James Murray, who had played the lead in The Crowd, was director King Vidor's original choice for Marion Davies's love interest. Murray's alcoholism and depression made him unavailable, and William Haines was cast instead.
Based on the career of Gloria Swanson, who began her career in comedy.
Studio scenes taking place at the "Comet Studios" were taken at the derelict Mack Sennett "Keystone" studios, where such comedy greats as Charles Chaplin and Ben Turpin worked early in their careers. Sennett built and moved to a larger studio earlier in the year, so director King Vidor filmed his slapstick studio scenes at the older, vacated site.
The musicians who play "mood music" for Peggy Pepper during filming did the same thing in real life for actress Marion Davies.
The well known faces appearing in the banquet scene are, in the order they appear on screen: Dorothy Sebastian, Louella Parsons, Estelle Taylor, Claire Windsor, Aileen Pringle, Karl Dane, George K. Arthur, Leatrice Joy, Renée Adorée, Rod La Rocque, Mae Murray, John Gilbert, Norma Talmadge, Douglas Fairbanks, Marion Davies, and William S. Hart.
Turner Classic Movies broadcasts the originally released print of Show People (1928), with the original score.