A silent version was shot simultaneously. This practice was common during the 1928-30 sound transition period.
Lothar Mendes, although credited as co-director, was in charge of producing the silent version, which was shot simultaneously.
No director at Paramount wanted to be the first to tackle sound so studio sound "expert" Roy Pomeroy was enlisted, under the guidance of William de Mille. Like most early talkies, this was a huge hit.
The earliest of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since; however, because of its age, and its primitive sound recording technique, television showings were few and far between.
This is Paramount's first all talking feature film.
William Powell's first sound film.