst's own demise.
The place, Kursaal, where Larry and Wanda go on their day out of London, is at Southend-on-Sea. It was the world's first permanent funfair/theme park. It closed in 1973.
The ship Larry and Wanda take on their trip is the Royal Eagle. Launched in 1932, it was one of the largest and fastest paddle-wheel steamer excursion ships that served the summer tourist route from London to Southend, Ramsgate, and Margate. It routinely carried over 500,000 passengers per season and consumed over 10 tons of provisions per day, served by 70 stewards. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in October 1939 and outfitted with anti-aircraft guns to protect shipping on the Thames. She also played a role in the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk in 1940. She returned to passenger excursions after the war until being scrapped in January 1954.
Produced in the UK in 1937 before the international popularity of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Producer Alexander Korda intended this to be a star-building vehicle for Leigh. Columbia bought the film in 1939 but did not release it until after the success of Gone with the Wind (1939).
The film takes place from April 21 to May 1938.
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